Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association Esports welcomes everyone

First established in 1978, LGBTQ sports organization, Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA), has grown to 13 sports and over 3000+ athletes across the Chicago region. Esports is the latest sport to be added to the CMSA roster and strives to provide online and in-person gaming opportunities for gamers who play serious or ‘just for fun’.

Unlike all the other CMSA sports, CMSA Esports League welcomes everyone without any location restrictions and is currently home to over 500 people with members coming from all around the world.

To find out more about CMSA Esports, I sat down with Ladimir Geake from CMSA to talk about how this historic LGBTQ sports association has opened up to esports.

Hey Ladimir, how are you? Let’s start out with you introducing yourself to our readers

Hello! My name is Ladimir. I’m your typical 90’s millennial that grew up with The Sims, and those Hercules collectable plates from McDonalds. I’m a huge gaymer. By day, I work in marketing for a social gaming company, and by night I develop esports programming alongside some really talented individuals through CMSA, an LGBTQ+ sports organization!

What was it like starting an eSports league within a real-life sports organization?

The isolation that COVID-19 imposed upon our communities left a social void that needed filling. When in-person sports were completely canceled, we found that organizing eSports was a great way to provide some of the meaningful connection that we had lost.

We originally built our community with our Chicago athletes in mind, but quickly pivoted to be more inclusive when we realized that LGBTQ+ individuals across the country, and internationally, shared the same desire for connection and enthusiasm for games!

So what do you do exactly?

We facilitate our esports league through Discord, a virtual community-building platform. Within Discord, we organize “seasons” of weekly gameplay where anyone can sign up to play a game they love at a consistent time each week with other players in a fun and friendly environment.

During gameplay sessions, league managers do all the heavy lifting like establish rules, assign teams, facilitate the logistics, and keep track of stats. All our players must do is show up and help contribute to the positive vibes!

How many members do you currently have active on your Discord? 

We currently have a growing community of 500+ people within our server. While our community is intentionally LGBTQ+, we welcome allies with open arms!

What makes your community unique?

Our community is unique in that we offer facilitated gameplay in an environment that is an intentionally welcoming and safe space to play. We also have an incredibly dedicated volunteer leadership team, which provides resources and guidance to those interested in starting new esports leagues. 

What games can people play through CMSA eSports?

We currently offer leagues for League of Legends, Among Us, Overwatch, Dead by Daylight, Smite, Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Hearthstone. New seasons for each of these begin in January, so it’s the perfect time to join us and sign up to play!

We also provide regular community nights with various party games, so that our players can meet and socialize with people from across the organization!

What is a “season” of game play?

Seasons are typically 6-8 week sprints of gameplay where players commit to attending at a certain time each week. Through our consistency of timing and players, we replicate the social environment of in-person sports leagues.

Esports comes with a reputation of lacking diversity, how do you ensure everyone feels welcome?

I absolutely love this question because it gets to the core of our organization. Our mission is to provide LGBTQ+ gamers with a positive community experience that fosters friendship through sportsmanship. We also have a zero-tolerance policy for toxicity of any kind, and a team of dedicated volunteer moderators that help to keep the community safe. 

What if someone wants to start a new league or run their own competition? 

Great question! There are plenty of games out there that would make for a great league, and we are always looking for more people to facilitate them.

We offer resources to new leaders looking to run an organized league including a 1:1 pairing with a seasoned league manager, recruitment assistance, and help with organizational structures such as signups, rules, channel management, stats tracking, etc.

If you build it, players will come, and we will help!

Do you run everything virtually? Are there any plans to hold in-person events? 

We are primarily virtual so that everyone can be involved! We do also hold bi-monthly meetups in Chicago given our strong player base here, but we are hoping to expand that in the future.

What does the future hold for CMSA Esports? 

For now, we hope to continue to grow our community and game offerings such that the maximum number of gaymers can have an accessible space to make new friends through esports.

How can people join or find out more? 

Whether you are looking to join a community of gaymers, participate in weekly play, or lead a new eSport, you can join us at www.cmsadiscord.com.

We’re really excited to meet you!

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