A 'New Normal' for Sports Moving Forward

America is being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and enabled by a wide range of new technologies. This includes the world of collegiate sports.

This article provides a high level overview of the world of eSports that has been steadily gathering a larger viewing and playing population across the U.S. and around the world. eSports clubs and programs are also catching on right here in South Carolina.

Take a minute to check out the following links to the social media and web sites for 20 Colleges with Varsity eSports Programs - and in my home state of South Carolina, the Clemson University eSports Club, the USC Gamecock eSports Club, and the USC Sumter eSports Program. Will eSports programs in South Carolina one day rival the more costly traditional sports programs of today?

eSports Defined eSports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between individual players or teams. eSports can be watched in person or online by spectators. Like traditional sports, eSports teams have coaches, their players often wear team jerseys, and they compete in physical or online ‘virtual’ arenas. See Wikipedia

Findings

As the popularity of eSports has grown, numerous colleges and universities have started to increasingly embrace eSports, with some universities going so far as to begin building eSports facilities with eSports programs and a complementing curriculum. Some of these new collegiate varsity programs are also actively recruiting eSports players and offering them college scholarships.

Only seven colleges and universities had varsity eSports programs back in 2016, but by 2018 there were 63 institutions with burgeoning programs. By 2019, over 130 universities had started eSports programs. Within a few more years, expect all major colleges and universities across the U.S. to have some form of eSports program in place.

Responding to the growing interest in collegiate eSports, a number of top North American eSports organizations are teaming up to advance eSports in higher education. For example, the National Association of eSports Coaches and Directors and the Unified Collegiate Esports Association recently partnered to provide more professional development for eSports coaches and program directors. Also, there are now several college eSports leagues, e.g. NACE, Tespa, GenE

A growing g number of universities have actually started building eSports facilities on their campus. Along with high-speed computers and broadband network connections, these facilities also come with top-of-the-line headsets and gaming chairs for maximum comfort and complete concentration for their cyber-athletes. They also include viewing facilities with high resolution large screens for fans. With the right sponsors, some programs have found donors that will readily supply all the equipment needed.

Finally, in a session on the rise of eSports in higher education at the 2019 EduCause Conference, dozens of campus IT leaders showed interest in introducing eSports at their institutions. They found that engaging students in eSports helps them build critical thinking skills, encourages teamwork and innovation, and promote self-directed learning. It also helps with student recruitment and enrollment.

Selected Articles on eSports

The following are selected links to recent articles about eSports programs and activities related to colleges and universities across the U.S. that you might want to take the time to read.

• College eSports Scholarships, Leagues, and Varsity eSports Programs

• Generation eSports named Exclusive Sponsor of University Interscholastic League

• Top 10 University eSports Programs & Facilities in the US

• 20 Colleges with Varsity eSports Programs in the US

• University Business: Keeping eSports players mentally strong and in the game

Selected Issues

In these trying times, many players report their gaming participation has helped them with issues of social isolation and anxiety by giving them a more comfortable and structured means to interact and develop relationships online. At the same time, concerns center around inordinate hours spent gaming and the potential of addiction, negative mental health effects, and the physiological impact of gaming on the brain.

As a consequemce of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many sports programs and athletic events have been suspended. In fact several universities have had to permanently cut some of their costly conventional sports programs as budgets have tightened, e.g. Furman University. Think about the hundreds of millions in tax dollars spent on supporting Clemson University and USC Gamecock traditional sports programs, e.g. football, baseball. eSports programs cost considerably less to support.

Next Steps & Recommendations

Every college and university in South Carolina and across the U.S. needs to take a closer look and initiate feasibility and cost/benefit studies that look deeper into setting up eSports programs while simultaneously cutting back support for some costly traditional sports programs, e.g. Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Wrestling...

