Innovation Heroes: How one teacher built America’s largest school esports league

The video game industry generates more revenue than movies, music, and all North American sports combined. League of Legends World Championships draw more viewers than the Super Bowl. Yet, until recently, most school administrators viewed gaming as something to block on their networks — not celebrate in their gyms.

That’s changing fast. And the transformation offers surprising lessons for IT leaders navigating any kind of institutional innovation.

When COVID became the catalyst

During the pandemic, when traditional sports were canceled and students were isolated at home, Chris Aviles saw an opportunity. The New Jersey teacher had been trying to launch school eSports since 2011, but the technology, infrastructure, and willingness simply weren’t there. COVID changed everything.

Aviles sent his classroom laptops home with students and called fellow teachers with a simple pitch: play each other in Rocket League. What started as the “Jersey Shore League” with just two middle schools grew to 100 participating schools by the time students returned to classrooms.

“I would go to my board of education and explain, ‘Hey, did you know these kids can play video games competitively? Imagine the kids we can reach that are just going home on the bus because their needs aren’t being met by other sports or clubs,'” Aviles said on the latest episode of Innovation Heroes, a podcast by SHI. “And it was a ‘no’ for eight years, until COVID hit and everything else was canceled.”

The biggest barrier was IT

Today, Garden State eSports serves 12,000 students across more than 400 New Jersey schools, making it the largest scholastic eSports league in the country. In 2024, New Jersey became the first state to officially recognize eSports as a varsity activity — the state’s first new varsity designation in over 20 years.

But getting here required overcoming an unexpected obstacle.

IT departments derail eSports programs more than any other stakeholder, according to Aviles. The issue isn’t philosophical opposition; it’s security concerns and misconceptions about network risk. IT teams, especially those outsourced to third parties, often refuse to open the necessary ports or unblock games, citing infrastructure vulnerabilities.

“We’re finding that a lot of stakeholders assign unnecessary risk or overly dramatic possibilities — networks being taken over and all that stuff,” Aviles said. In reality, simple solutions like dedicated VLANs that only activate after school hours can enable safe gaming without compromising security. Garden State eSports has supported over 400 schools with zero IT security incidents.

Jeff Prudente, SHI’s Mobility Manager who has worked with Garden State eSports since its early days, notes the irony.

“If you would’ve asked me, I would’ve said the IT guys would be the first advocates. These are our people getting recognized at a varsity level,” he said. The solution involves education: IT professionals who actually coach eSports teams are now teaching their peers about best practices like network segmentation and access controls that enable programs without security risk.

It’s not about the competition

What makes this story relevant beyond education? It’s about what happens when leaders prioritize people over process.

Fifty-two percent of Garden State eSports participants have never done any other school activity. That means 48% are students who already play traditional sports or join clubs, proving eSports doesn’t replace existing activities; it complements them. Football players join Overwatch 2 teams in the off-season. Theater kids become broadcasters. Students from different social groups discover shared interests.

Twenty-five percent of participants have IEPs, 504 plans, or autism spectrum diagnoses. Gaming often represents one of the only activities these students can fully participate in alongside their peers.

Consider Jack, a student on the autism spectrum who rarely socialized. He joined Garden State eSports not as a competitor but as a broadcaster, says Aviles. Over four years, he became “the voice of Garden State eSports,” calling state championships before moving on to broadcast for New Jersey City University’s college program. He found his people and his voice through structured gaming competition.

Studies conducted with Monmouth University show students involved in eSports attend school between 10 and 33 percent more than before joining their teams. Their grades improve. Their behavior improves. They show up.

The innovation lesson for IT leaders

So, what does a high school gaming league teach enterprise technology leaders?

First, innovation often requires overcoming internal resistance, not external competition. Garden State eSports has gained acceptance from every major New Jersey educational body — school boards, the state athletic association, and the Department of Education, which awarded $500,000 in career exploration grants for eSports programs. The remaining barrier is technical gatekeepers who haven’t been educated about safe implementation.

Second, transformation requires patient evangelism. Aviles spent eight years hearing “no” before circumstances created an opening. He built relationships with fellow teachers, documented student impact, and kept refining his approach. When the opportunity came, he was ready.

Third, the best innovations solve human problems first and technological challenges second. Garden State eSports isn’t about gaming. It’s about belonging, recognition, and opportunity for students who previously had none. The technology enables the mission; it doesn’t define it.

Finally, dual-purpose thinking multiplies ROI. Schools that purchase gaming computers for after-school eSports are also launching engineering academies, teaching Unreal Engine game design, and running high-level CAD programs during school hours. As Aviles put it, “An investment in eSports after school is an investment in STEM during the day.” That’s how you build support in budget-conscious organizations.

What’s next

Garden State eSports now operates in 20+ states through the Interstate Scholastic eSports Alliance. The organization has launched a formal varsity certification program, training the 600+ coaches — most of whom have never played competitive games — who make these programs work.

The lesson for IT leaders isn’t that everyone should start an eSports league. It’s that meaningful transformation often starts with one person who refuses to accept “that’s how we’ve always done it” and is willing to spend years building proof that there’s a better way.

Sometimes innovation starts with borrowed equipment and a wild idea. But it takes root through persistence, partnerships, and keeping the focus on the humans you’re trying to serve.

NEXT STEPS

Learn about SHI’s commitment to eSports and listen to the full conversation here. You can also find episodes of the Innovation Heroes podcast on SHI’s Resource Hub, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms, as well as on YouTube in video format.

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