Point Park and pro sports teams present Pittsburgh's first major esports event
The Point
Summer 2019
Point Park University hosted the Steel City Showdown — the first major esports tournament in Pittsburgh history — May 11-12 at its Pittsburgh Playhouse with more than 500 participants and spectators.
Teaming up with Point Park were the Pittsburgh Penguins, CAVS Legion GC, Pittsburgh Knights and AbleGamers Charity, while the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, iHeart Media and Walmart served as sponsors.
“The event was a huge success and the first of its kind for both Pittsburgh and Point Park. We brought together three professional sports teams while raising money for AbleGamers,” said Steve Tanzilli, J.D., dean of the Rowland School of Business and chair of SportsPITTSBURGH’s Esports Task Force.
The Steel City Showdown featured competitions in three games — Super Smash Bros., NBA 2K and NHL'19 — with monetary prizes for the winners.
Rapidly growing
“It’s long overdue for Pittsburgh to really get behind one of these tournaments, and our Pittsburgh Playhouse is the perfect venue for it,” said Tanzilli. “The University is heavily invested in esports, through both this event and our Business of esports course that will help develop professionals in the industry with event management and business skills.”
Pittsburgh does have an established esports presence through the Knights, the city’s first professional team.
“We’re excited that Point Park University is venturing into esports, and are happy to be supporting this event,” said Rodney Lee, project manager for the Knights. “We think this [is] really fun for the community and a great introduction to the growing esports scene.”
Len Komoroski, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, said esports is rapidly growing in popularity from Cleveland to Pittsburgh and beyond.
“This may be the first esports tournament for many gamers in the Pittsburgh area, so we are excited to help bring this to life and provide a fun and educational experience for all those who attend,” Komoroski said.
“It’s unique to have three professional teams from two cities representing different sports supporting Point Park University in this exciting eSports venture,” said James Santilli, senior vice president of marketing for the Penguins. “The Penguins are honored to be part of it.”
Professional opportunity
Point Park students, faculty and staff volunteered at the two-day event, with duties ranging from ticketing and check-ins to social media coverage and distribution of prizes.
“The Steel City Showdown furthered my love of events, and opened my eyes to a lot of different career opportunities. I got the chance to speak with a Red Bull representative. She gave me some amazing insights into jobs I could excel in based on my degree and work experience in the hospitality industry. Without this experience, I may have never made that connection and had that conversation,” said Charlotte Primrose, a senior business management major.
“It’s amazing to see what the esports industry is growing into, especially in Pittsburgh and at Point Park. The participants were so excited to be at the event!” Primrose added.
“Steel City Showdown was a blast for me. The event went smoothly and it was a lot fun to meet new people while playing the games we all love. I would love to come back and participate in this event many more times!” said Matthew Whitaker, a 2019 sports, arts and entertainment management graduate.
For students interested in learning more about the sports field, Point Park offers a course titled The Business of Esports, taught by Instructor Charles Berry, J.D., owner and attorney of Charles Berry Consulting. The University also plans to host Pittsburgh’s first ever Esports Summer Camp for high school students in summer, 2020.
Text by Lou Corsaro
Additional reporting by Amanda Dabbs
Photo by John Altdorfer
Video by Randall Coleman
The Point is the magazine of Point Park University