'League Of Legends' To Become Official College Sport In USA

Online gaming is about to become a genuine college sport. According to new reports, Robert Morris University Illinois is set to become the first college in North America to offer scholarships to League of Legends players just as a university would to a football or basketball player. 

"Robert Morris University has always been at the forefront of providing opportunities for a diverse student population with different interests and skills," Kurt Melcher, the Associate Athletic Director of the school, said. "League of Legends is a competitive, challenging game which requires significant amount of teamwork to be successful."

A press release from the college announced this news:

Robert Morris University is in the process of recruiting students for the first year of competition, beginning with the fall quarter in September, 2014. RMU will join the Collegiate Star League, made up of 103 institutions of higher learning and compete against other universities including Arizona State, George Washington and Harvard. Significantly, Robert Morris University is among the first in the nation to offer substantial scholarships for members of the first RMU Varsity eSport League of Legends team. Qualified gamers can earn scholarships of up to 50% tuition and 50% room and board. Currently there are over 750 schools in 46 states and eight Canadian provinces that participate in League of Legends High School Starleague (HSL). Robert Morris University seeks eSport athletes with experience in the HSL or similar for their inaugural competitive season. Teams in the Collegiate Starleague compete for Riot's North American Collegiate Championship and $100,000 in scholarship money. Qualification to the event can be obtained through league play or through the North American Collegiate Open tournament.

What do you think of this League of Legends news? Are you going to tell your kids that playing video games is okay now since a scholarship is available?

(via)