Zach McNees, 18, just started his freshman year at George Fox University as a signed athlete.
But he didn’t need summer workouts, new soccer cleats, or a tennis racket for this venture. That’s because he was signed to the school’s eSports team, where he and dozens of other students will represent George Fox in video gaming tournaments — on computers and consoles like Xbox and PlayStation.
McNees, who’s from Goleta and graduated in May from Providence High School, was recruited to play Rocket League, a virtual soccer game played with rocket-powered cars instead of “human” players.