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Andy Mendez is the future of esports
Andy Mendez has implemented an outstanding esports program at Naperville North High School. (Credit: @ABXY_lol/Twitter)

Andy Mendez is the future of esports

AURORA, Ill. (BVM) — Andy Mendez has built an esports for the Illinois area from the ground up. Mendez’s career in esports began while he was attending Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois.

Metea was one of the first schools in District 204 to officially recognize esports as an official sport and implement resources for the program. He began working with a teacher who had little knowledge about the esports world. In the beginning, his team played “League of Legends” and “Overwatch.”

Initially, he was helping the supervising teacher present ideas to other supervisors in order to receive proper funding. Later, he was promoted from a member of the team to the team captain, and would attend supervising meetings alongside the supervising teacher.

The team, under Mendez’s leadership, was able to achieve a state championship and later went to nationals. 

Once he graduated, Mendez was able to move to Naperville North High School and build the District 203 program. There, he became a director of the program and received the proper resources to help the program grow. Additionally, it was the program with the most recognition and coverage throughout the area.

The team had a great Twitter following with high interaction and the community attended its events to watch them play. Before he knew it, Mendez had helped the program build a name for itself.

Though esports has come far since he initially started, Mendez expressed a few of his concerns for the culture of esports. The 23-year-old’s biggest concern is the stigma around esports not being viewed as a real sport by many people, mainly administrators. It’s hard to fund programs that people don’t believe are real, even if they bring in money.

“People don’t want to pay for things they don’t feel are ‘real,’” Mendez explained. “Esports is real. There’s real money involved, as much as any other sport out there, but you get out what you put in.”

Mendez believes that esports is just like any other traditional sport. Athletes practice and work towards a goal as a part of a team the same way stereotypical athletes do. Even if it is not done in the same way, esports athletes hold themselves with the same work ethic and dedication as other athletes. 

The esports director explains that esports is not nearly as expensive as other sports. The equipment mainly consists of computers and stable internet connection. These are upfront costs that don’t need to be changed out every year. Additionally, fees to participate in competitions are usually inexpensive. While he was in high school, the fees to attend competitions were $10 per person.

The 23-year-old hopes that schools will work to hire more professionals to help students within esports programs. These professionals would assist with necessary duties from coaching to speaking with investors.

“It’s time consuming,” Mendez said. “You have to try to get money for the team by talking to administrators all day long and then you’re making sure the athletes have everything they need.” 

Currently, the duty falls, usually, to one person: the coach. They work with the investors and help guide the students within the program. These are difficult and time-consuming tasks. Usually within other more typical sports programs at high schools and colleges, these duties are spread among several different people.

“There is a difference between managing and coaching,” Mendez said. “Typical sports teams have managers and coaches, but not in esports. It’s all one person doing two time consuming and difficult tasks for their athletes. There needs to be more people helping and supporting these athletes.”

Successful esports programs are notorious for bringing attention and money to their respective schools. Mendez believes that it would make sense for schools to put money into the programs in order to see a more rewarding output.

Mendez feels that there is too much of an emphasis placed on students working overtime to improve their skills. Students will seek out summer camps and programs that will help them work towards refining their abilities. The effort put in will result in better play during games. Athletes understand that and will work overtime to ensure they play the best games they can.

This extra effort from the athletes is a result of the nature of esports — you can play from anywhere. There are no specific conditions for someone to be able to play like most other sports. Football is usually played in the fall and soccer in the spring. Esports can be played year-round.

The most important reason why athletes train so hard is that those who are unable to stay ahead will be left behind and someone else will take their spot. The pressure is high to constantly perform well. As a result, students look for ways to improve year-round and pick up the slack of administrators.

Though he may have ended up in the position by chance, Mendez is passionate about working with esports athletes. He believes that he is creating a community for students who would otherwise have nothing else to participate in at school.

“Most if not all the students within the programs that I work in say that this is the only club they are a part of at school,” Mendez remarked. “I want to make sure that they have a place to do the things they love. I want them to have a community.” 

Mendez’s dedication is truly remarkable and admirable. He has been able to create scholarships for students and place them into great programs across the country. Students he has worked with have been able to attend prestigious schools with developed esports programs on full rides. He has helped obtain full rides for seven different students thus far.

For the future, Mendez would like to get more involved in working with more developed esports leagues. His experience in developing programs at high schools will offer him the necessary tools and skills to work his way up.

“I’m getting ready for something big,” Mendez explained excitedly. “Not sure what yet, but it’s time for a change and I can feel something coming.”

Currently, Mendez is working on making himself a commodity for the esports world. He works part-time as chief technology officer with the Illinois High School Esports Association. He hopes to be someone who others seek out and want to work with for the future.