Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Nowadays, middle and high school sports encompass more than just classics like football, basketball, and track.
At 18 Milwaukee Public Schools esports labs throughout the city, students practice to compete against other schools throughout Wisconsin in video games like Rocket League, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros, and NBA 2K.
Like traditional athletics, esports is fast-paced and exciting while teaching valuable life skills like teamwork, communication, problem solving, and accountability, said Milwaukee Recreation Esports Program Manager Gabi Olmedo. Esports also prepares students for desirable future opportunities — including careers in STEM, media, design, business, and even gaming itself. Talented gamers can earn scholarships to play on college teams.
"The skills you develop here … will serve you far beyond the game,” said Milwaukee Recreation Twilight Sports Manager Rob Perry at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the district’s newest esports lab, which opened at Cass Street School on Jan. 8.
Cass Street’s lab is the second MPS esports space to receive a generous donation of desks, gaming chairs, console hubs, and other equipment from Chippewa Falls-based furniture company Spectrum Industries, creating a professional-grade gaming space for the students. Spectrum Industries, in partnership with professional esports team Bucks Gaming, also donated the furniture and equipment for the Reagan High School esports lab in 2022. Cass Street is the second MPS middle school to add an esports lab, joining Andrew Douglas.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to be here and have all these games …,” said Cass Street sixth grader Kellise Woodley. “It will help [students] because, if they come here and discover their thing, maybe when they get older, they will become a professional at that, and it will make them happy.”
“It’s going to help some kids focus on more schoolwork because they’re going to be more focused on getting here after school, which leads them to doing more work in school,” seventh grader James Henry added.
Along with opening career and educational doors, esports is a no-cut activity that helps students feel more connected to their school and foster strong friendships, Olmedo said. Around 80 percent of students who play on an esports team have never participated in another school extracurricular, making esports a vital bridge between youth and their school communities.
“The reason I like esports is because I get to hang around people who actually do the same stuff I like to do,” said Madison ninth grader Jyir Lanier-Thomas. “They get me, [they] understand me a lot better, and they teach me to become a way better person in life. We win, we lose, but either way, we always have fun.”
MPS’s high school esports labs are located at Bay View, Bradley Tech, Golda Meir, Groppi, Hamilton, Madison, Marshall, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee School of Languages, North Division, Obama, Reagan, Rufus King, South Division, Vincent, and Washington.
Now in its second competitive season, Milwaukee Recreation’s high school esports league is thriving. In the fall, 38 students across six schools participated in the Rocket League season. It culminated with the live City Conference championship in December, where Madison’s team, in only its first year, bested Golda Meir in a hard-fought seven-game series.
“This happened because of the strong leadership of our teachers and commitment from our students,” Olmedo said. “What a way to start their esports journey!”
The upcoming esports season kicks off in February, and Cass Street students will have their first opportunity to be part of the action. Learn more about the program and how to get involved at mkerec.net/esports.