A study by the Associated Press found that an overwhelming number of esports scholarships and roster spots at American colleges go to men. The gender disparity exists even though nearly half of American gamers are women.
An AP News story, “AP study: Nearly 90% of esports scholarships going to men,” said that Boise State “was among the more equal schools in the AP’s survey, with 16 male players, five female players and three who identified as nonbinary.”
The story quoted Doc Haskell, Boise State esports coach.
“These teams need to look like us, like our campus community,” he said.
Haskell, according to the story, has built an atmosphere of equity by focusing on the way players communicate, teamwork skills, inclusion, and avoiding old school “locker room talk” that can be exclusionary.