Many existing colleges and universities have been forced to strengthen their online education programs as a result of the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, online for-profit universities like the University of Phoenix and the American Public University System have challenged the need for continuing with costly taxpayer funded public universities. Over the coming decade expect the movement towards online college education to pick up dramatically. For many of these schools, online eSports programs make a lot of sense.

Times are changing. As much as some would like to cling to the past, we can’t stop progress and the continuing move to online education and eSports. Embrace the future. It’s going to happen.

Selected eSports Links Discover eSports International Esports Federation (IEF) NCSA eSports Colleges & Scholarship Guide National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) TESPA - College eSports Chapters Unified Collegiate eSports Association

The New Normal Heading to 2030 and Beyond

America is being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, racial and gender bias, coupled with a wide range of new technologies.

We all find ourselves caught in the midst of a global pandemic that is impacting everyone on Earth. Millions have caught COVID-19 and hundreds of thousands are dying from it. For much of the year we have been self-isolating at home and millions of people have joined the ranks of the unemployed. Unfortunately, other major crises are coming down the road.

However, many of today’s knowledge workers who use computers in their jobs have been able to continue working out of their homes using telecommunications capabilities. Many student were sent home and are now attending classes online. For many, shopping online has replaced driving to stores to buy food and other needed items. The number of cars on the roads dropped significantly, resulting in extremely low demand for gasoline resulting in less pollution and fewer automobile fatalities.

Again, like it or not, we are being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, racial and gender bias, coupled with a wide range of new technologies.

Examples of Technological Advances Over the Coming Decades There will be another 1,000-fold increase in computer power, storage, data transmission rates, and software apps over the coming decade. High speed Broadband, Satellite, and 5G Wireless Networks will be fully deployed and used across all parts of the globe. Trillions of 'Internet of Things (IoT)' sensors and Smart Home Appliances will be deployed and interconnected. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality, Big Data, and Data Analytics will play a dominant role in every business and in our everyday lives. Wearable, Implantable and Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technologies will begin to be deployed and used in healthcare, military, business, and many other domains. Robots will become a much more common feature in homes and businesses around the world. Widespread deployment of a range of renewable energy technologies will steadily replace fossil fuels, e.g. wind, solar, hydrogen fuel cells, small scale nuclear. Electric Vehicles (EV) and Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV) will largely dominate the transportation industry by 2030, e.g. car, trucks, trains, airplanes, ships. Regenerative Medicine, Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research, 3D-Printed Human Organs, and 'Human Augmentation' technologies will dramatically alter people's life spans and capabilities.

The ‘New Normal’ way of life in America is not yet clear. It is still being defined. However, the following are examples of the ‘New Normal’ Life Styles and Behavior Changes taking place, often enabled by the wide range of new technologies all around us.

