
OVERVIEW (DEVELOPING, LAST UPDATE 11.13.2020 @ 12PM)
DISCLAIMER: Before we start this article please be aware that it is in active development and some variables may change. We will do our best to keep the timestamp current to any changes as well as push big changes to social media to bring awareness to this article. It will also evolve to a post game score board and repository for saved videos from the panels.
It’s that time of year for one of the biggest rivalries in the region to come back! You know BEDLAM but we march to our own drum as we let the iconic grudge match have its traditional showcase. Now it’s time for these two campuses to face off in a different arena. Esports! 2020 will historically go down as the year of disruption, change, and controversy. However, gaming and esports gained massive acceleration because of the need for more virtual and socially-distanced programming. Luckily, for fans of gaming and esports this has been the norm since the late 90s and birth of online multiplayer gameplay. We’ll make this a physical event in the years to come, for now, it’s 100% virtual.
In the spirit of good sportsmanship we are tapping into that healthy exchange of competition to build up our topic into the mainstream. The timing is perfect to further boost our topic. In the mainstream, gaming and esports are often viewed only as entertainment and time sinks. However, this sport is a global one with League of Legends now representing the 3rd most watched organized entertainment sport after the NFL and NBA. Additionally, League of Legends “Worlds Finals” now sees viewership surpassing the NFL Super Bowl. This is no longer a niche industry as it’s trajectory puts it on course to match and surpass the NFL in revenue in just 6-7 years from now.
Historical Information
2020 marks the 3rd annual Bedlam series with our friends (and enemies) over at Oklahoma State University affectionately known and branded as The Gamers of OSU. In 2013, we kicked off this new evolution of tradition into esports, hosting showcases across multiple titles. Additionally, we physically hosted in 2018 and OSU hosted in 2019. This year, further elevation at both campuses and more students involved than ever before sees us facing off in a two day event across seven(6) different games and two(2) panels!! We’ll get to that schedule shortly, but first let’s talk about the significance of this event across much of higher education.
In September 2020, the University of Oklahoma elevated it’s Esports Club into the new Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation department housed underneath Student Affairs with a roadmap aimed at creating a full-fledged department similar to athletics as a standalone entity. Everything you will see in this two day event are the results of the purest of grassroots energies over the course of several years to show that students are demanding this and not at just OU and OSU but at over 240+ universities now across the US and Canada.
THE PROGRAM
- Panels will be defined further below.
Saturday, November 14, 2020:
- 1PM – Student Leadership Panel
- 2PM – Counterstrike Grudge Match
- 4PM – Rainbow 6 Siege Grudge Match
- 7PM – Overwatch Grudge Match
Sunday, November 15, 2020:
- 2PM – Student Experience Panel
- 3PM – Rocket League Grudge Match
- 4PM – League of Legends Grudge Match
THE OU ESPORTS CLUB (OU) TWITCH STREAM
THE RED RIVER 2020 PANELS
Panel 1 – Leadership and How This Event Came to Be
When: November 14, 2020 @ 1PM
Overview: This panel will focus on all the logistics involved to make this event happen. It will also provide a glimpse into the organizational structures from each development and their similarities and differences.
- Moderator – Mike “Moog” Aguilar, Director of Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation, OU
- Panelists:
- Sam Williams – President – Gamers of OSU
- Matthew Fontenot – Esports Coordinator – Gamer of OSU
- Jasmine Graves – President – OU Esports Club
- Jon Hudson – Director of Intercollegiate Competition – OU Esports Club
- Panelists:
Panel 2 – Competitive Development in Esports
When: November 15, 2020 @ 1PM
Overview: Let’s talk about the journey through college and what gaming communities mean to us. Whether you’re in to competition or purely social aspects, community often helps many of us get through it all.
