“What has the world come to?” I can hear
grandparents muttering when they hear that competing
at computer games, or more accurately, esports, became a
sanctioned sport by the Georgia High School Association
(GHSA) three years ago. We shake our heads as we
hypocritically reach for our cellphones to check emails
or play some word game that medical reports say may
help stave off memory loss and dementia. When I met
with esports coach Tyler Corley at Toombs County High
School, I will confess that I came in with one idea about
the new varsity sport and left with a completely different notion. What the world has come to is a
technological age where esports is now one of the fastest-growing professional sports in the world.
The truth is, even MacGyver will need more than a paperclip to save the world these days, which is
why he has his trusty side-kick Riley Davis on hand as his cyber specialist. Computing and Information
Technology (IT) is vital for just about any career there is today, which is why the Toombs County School
Board rallied to make this nontraditional extracurricular activity available for TCHS students from the
start. And Tyler Corley, the digital and web design pathway teacher at TCHS, was the perfect Coach for
the TCHS esports team.
Like most kids his age, Tyler played computer games when he was in high school but never played
competition esports. Since becoming a teacher seven years ago, he’s coached Toombs County High
School wrestling, soccer, and middle school football. “When it comes down to it, coaching esports isn’t
much different from coaching any other sport,” said Tyler. “The coaching responsibilities are the same.
But when I’ve coached other sports, the programs were already established. With esports, we’ve been
able to start it ourselves and mold it into what we want it to be.”
HOMETOWN LIVING AT I TS BEST 111
As technology improves, kids'
interests are changing, and we
are faced with the realization
that sports and activities look
very different than they did
thirty years ago.