Nets Gaming Crew, the NBA 2K affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, has partnered with HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) Gaming to help educate students about career opportunities within the esports sector.
According to the release, this is HBCU Gaming’s first partnership with a professional esports team.
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Throughout the partnership, HBCU students will have the opportunity to compete in an intramural esports league and attend a series of educational panel events titled ‘Press Play’.
These panels will be comprised of knowledgeable names in esports, from NetsGC players and staff to key industry executives. Press Play aims to give students the opportunity to learn about the wide array of roles and professions that are available within esports beyond becoming a professional player.
The first panels will take place on July 20th with NetsGC’s Head Coach and General Manager Ivan ‘OG KING CURT’ Curtis.
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Thomas Foley, Principal of Indigo, HBCU’s Gaming platform, said that the company was originally launched ‘to connect students through esports’ and ‘introduce professional development and increased exposure to industry leaders’.
Foley added: “What attracted us to forming a partnership with NetsGC is their strong dedicated focus towards diversity and inclusion that is not only embraced across the continuum of leadership but also fostered throughout the organisation. We could not have a more committed partner to help our HBCU students score greater professional opportunities.”
Nets Gaming Crew joins the likes of Gillette and Doordash as partners of HBCU Esports.
Esports Insider says: While it is great to see HBCU Gaming attracting partnerships with established teams, the most important thing here is the emphasis on esports careers education. By directly connecting students with the industry, HBCU is playing a crucial role in increasing the diversity of the esports world and we will certainly see the fruits of this in the coming years.