Sport Management Professor Lindsey Darvin a Finalist for National Esports Award
As a former athlete who played basketball and lacrosse in college, became fully aware that too frequently, all is not equal when it comes to men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 organized sports. And when it came to esports and computer gaming, Darvin discovered the levels of equity were even worse.
So Darvin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the in the , has dedicated her research and teaching career to creating greater equity in esports and gaming.
Darvin has emerged as a national leader in this area, and she was recently named a finalist for the (NACE) Scholar of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the July 17-19 in Winter Park, Florida.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such an honor to be nominated for this award,鈥 Darvin says. 鈥淚 was thrilled to learn I was a finalist and excited to know that the work I have been doing to drive greater equity in the gaming and esports spaces has been recognized by scholars and practitioners across the industry.鈥
Nationally, Darvin is making an impact as associate editor of the (JEGE); co-chair of the esports mini-track at the January 2025 , where her goal is to advance esports scholarship and promote JEGE and publishing opportunities in the space; and a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine, where she writes columns such as about how an all-women鈥檚 Fortnite tournament is driving equity in esports.
On the Syracuse campus, Darvin has been awarded Falk College seed grants to examine the culture of gaming for gender minoritized participants, and to study the processes of building community in gaming spaces for minoritized participants.
She also received a to work with two undergraduate students on a multi-level review of the underrepresentation of women and girls in esports and gaming (the manuscript is currently being developed). Overall, Darvin has received more than $22,000 in grants and awards for esports and gaming research projects.
Starting this fall, the University is introducing an , offered jointly by the Falk College and . The course that Darvin teaches, Race, Gender and Diversity in Sport Organizations, will be a required course in this new major.
Below, Darvin shares more about her motivation to create greater equity in the esports and gaming space.
