New US Vice Presidential candidate, Tim Walz, once endorsed a high school Valorant team, making it a first in American election history.
When it comes to esports, it’s quite a rarity for a politician, let alone a potential world leader, to endorse a team. The most recent time was whenSouth Korea’s President congratulated T1on their fourth Worlds victory.
Feels a bit different now knowing we are the first and only esports team endorsed by the new VP candidate@GovTimWalz– we are still working on growing esports in our state and nation!https://t.co/ANbVcl81gb
To congratulate the team on their achievement, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz,sentthe team a letter recognizing their win.
“With esports on the rise, I am extremely proud of you and the role you have taken on to grow esports participation at Apple Vally High School and in Minnesota,” Walz’ letter reads. “You are at the helm of transforming a hobby into a potentially life-changing career in a new and innovative realm of sports.”
Apple Valley went on to comment on the fact they were the first and only esports team endorsed by a Vice Presidential candidate, promising to continue growing esports in their state.
“Feels a bit weird knowing we are the first and only esports team endorsed by the new VP candidate,” the school’s Twitter account posted.
Related:
This comes after the International Olympic Committeeapproved the creationof the Olympic Esports games, meaning more traditional titles like Valorant could have a place in the wider world of sports in the near future.
Jeremy Gan was a Games Writer on Dexerto’s Australia team. He is a journalism graduate and expertly covers CS:GO, Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Dota 2, as well as trending stories in Twitch and Kick streaming.