• Work – More and more workers that don’t need to be at a desk in a corporate office building need to be allowed to work from home. Essential workers that must show up for work in grocery stores, factories, hospitals and in many other jobs need to be paid a better wage and guaranteed safety and healthcare coverage.
• Retail Shopping - Protective masks need to be worn in stores and social distancing practices followed, until such time as vaccines are available and the current COVID-19 pandemic is eradicated. One of the ‘New Normals’ is that more and more shopping will be done online and many stores will be downsizing or will be going out of business.
• Education – More students need to be offered the alternative of going to school online, if the technology and telecommunications networks are in place. Teachers and students who must show up in schools need to be given protective masks, ensure social distancing, other protective measures are taken. Healthcare coverage needs to be made available to those who must travel on buses and go to physical school buildings because they have no alternative. Much of the world’s workers, researchers and students will have free and ‘open access’ to the growing repository of the world’s knowledge.
• Healthcare – The COVID-19 pandemic is helping to refocus and speed up the transition towards the use of Telehealth systems, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Personal Health Records (PHR), Health Information Exchange (HIE) Networks and the commitment to Open Access, Open Science, Preventive Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Public Health, and data driven solutions. There will be some significant impacts on our current configuration of hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, and the way we practice medicine across the country.
• Entertainment – Packed gatherings in huge stadiums to watch sports events, rock concerts, or political rallies may have run their course. Smaller face-to-face events are probably going to be replaced by televised events and eventually by spectators viewing these events using virtual reality technology. Attendance at movie theaters will continue to decline and visits to museums and other cultural exhibitions will continue to transition to online viewing – see Open Culture web site. However, expect many people to return to bars, nightclubs, and restaurants once the current pandemic passes. It’s just going to happen.
• Religion & Churches – Churches, religious organizations, and their faithful followers have been steadily embracing new technologies and online solutions. The next generation of young believers and church leaders have embraced and adjusted to the use of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Technology to create online communities, extend their global outreach, spread their faith, teach, learn… See Summerton ‘Open’ Religious Technology & Tools.
• Transportation Systems – The COVID-19 pandemic has people rethinking travel on crowded airplanes and cruise ships. Growing concerns over global climate change are boosting production and sales of Electronic Vehicles (EV). Other changes to transportation systems include industry investments in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Vehicles and Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV), High Speed Rail, and other solutions. Telecommuting is also leading to significantly less traffic on the roads. Also, Uber has provided an alternative to car ownership for many people living in cities that will bear watching closely.
• Energy & Environment – Both climate change and the current pandemic are speeding up the declining use of fossil fuels, while investments in alternative solar, wind, and hydro energy solutions are rapidly climbing. Hydrogen fuel cell technology and small modular nuclear reactors are also going to be coming online later this decade, further driving nails into the coffin of the dying fossil fuel industry. Climate change, pollution, rising sea levels and many other related issues depend on us now moving from ‘talk’ to ‘action’.We are well on our way transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization to a more advanced Type 1 Civilization. Read about the Kardashev Scale
• Government & Society – America is in the midst of debating and pursuing many needed societal and government reforms. Racial justice and gender bias remain hot topics. Gun control, corporate tax reforms, voting suppression issues, universal healthcare, Rebuilding trust, setting Congressional term limits, addressing immigration, and many other topics will challenge us all for many decades to come. Expect a lot of hard fought battles on the streets and in the political arena. It’s the American way – and it all eventually works out. Read about Top Issues Facing America in 2020

US Demographics by 2050 By 2050, the population of the US will climb to approximately 400 million people and Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the US population. By 2050, the female population will climb to over 200 million people and there will be 7.5 million more women than men in the US. Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) predict that a woman will be elected US President by 2050, and the number of women in Congress and state legislatures will finally equal the number of elected male officials.

These are just a few of the many changes that will be taking place as a ‘New Normal’ way of life emerges heading towards 2030 and beyond. For those who think there is no such thing as a ‘New Normal’, think again!

Other Selected Articles Top Issues and Challenges Facing American in 2020 What Do Women See Happening Over The Coming Decades? What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades? Overpopulation: Efforts to Reduce the World’s Population Next Generation Education 4.0 Systems Health 4.0 by 2040 Specific Technology Predictions for 2030 Transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization

Top Issues and Challenges Facing American in 2020

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Several hundred years have passed since the Constitution of the United States was written and adopted. The issues of creating a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, Domestic Tranquility, our common Defense, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty are still cherished by most Americans.

This article summarizes the top issues or concerns of the American people in 2020 based on a series of recent polls, studies, and position papers. The following links are provided to them so you can read the detailed content for yourselves.

