Today, Cxmmunity Media, a Black-owned organization dedicated to future-proofing minority representation and equity in the gaming industry announces the third season of its HBCU Esports League. The new season kicks off on Tuesday, September 13th and invites promising student teams from 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities to go head-to-head in a series of NBA 2K games. The top two teams will advance to the “Discover Bowl” finals presented by Discover, for an opportunity to win a cash prize of $20,000.
Verizon, HBCU Esports League’s first foundational brand partner, will be returning this year as a title sponsor of the upcoming season along with Nestlé HOT POCKETS®, an essential snack for all gamers, who is making its inaugural debut.
Season three of the HBCU Esports League will air on Twitch.tv/cxmmunity starting Sept. 13, 2022, at 6:00PM EST and run for 22 weeks.
Despite the fact that 83% of Black teens identify as gamers, Black professionals are vastly underrepresented in the gaming category, only comprising 4% of the industry. The HBCU Esports League, one of very few Black-owned sports leagues, is working to change this statistic by providing a unique opportunity to drive equity in gaming through this platform to allow Black colleges and students to gain exposure and resources to monetize in esports. This next series of games follows the momentum and success of the second HBCU Esports season that wrapped in May and sought celebrity attention and participation from rapper T-Pain, actor Brett Gray, professional football Champion Mike Evans and more.
“We are honored to continue our service to the Black community by creating pathways for gamers of color to reach new heights of unprecedented access within the gaming industry,” says Cxmmunity Media CEO Ryan Johnson. “As we look ahead to the new season of the HBCU Esports League, we hope to continue building the table for the next generation of diverse gamers to take a seat.”
This season’s HBCU participation includes: Florida Memorial University, Howard University, North Carolina Central University, Claflin University, Oakwood University, Morris Brown College, Johnson C. Smith University, Wilberforce University, Tennessee State University, Southern University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Fayetteville State University, Benedict College, Albany State University and Bowie State University.
“The illustrious Historically Black College and University community is primed with smart and talented students who we’ve had the pleasure of engaging and further cultivating their passions for three seasons,” says Cxmmunity Co-Founder and CMO Chris Peay. “It’s great to see the growth in participants and how more corporate partners are getting on board to support our ambition of bringing much needed equity to the gaming industry.”
Launched in 2020, the HBCU Esports League was created to remove barriers of entry for Black students to participate and take advantage of economic opportunities in esports as a part of Cxmmunity Media’s broader mission of future-proofing diversity in gaming. Since its inaugural season, the HBCU Esports League has drawn over 130 student participants from 35 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
