LARGO — Eight area high schools sent teams to Pinellas County Schools’ inaugural Spring Esports Tournament on April 29, a milestone for a district program that has doubled in size since launching last fall and is poised to expand to nearly every high school in the county.
The tournament, held at the Dr. Michael A. Grego Leadership Institute in downtown Largo, featured matches in Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., Rocket League and digital chess. Teams from Dunedin, Largo, Gibbs, East Lake, Countryside, Lakewood, Jacobson Tech and Osceola Fundamental high schools competed for trophies.
The event also underscored how far competitive gaming has come. Once dismissed as a hobby for kids who wouldn’t go outside, esports is now a multi-billion-dollar global industry, with celebrity investors including rapper Drake and NBA Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan backing teams and leagues.
That interest has trickled down to the local level. School districts across the country now offer esports as part of the curriculum, and in Pinellas, a district-funded program years in the making has grown from four schools to eight, with plans to add nearly all the rest by fall.
“We started the conversations pre-pandemic about putting together a districtwide program, because we knew the students were interested in it and we wanted to provide the opportunity to give them something they love that’s connected to school,” said James Wilson, the district’s technology integration coordinator, who oversees the program.
Wilson said building the framework took years, but opposition was minimal.
“Everything has been all positive and supportive,” he said, “from the parents to the students to the faculty.”
James Hill, head coach of the boys and girls golf teams at Osceola Fundamental, has taken on an additional role leading the Seminole school’s esports team. He said the parallels with traditional athletics are clear.
“It’s very similar,” Hill said. “Universities are giving scholarships for this, and these kids are super competitive. They’re no different than those who are more athletically inclined. They develop strategies and learn life skills. But the big thing is the kids get to express themselves, whether they’re traditional athletes or not.”
Studies have pushed back on the long-running concern that gaming rots young brains, finding instead that structured esports programs can build discipline, problem-solving, teamwork and perseverance — and, in some cases, lead to careers.
“Research shows that attendance increases, GPAs increase, and it makes the kids want to participate in school,” Wilson said. “The skills esports develop cross over into the real world and give them another way to connect to the school.”
For Clearwater mom Nicole Reitmeyer, the program at Countryside High has done exactly that for her freshman son, Ethan.
“In middle school he always played video games,” Reitmeyer said as Ethan relaxed with his teammates between matches. “And during the high school orientation he saw they had an esports program, and he was really interested. He was surprised they had it. So he joined the club and he’s been involved ever since.”
She said she always encouraged Ethan to find something he liked and stick with it.
“I see the benefits of esports because it’s the future, with the knowledge behind computers and multitasking,” she said. “It’s a lot to learn and a pathway to future careers, and it’s natural to bring to high schools.”
Wilson said the district plans to add esports programs at every high school capable of supporting the curriculum.
“In the fall we should have 16 of the 17 high schools in the county on board,” he said, noting the programs require strict guidelines, filters and other safeguards to operate in a public school system.
The district is also exploring partnerships with colleges for mentor programs and student showcases, he said, “because there’s more opportunities beyond K-12.”
For Reitmeyer, the shift is overdue.
“The stigma of playing video games is gone,” she said. “This is helping Ethan learn life skills and make friends and prepare for his future. And I’m all for it.”