Esports as a Real Athletic Path (for Students Who Don’t Fit Traditional Sports)

Episode description (Spotify):
Not every athlete lives under Friday night lights. Some of them are in a computer lab, a library, or their bedroom queuing up ranked.

In this episode, clinical audiologist and esports program co-founder Dr. Brian James, AuD, CCC-A makes the case that esports is a real athletic path for students who don’t fit the traditional sports mold—especially those who are smaller-bodied, neurodivergent, managing health conditions, or just not into cleats and contact drills.

We break down:

• How well-run school esports programs build teamwork, resilience, leadership, and self-control—the same “soft skills” colleges and employers want

• Why esports can be a lifeline for marginalized students who never saw themselves as “athletes”

• How structure (coaches, GPA rules, practice schedules) is the difference between healthy esports and “endless solo queue until 2 a.m.”

• The growing ecosystem of college scholarships, majors, and careers tied to competitive gaming

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or school leader, this episode gives you language, examples, and talking points to answer the big questions:

“Is this really a sport?”
“Will this hurt their grades?”
“Can this actually help them get to college?”

Esports isn’t a consolation prize. For the right student, it’s where they finally get to say: “I am an athlete.”