SULC Louisiana Esports League Launches

Southern University Law Center partners with Vanta for the SULC Louisiana Esports League. Credit: SULC

Southern University Law Center (SULC) announced this week that it has partnered with Hull, Massachusetts-based full-service esports platform company Vanta to launch the SULC Louisiana Esports League.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The new league, which will be open to public, private, and charter schools statewide, promises “multiple tiered tournaments during the course of the season” featuring such games as Fortnite, League of Legends, Tetris, and Super Smash Bros, among others. SULC and Vanta will launch the SULC Louisiana Esports League in conjunction with the Southern University Law Center’s Mixed Reality Virtual Innovation Gaming and Esports Institute.

“Our partnership with Vanta to launch the SULC Louisiana Esports League represents more than just a competitive platform; it’s a cornerstone for building a robust esports ecosystem within our state,” said Chris Turner, director of the SULC Mixed Reality Virtual Innovation Gaming and Esports Institute. “By offering this league free to all middle and high schools in Louisiana, we’re not just opening doors to competition but also to education and empowerment.”

Turner also noted in the announcement that schools that participate in the new league will be introduced “to an array of programs from game design classes to esports camps, and cyber security events.” According to Turner, “This initiative is about lighting a spark of innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth, illustrating that the gaming industry holds immense potential for their future. We are crafting a narrative where esports is the beginning of a journey towards a world of opportunities, creativity, and professional growth.”

Louisiana schools (including charter schools and home-schooled students) can register as teams for free by visiting la.vanta.gg. The pre-season begins on Jan. 22, with the regular season beginning on Feb. 5.

The top four teams for each game will compete in a final in-person tournament on April 27 – 28, that will be hosted at the SULC Mixed Reality Virtual Innovation Gaming and Esports Institute. While the lab can only host about 40 spectators, Chris Turner tells The Esports Advocate that it plans to broadcast the competitions on an LED screen in an adjacent ballroom that is capable of hosting hundreds of people (more details on that aspect are to be determined).

Louisiana School System

On a related note, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) unanimously voted this week to reappoint Dr. Cade Brumley as the Louisiana State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Brumley has served in the role since 2020, and has faced unforeseen challenges that have impacted students, schools, and teachers including the global pandemic and multiple state-wide weather disruptions. It’s unclear as of this writing what top educators in the state think about introducing gaming and esports to students, but there has been a recent push to find innovative ways to improve computer science skills in the state.

The Louisiana school system is made up of 1,303 public schools in 70 school districts throughout the state. As it is a school choice state, Louisiana also is home to a number of Charter schools and parents who prefer to educate their children at home. During the 2021-22 Academic Year, Louisiana enrolled an estimated 775,583 K-12 students in traditional public schools, charter schools, or private schools (these figures exclude homeschooled students). Of these, approximately 48.0% (or 371,937 students) were white, 37.8% (or 293,231 students) were African American, 8.6% (or 66,566 students) were Hispanic, and 5.6% (or 43,849 students) represented another racial minority (data based on the NCES’s 2019-20 Private School Universe Study). This data comes from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor report released on Jan. 25, 2023.

Vanta’s League Operations

Launched in 2020 by Patrick Cronin, James Roche, Zack Fabi, and Ed Lallier, Vanta is a for-profit esports tournament platform company that focuses on creating competitions for students in the United States for free. Vanta describes itself as a “full-service esports platform that specializes in operating scholastic esports leagues for students across the United States” and focuses on “creating safe and inclusive environments.” It primarily generates revenue through sponsorships and partnerships, and via coaching services and other programs that offer additional education tracks to students on topics such as game development. The company says that it is COPPA (short for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) compliant and STEM-certified.

Vanta raised over $2.5M USD in October of 2022 in an oversubscribed funding round led by Scout Ventures, with participation from J Ventures, Veteran Ventures Capital, and Trajectory Capital, and additional contributions from Blue Ventures, GTM Fund, Paul Lasiuk, the Hart Family, the Rifkin Family, and several angel investors. To date, it has raised more than $3.3M in disclosed funding.

In the past, the company has inked partnerships with New Meta Entertainment-owned women’s esports organizer Raidiant, Texas-based esports education company Esposure, the University Interscholastic League of Texas (UIL), the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS), Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Association of Middle-Level Educators (AMLE), among others.