Collegiate Esports

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Research theme

Labor, fandom, toxicity, and institutions in U.S. collegiate esports programs, much of it with the Esports and Games Research Lab.

Publications

  • Cote, A. C., Rahman, M. W. U., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Harris, B. C., Can, O., & Hansen, J. C. (2024). Esports Buffs: The Perceived Role of Fans and Fandoms in U.S. Collegiate Programs. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Wilson, A., Cote, A., Foxman, M., Harris, B., Hansen, J. Can, O., & Rahman, W. (2024). In/visible Hurdles: US Collegiate Esports Participants’ Perceived Barriers to Play and Involvement. New Media & Society. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Cote, A., Wilson, A., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Rahman, M., Can, O., Fickle, T., & Foxman, M. (2023). Taking Care of Toxicity: Challenges and Strategies for Inclusion in U.S. Collegiate Esports Programs. Journal for Electronic Gaming and Esports. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Cote, A., Can, O., Foxman, M., Harris, B., Hansen, J., Rahman, M., & Fickle, T. (2023). The COVID Season: Collegiate Esports Programs’ Material Challenges and Opportunities During the 2020-21 Pandemic. Games and Culture, 18(2), 229–250. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Harris, B. C., Hansen, J., Can, O., Rahman, W., Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Fickle, T. (2022). “Starting from scratch to looking really clean and professional”: How students’ productive labor legitimizes collegiate esports. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 39(2), 141–153. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., Jenny, S. E., King, M., & Becka, L. (2024). Competitive Collegiate Esports Programs. In S. E. Jenny, N. Besombes, T. Brock, A. Cote, & T. M. Scholz (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Esports (pp. 454–465). Routledge.
  • Cote, A., Foxman, M., & Law, Y.-Y. (2024). Qualitative Esports Research Methodology. In S. E. Jenny, N. Besombes, T. Brock, A. Cote, & T. M. Scholz (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Esports (pp. 123–134). Routledge.
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., Wilson, A., Arangelov, V., Sonner, B., Fricke-Waters, J. (2025). Shaping the Future of Esports: Comparing Philosophies, Labor and Infrastructure in Collegiate Programs. Book of Abstracts: Online Esports Research Network Conference 2025. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Burrell, S., Arangelov, V., Cote, A. C., & Clements, J. (2025). Seeing Into the Future: Opportunities and Challenges for Immersive Media in Esports Player and Fan Experiences. Book of Abstracts: Online Esports Research Network Conference 2025. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Wilson, A. J., Arangelov V. A., Cote, A. C., Foxman, M., Burrell Jr., S. L., Clements, J. (2025). Cultivating Success: Administrators’ Perspectives on the Acquisition, Maintenance, and Growth of Collegiate Esports Sponsorships. Book of Abstracts: Online Esports Research Network Conference 2025. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Can, O., Wilson, A., Cote, A., Harris, B. C., Rahman, M. W. U., Hansen, J., & Fickle, T. (2023). Facilitating Collegiate Esports: Limiting and Legitimizing Competitive Gaming. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Can, O., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Cote, A., Rahman, W., Burrell, S., Harris, B. C., Hansen, J., & Fickle, T. (2023). The Limits of Influence: Negotiating the Hegemony of Game Companies in Collegiate Esports in the US. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Cote, A., Rahman, M. W. U., Foxman, M., Wilson, A., Burrell, S. L., Harris, B. C., Can, O., Hansen, J. C., & Fickle, T. (2023). The Fandom Frontier: Understanding the Limitless(?) Potential of Collegiate Esports Fans. DiGRA ’23 – Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference: Limits and Margins of Games. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A. C., Wilson, A., Can, O., Hansen, J. C., Harris, B. C., Rahman, M. W. U., & Fickle, T. (2022). Sustainable Grassroots: Tensions, Expectations and Recommendations in Formalizing Collegiate Esports. Esports Research Network Conference, 25–28. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Can, O., & Foxman, M. (2022). Sustaining Esports Through Internet Cafes in Turkey. Esports Research Network Conference, 7–9. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., Can, O., Harris, B., Rahman, W., Hansen, J., & Fickle, T. (2021). Recasting Collegiate Esports: Independence and Interdependence of University Twitch Streamers. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research. Read → (opens in a new tab)

In the news

  • Yang, M. (2026, March). Esports Has Arrived on Campus. Now What? Urban Plains. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Riley, G. (2021, February). Curious: The Effects Of Video Games Becoming Collegiate Sports. The Jefferson Exchange. Read → (opens in a new tab)
  • Radcliffe, D., Reames, M., Partin, W., & Foxman, M. (2020, February). Media and the Esports Industry. Hearst Demystifying Media Series. Podcast. Read → (opens in a new tab)