• America's Biggest Issues | The Heritage Foundation

• Solutions to America's 7 Biggest Problems by "We, The People Movement"

• Most Important Problems | Gallup Historical Trends - Gallup Poll

• Views of the Major Problems Facing the Country – Pew Research Center

• State of the Union 2019: How Americans see Major Issues – Pew Research Center

• Worries and Priorities about America's future | Pew Research Center

• Top 10 Issues to Watch in 2019 – National Conference of State Legislatures

• Statista: The Most Important Issues Facing The U.S. Today

Findings: Issues & Problems

The following is a list of the many major issues or problems that are facing the US in 2020 based on the series of recent polls, studies, and position papers identified above:

Economy Jobs & Unemployment Low Wages & Wealth Disparity Corporate Corruption Corporate Welfare & Taxes General Welfare Programs Education Public Schools Higher Education Online Education Charter Schools Student Debt Environment Pollution Climate Change Energy Policies Clean Energy Healthcare Healthcare Costs Health Insurance Medicare/Medicaid Prescription Drug Costs Drug Abuse & Opiod Crisis Domestic Issues Abortion & Adoption Marriage & Divorce Hunger & Poverty Homelessness Racism & Civil Rights Womens Rights LGBTQ Rights Immigration Reform Religious Freedoms Media & Press Freedoms

Crime Human Trafficking Illegal Drug Trafficking Marijuana Reforms School Shootings & Gun Control Domestic Hate Crimes & Extremism Government Taxes National Debt Election Reforms Justice System Reforms Poor Political Leadership Political Partisanship Excessive Regulation Social Security Voter Suppression Foreign Relations Foreign Policy Global Trade International Treaties Tariffs & Trade Wars National Infrastructure Information Technology Telecommunication Networks Transportation Systems Privacy & Security National Defense Wars Terrorism Homeland Security US Space Force Foreign Cyber Attacks Foreign Election Interference

It turns out the challenge of creating a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, Domestic Tranquility, our common Defense, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty as we head deeper into the 21^st Century are not that simple anymore. The only way this is all going to work out well is if we all learn to better pull together. Remember, we’re all in the same boat. You would think we could address and solve a number of these problems.

Other Selected Links The Heritage Foundation Gallup Pew Research Center National Conference of State Legislatures

Overpopulation: Efforts to Reduce the World’s Population

The issues of human overpopulation and related issues of climate change, global hunger, and mass migrations have now caught the attention of the world. The following is a brief overview of the human overpopulation and some of the efforts and activities that are now being taken to contain and reduce the world’s population to a more sustainable level.

Human Overpopulation

Overpopulation can be viewed as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population. More specifically, the term ‘human overpopulation’ refers to the relationship between the entire human population and the planet Earth - or to smaller geographical areas such as particular nation-states.

Global population is projected to hit 8 billion around the year 2023 and 9 billion by 2050. Unfortunately, the planet can only realistically sustain a global population of 3 billion over the long term. So… You Do The Math! You might want to go to Population Connection web site.

Human Population Planning

So what do we do? Human reproduction planning is the practice of intentionally controlling the rate of growth of the human population. Historically, human population planning has been focused on increasing the rate of human population growth. However, in the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, emerging concerns about global population growth and its effects on poverty, environmental degradation and political stability led to increased organized efforts to reduce human population growth rates. There are now a growing number of deliberate and organized efforts to reduce the human population. These include some of the following actions:

Abortion Sterilization Initiating Wars Family Planning Contraception Sexual Abstinence Environmental Disasters Deadly Contagious Diseases Infanticide

Taxation of Parents One-child & Two-child Policies Migration from Rural to Urban Areas Immigration & Emigration Policies Education & Training Marketing & Public Relations Changing the Status of Women Ethnic ‘Cleansing’ and/or Eugenics. New Technology: Robotics, Killer Drones, Artificial Intelligence...

Organizations dealing with Overpopulation

If the topic of overpopulation interests you, the following is a listing of numerous organizations dealing with overpopulation and related issues:

• Center for Biological Diversity
• Global Footprint Network
• Negative Population Growth
• The Overpopulation Project

• Population Matters

• Population and Sustainability Network
• Population Action International
• Scientists & Environmentalists for Population Stabilization

Like it or not, the topic of human overpopulation concerns us all. This brief blog/article is meant to serve as a good starting point to help you become more informed and learn about some of the many activities already underway. It’s time to get more involved.