Collegiate StarLeague shifts esports Grand Finals to online event

The league, which moved its finals from the Luxor in Las Vegas, is also holding a charity event with TikTok on Saturday for students to offset education expenses.

The coronavirus pandemic has presented challenges for nearly every athletic and recreational activity since higher education schools across North America closed.

Esports has not been immune. Though many clubs, varsity teams and students have found a way to continue competitive gaming, few of the top leagues and conferences have been able to host big events.

One of the largest of the year, the Collegiate StarLeague’s Grand Finals, were initially stalled when its host site, the HyperX Esports Arena at the Las Vegas Luxor hotel, suspended all in-person events. But organizers have managed to revive it by hosting it virtually.

On May 30-31, Collegiate StarLeague will hold its five national championships online – in Dota2, Rocket League, League of Legends, CSGO and Magic the Gathering (MTG) Arena. It is a massive win for students, who not only will get a chance to compete for titles but also get a chance to bring home a collective $215,000 in scholarships and prizes.

The event will be shown on Twitch at twitch.tv/cstarleague.


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Collegiate StarLeague, one of the world’s biggest college league and tournament hosts, boasts 70,000-plus students and more than 1,800 schools competing in a variety of games, from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to Madden.

One of its most recently launched events is the TikTok Cup, a charity tournament with platform TikTok that will take place on Saturday. Some $60,000 in prizes will be awarded to offset “heavy educational expenses” in the games Fortnite, League of Legends, CS:GO and Rocket League. Interested players can sign up at www.TheTikTokCup.com.


Chris Burt is the Esports Editor for University Business magazine and the Program Chair for the Academic Esports Conference and Expo, scheduled for Oct. 19-21. Chris can be reached at [email protected].

Chris Burt
Chris Burt
Chris is a reporter and associate editor for University Business and District Administration magazines, covering the entirety of higher education and K-12 schools. Prior to coming to LRP, Chris had a distinguished career as a multifaceted editor, designer and reporter for some of the top newspapers and media outlets in the country, including the Palm Beach Post, Sun-Sentinel, Albany Times-Union and The Boston Globe. He is a graduate of Northeastern University.

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