Talks and presentations

Show 20 talks
  • Wilson, A. J., Fricke-Waters, J., Harris, B. C., & Foxman, M. (2026, June). “Our Own Little Space to Work Around”: Administrators’ Perspectives on Facilities and Space-Making in U.S. Collegiate Esports. Presented at the 76th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Cape Town.
  • Cote, A. C., & Foxman, M. (2026, March). Theorizing Collegiate Esports. Presented at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference, Chicago.
  • Burrell, S. L., Rahman, M. W. U., Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Arangelov, V. A. (June, 2025). “In a Crowd, Alone,”: An Experimental Review of Virtual Reality Uses in E-Sports Spectatorship. Presented at the 75th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Denver.
  • Rahman, M. W. U., Burrell, S., Cote, A. C., Foxman, M., Arangelov, V. A., & Harris, B. C. (2024, November). Becoming the Brand: How Esports Fandom Influences University Identification Through Collegiate Programs. Presented at the 110th National Communication Association, New Orleans.
  • Foxman, M., Harris, B. C., Wilson, A., & Cote A. C. (2024, October). An Even Playing Field: Retheorizing the Collision of Esports and Universities. Presented at Esports Research Network (ERN) 2024, London.
  • Sonner, B., Arangelov, V. A., Cole, C., Foxman, M., & Cote, A. C. (2024, October). Issues of Presentation: An Analysis of Program Statements of U.S. Collegiate Esports. Presented at Esports Research Network (ERN) 2024, London.
  • Arangelov, V. A., Wilson, A. J., Cote, A. C., & Foxman, M. (2024, October). From Consoles to Campuses: Understanding Intergenerational Perceptions of Collegiate Esports. Presented at Esports Research Network (ERN) 2024, London.
  • Foxman, M., Cote, C., Fairchild, T., Cote, A., & Wilson, A. (2024, June). “The Collegiate Census: Mapping U.S. Esports.” Presented at the 74th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast.
  • Burrell, S., Cote, A., Rahman, W., & Foxman, M. (2022, November). “Identification, Spectatorship, and the Role of Virtual Reality in Collegiate Esports Fandom.” Presented at the 108th Annual National Communication Association Convention, New Orleans.
  • Rahman, M., Wear, H., Foxman, M., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Can, O., & Cote, A. (2022, June 3). “The Virtual Front Porch: An Analysis of the Impact of Collegiate Esports on University Identification.” Presented at the 2022 North American Society for Sport Management Conference, Atlanta.
  • Can, O., Rahman, W., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Fickle, T., Cote, A., & Foxman, M. (2021, May). “Cognitive Capitalism in Collegiate Esports.” Presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.
  • Cote, A., Hansen, J., Harris, B., Rahman, W., Can, O., Fickle, T., & Foxman, M. (2021, May). “Taking Care of Toxicity: Challenges and Strategies for Inclusion in Collegiate Esports Programs.” Presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.
  • Foxman, M., Fickle, T., Harris, B., & Cote, A. (2021, May). “Out of Bounds: Reconceiving the Institution of Esports.” Presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.
  • Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., Rahman, W., Fickle, T., Cote, A., & Foxman, M. (2021, May). “The legitimizing labor of collegiate esports students: Critical insights for continued institutionalization.” Presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.
  • Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., Rahman, W., Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Fickle, T. (2020, October). “All Play and All Work: The Entrepreneurial Mindset of Collegiate Esports Participants.” Presented at the University of California: Irvine’s Esports Conference, Virtual.
  • Can, O., Harris, B., Rahman, W., Hansen, J., Foxman, M., Wear, H., Cote, A., & Fickle, T. (2020, September). “A Collegiate Esports Ecosystem: Exploring Possibilities and Challenges for Universities and Businesses.” Presented at the Gaming & Esports Summit Economics & Business Conference, Virtual.
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., Wear, H., Harris, B., Hansen, J., Can, O., & Rahman, W. (2020, May). “For the Win: Critical Concerns of Collegiate Esports Players.” Presented at the International Communication Association 70th Annual Conference, Virtual.
  • Foxman, M., Cote, A., & Wear, H. (2020, September). “E-Sports (All the Players on One Screen).” SoccerConXP, Las Vegas. Canceled due to COVID-19.
  • Foxman, M. (2020, February). “Esports and Sports Journalism.” The Business of Esports, Eugene.
  • Foxman, M. (2019, October). “Intro to Esports.” From Boomers to Zoomers, Eugene.