Too Far?

Anyone who has been associated with a college or university knows about the issue of attracting applicants and enrollees.  We build new dorms, recreation centers, student unions, dining halls, digital classrooms, etc. to attract students.  We tailor academic programs, create new majors, etc. to attract students as well.  DII and DIII schools use athletics to attract students (hard to do, but still done in DIII where there are no athletic scholarships).  But can this behavior go too far?

Robert Morris University--Illinois (not associated with Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh) has announced that they are incorporating eSports--organized video-game competition--into their athletic department.  Read about this announcement here.  Not only are they incorporating playing a video game into the athletic department, but they are going to give 45-50 scholarships covering 50% of tuition, room and board and hire a "coach" for the team.  The "team" will have uniforms, regular practice sessions, post game meals, and tutoring support the athletic department.  

For my two cents, what a bunch of wasted money.  I understand the use of athletics to attract students.  I also point out to my readers that the athletic events are attended by students, alumni, community, and other fans (often from far away).  Athletics may not break even or come close to being cost effective at most colleges, but they serve recognized physical and social purposes.  So, how many of you are going to show up and watch 10-12 kids playing on computers?  The major gaming conventions and challenges draw as much as 20,000 people, but these are 20,000 mainly participants or wannabe participants.  Donations are made to athletic departments because people see the games.  Money is spent in the community because people come to see games played.  So you have just added a non-athletic thing to your athletic department with little hope of producing any revenue.  However, you are going to give scholarships, meals, uniforms, tutors, and coaching which all costs money.  If your college has so much money to throw away, can you make a donation to the Sam Stanton Research Fund (doesn't exist, but I'll start it if anyone has some money to give me)?  

Money aside, since when is playing on the computer athletic?  I do not consider a great many activities that are athletic to be sports,* which is why we have athletic departments, not sports departments and I am fine with scholarships, training, etc. for athletic events as well as sports.  Playing of the computer is neither a sport, nor an athletic activity.  If you break a sweat playing on the computer, you probably need to go see the doctor.  So, Robert Morris University--Illinois, my opinion is that you made the wrong call.

*for the soccer fans among my readers, remember that in the footsteps of George Carlin I classify soccer as athletic, but not as a sport.  Some of the most athletic people I know play soccer.