Like many high school athletes, Joseph Sims was recruited for college based partially
on his skill at playing football.
Unlike many of those athletes, he plays football on a video screen. Sims, a graduate
of St. Xavier High School in Louisville and an incoming first-year student at Bellarmine,
is a whiz at Madden NFL, an American football sports video game series named for Pro
Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden.
He will be playing Madden for Bellarmine’s Esports team on a partial scholarship.
“Joseph's competitive record made him stand out,” said Mitch Greenwell, the director
of Bellarmine’s Esports program. “He is a determined competitor with a very impressive
record during his time at St. Xavier.”
Last spring, Sims won the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) state
championship in Madden ’24.
“This summer, he made an amazing run in the PlayVS [the only official high school
league], which comprises all the state champions around the country,” Greenwell said.
“He finished third in the nation, eventually being knocked out by the national champ.”
Sims said that his college search had come down to Bellarmine and another Louisville
university. “Not only did Bellarmine give me a scholarship, I also feel that they
provide more academically,” he said. He plans to major in Mathematics.
“I never thought that video games could give me an opportunity like this,” he said.
“I always saw it as just a pastime. But Esports is important to me because I treat
it as any other sport, and it is something that I have found out that I am really
good at.”
Esports was categorized as a KHSAA sport five years ago. Since then, it’s been the
fastest-growing high school sport. Bellarmine, a member of the National Association
of Collegiate Esports (NACE), currently fields players on four Esports teams.
“Esports is a growing and evolving competitive scene—it’s even being added to future
Olympic events,” Greenwell said. “As the director, I feel that Esports holds a place
on campus alongside the other amazing competitive programs we offer.”
Bellarmine, which also has an Esports minor, is one of a small number of universities
nationally that offer both competition and academic credit in Esports.
“One of the joys of my job is being able to work with students who are some of the
best at what they do, many of whom don't get the recognition they deserve for their
dedication to the games they play,” Greenwell said. “The scholarships that we offer
let students know that we value their talents and see a bright future for them as
Knights, both in gaming and as students.”
We couldn’t help but notice that Sims shares a name with a social-simulation game
that allows players to create and control virtual people. But Greenwell assured us
that Joseph Sims is real.
“I met him in real life,” Greenwell said. “He may be a Sims, but he's not a Sim!”
To learn more about Bellarmine's Esports teams and academic offerings, visit the Esports page.