- Moderator – Mike “Moog” Aguilar, Director of Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation, OU
- Panelists:
- William Hoback, Gamers of OSU
- Wyatt Pursley, Gamers of OSU
- Campbell Woxell, Gamers of OSU
- Silas Bales, OU Esports Club
- Michela Thompson, OU Esports Club
- Brandon Villarreal, OU Esports Club
- Panelists:
LETTER TO ALL GAMERS, ALUMNI, FANS AND COLLEGIATE ADMINISTRATORS | ARTICLE CONCLUSION
To All Gaming & Esports Cowboys & Sooners Alike:
“Traditions Evolved, Rivalries Maintained” is our mantra as we lean on each other to push the agenda forward. This past Fall OU elevated it’s OU Esports Club by funding a directorial role under Student Affairs and creating the Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation department. This means The University of Oklahoma is now strategically developing esports infrastructure for research, curriculum, recruitment, scholarships, and everything else you could think of. This isn’t a jab at OSU’s administration nor is it something we want to be taken lightly. We need OSU boosted as well as our other Big 12 and Power 5 peers! We want to face off against our Cowboy adversaries and find these new business opportunities of revenue generation and diversification in our passion and shared industry. We hope this predominately student driven collaboration helps both campuses understand the desire and absolute need for further support, elevation, and development in the topic of gaming community and esports development.
Despite this article being hosted on the Sooner Nation’s esports media outlet, we can’t wait to destroy OSU on the digital battlefield, but look forward to further collaboration to create additional opportunities in our venerable university landscapes. Boomer Sooner to all our fans, alumni, and partners!
-Mike “Moog” Aguilar, M.B.A, Director of Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation, The University of Oklahoma
LinkedIn | Twitter
P.S. – Consider this a formal “can they come out and play” request. <3
SPECIAL THANKS TO (EVENT FACILITATORS)
Leadership & Logistics
Head Event Coordinator: Jonathan “RadPanda” Hudson, Director of Intercollegiate Competition
Org President: Jasmine Graves, President
Full Event Oversight: Mike “Moog” Aguilar, M.B.A, OU Director of Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation & Lead Advisor of The OU Esports Club
Head Event Coordinator: Matthew Fontenot, Esports Coordinator
Org President: Sam Williams, President
Full Event Oversight: Shaun Noll, Lead Advisor
Production & Casters
Production Lead: Austin “RexGoDragon” Nguyen (OU)
Casters/Spectators:
Counterstrike: Global Offensive Teams
Head Coach: Justin “Bardo” Lombardo
Captain: Ryan “ShAkin” Akin
Captain: Campbell Woxell
Roster:
League of Legends Teams
Head Coach: Joseph “Ender” Savala, 2019 Alumni
Captain: Connor “Solaris” Spain
Captain: Matthew Fontenot
Overwatch Teams
Head Coach: Joshua “Thumper” Riesenberg
Captain: Julian “Wumbologist” Mendiola
Captain: Wyatt Pursley
Rainbow 6 Siege Teams
Head Coach: Alex “Zesti” Davis
Captain: Mason “Issues” Johnson
Captain: Grant Gilbow
Rocket League Teams
Captain: Chris Arterberry
Captain: Connor Pendergraft
AFTER EVENT INFORMATION AND NUMBERS
THE GAME RESULTS
RAINBOW SIX SIEGE: 2-0 GOSU
OVERWATCH: 3-0 OU
ROCKET LEAGUE: 4-3 GOSU
COUNTERSTRIKE: 2-0 OU DOUBLE OVERTIME!!
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2-0 GOSU
OVERALL: 3-2 GOSU!
AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP
ALL COMPETITIVE STREAMS: 40-50
ALL PANEL STREAMS: 30-40
PEAK VIERWERSHIP STREAM: OW @ 75 | LoL @ 77
UNIQUE VIEWERSHIP OVERALL: 662
CHARITY NUMBERS
Extra Life runs throughout the year with the biggest days being during the first weekend of November. This is the snapshot numbers of our fundraising drives during the two day event. Additionally, other members of community were members of the collective team and is the reason for the higher “FULL TEAM AMOUNT”.
GOSU: $65
OU: $130
FULL TEAM AMOUNT: $2,870!!!!
At the start and end of every production regardless of which channel these videos were played to promote Longhorn Gaming and The OU Esports Club as well as Extra Life: