The Philadelphia 76ers’ NBA 2K League side, 76ers GC, has partnered with local university Saint Joseph’s University to create a content series exclusively for the college’s students.
Along with the content series, the two parties will run a number of events and activations around careers in esports.
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Through the partnership, the six-part digital content series will profile the 76ers GC players and chronicle their background and journey to where they are today. The series will explore their lives, talents and interests as professional 2K League players. The first episode will feature 76ers GC Shooting Guard Alexander “Steez” Bernstein and is scheduled to debut later this month on 76ers GC and Saint Joseph’s social media accounts.
Along with the content series, several collaborative events will be hosted for Saint Joseph’s students, focusing on competitive esports in both player and career capacities. Career-focused offerings will include virtual networking opportunities, coaching clinics and guest speakers.
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Philadelphia 76ers Vice President – Marketing, Kathryn Alario commented that the collaboration is “a natural fit; we are each committed to empowering students in our city, state and surrounding area by fueling their esports passion and developing the next generation of esports players, influencers and executives.
“The exclusive 76ers GC content, programming and access generated through the partnership will provide a unique opportunity for students who want an inside look at the craft and business of esports. This partnership continues to reinforce Philadelphia’s prominent position in the esports ecosystem.”
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Saint Joseph’s University has already made some strides in catering to esports on campus, including a tech-focused esports lab, business and marketing coursework that features esports, whilst also elevating the student gaming club to a club sport, which allows access to Athletic Department support.
Jill Bodensteiner, Saint Joseph’s Director of Athletics considers this a fantastic next step, “we are constantly evaluating how we can keep this generation of students engaged, and it is clear that esports is one of the areas of opportunity students are interested in.
“With our already existing strong ties to the 76ers organization, our new esports programming, and with Philadelphia becoming the East Coast epicenter for gaming, it makes sense for Saint Joseph’s to partner with GC. We feel this partnership builds on our commitment to esports and will provide our students unique opportunities to learn more about the growing industry academically and professionally.”
Esports Insider says: Having two Philadelphia organisations collaborate on this initiative is great to see. Along with the content that dives into the 76ers GC players, the career-building opportunities offered by the partnership will be a nice benefit to students considering working in esports.