Bubba Gaeddert’s Mission to Prepare Students for the Future of Esports & Gaming
After working with educators, program directors, and esports advocates across the world, one thing has become clear: very few truly understand how to prepare students for both the esports industry and life after graduation.
Bubba Gaeddert is one of the rare few who does. After 25 years in traditional sports, 10 years in education, and now years immersed in esports he’s helped students bridge theory and real-world application in ways most universities haven’t even begun to explore.
When I sat down with Bubba for a live unscripted talk, it became immediately clear: this isn’t someone who just teaches esports. He lives it. He builds with it. And more importantly he builds people through it.
Most universities offering esports programs still struggle with the same trap: slapping "esports" on a business or communications course and calling it cutting-edge.
They’re missing the mark.
Students need to understand how esports events run in real time, how sponsorship decks land with real brands, how social media assets drive audience retention, and how coaching or content creation actually works on campus and beyond.
But here’s the deeper, unspoken problem: esports students aren’t being prepared for life.
They're not being taught how to reflect, adapt, and transfer these skills into careers outside of gaming or within the evolving ecosystem. The even deeper issue? Many educators don't have esports experience at all. They’re retrofitting outdated frameworks into a space moving too fast for that.
Bubba didn’t come from esports originally. His background is steeped in community leadership working at the YMCA of the USA , officiating traditional sports, and building youth-focused non profit initiatives. But it was his early love of tech (thanks to his dad working at Radio Shack) that pulled him toward Twitch in 2017.
He began streaming art and design content, helping other creators build branding and emotes long before esports degrees were a thing. Then he hosted his first gaming event at the Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City.
That was the turning point.
Since then, Bubba has built an entire life around events, education, and esports development eventually becoming President of the Video Games and Esports Foundation and now serving as a Senior Lecturer at College of Esports in London.
He’s now shaping the future of esports education and making sure students graduate world-ready, not just degree-holding.
At the College of Esports, Bubba is guiding students through practical, transferable skill-building:
Instead of teaching generic marketing, they teach esports-specific campaigns using real IP rights, influencer marketing, and industry-aligned assets. Want to study event flow, venue logistics, or b-roll footage? You’ll do it, not just read about it.
Students aren’t waiting until graduation to build experience. Within weeks of the term starting, they’re running live and hybrid events from Halo tournaments to Rocket League showdowns with online qualifiers and real spectators.
Presentation decks. Sponsorship proposals. Cross-functional teamwork. Bubba pushes students to not only develop the work but to defend it, pitch it, and present it like professionals.
Bubba embraces AI responsibly. Students learn to structure their work with it, but are required to add personal insight, synthesis, and reflection. From level-1 “no AI” to level-5 “full AI,” students are taught how to think, not just what to paste.
From coaching to broadcasting, storytelling to game development, students are exposed to all career verticals because not every graduate will be a pro player. And that’s not the goal. The goal is to build careers.
By the time students leave Bubba’s classroom, they’ve done more than just “study esports.” They’ve:
Built events from scratch
Pitched real sponsors
Worked with cross-cultural teams
Used AI ethically and effectively
Developed critical thinking, not just compliance
And most importantly?
They leave knowing how to operate in esports and beyond. Whether they end up coaching a national team, designing games at Rockstar (like one of Bubba’s colleagues), or managing live events, these grads are set up for a world that demands agility and depth.