Only one year after the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association voted unanimously to make esports an OSSAA-sanctioned sport, Inola High School has decided to offer this as a non-athletic activity beginning in the fall of 2022.
Esports have exploded in popularity in recent years, with many states making it a sanctioned sport and hosting championships. In fact, esports is the fastest growing high school sport in the US. According to the Oklahoman, Rogers State University is the first university in Oklahoma to offer esports as an official university activity.
Inola's Esports team will be coached by Kelly Morehead, Todd Dixon, and Montana Carson. The school will offer esports as a class beginning in the fall term.
Since 2018, when the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) first recognized esports as an official sport, more than 8500 schools across the country have started video-gaming teams (nea.org). This explosive growth is driven by student interest—about 90 percent of teens play video games—and is matched by growth in esports scholarships and careers.
https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/esports-see-explosive-growth-us-high-schools