PRATT, Kan.- As the world of eSports has evolved, so too has Pratt Community College. The Beavers athletic department has announced the school's current eSports team, formerly a club activity, will now be recognized as an NJCAA-sanctioned sport. 

 "We are excited to bring eSports under the athletics umbrella," said Pratt Community College athletic director Tim Swartzendruber. "With NJCAA now sponsoring eSports, it makes sense for us. Chris Nelson has done a great job of starting and building a successful eSports program here at PCC. We look forward to continuing that success."

Nelson, who has been the head coach of the school's eSports team since 2018, sees the move as simply a sign of the times.

"eSports moving under the athletics umbrella feels like a natural transition and inevitable materialization," said Nelson. "eSports has become an inescapable part of the collegiate environment, growing at an unprecedented pace. I am excited to join the program with the exceptional athletic programs at PCC."

Nelson previously spent seven years in charge of IT compliance and production at an oil company. Before that, he had owned a photography business, in which he was in charge of nine employees at one point. He also held the hat of a software consultant for Innovative Computing Corporation, a company that wrote software for transportation such as shipping for trucks, airlines, and railroads across the United States and Canada. 

eSports, otherwise known as competitive, organized gaming, joins men's and women's tennis as newly-added athletic events to Pratt's athletic offerings. More details regarding the team and its logistics will be available soon.