Miami-bound: KC eSports pioneer carrying gaming industry to the Super Bowl stage
January 28, 2020 | Austin Barnes
AbdulRasheed Yahaya never doubted his non-traditional career had mileage, but the KC eSports pioneer couldn’t have envisioned it would drive him to a Super Bowl, he said — let alone one set to feature the Kansas City Chiefs.
Midwest eSports, based in Wichita, is a pipeline for collegiate and amateur players to turn competitive video games into a healthy, structured and educational sport. Its founder, Ramsey Jamoul, recently graduated from the 2019 Pipeline fellowship.
“By God’s grace, I get to be a role model to the youth, [show them] that an African American man can lead the evolution of eSports [and align it] with field sports,” said Yahaya, founder of Local Legends Gaming and chief business development officer for Midwest eSports, detailing a coming trip that will see him representing his day job — STEM and eSports — during a convening of professional athletes this Super Bowl weekend in Miami.
The presentation will focus on the intersection between STEM careers and the eSports space, highlighting opportunities for youth play in leagues and regional events run by Midwest eSports, Yahaya said.
“We’re aligning eSports with football on the most important day of any pro player’s season,” he said in anticipation of the once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“This is major. It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” Yahaya said. “Kansas City is sending its No. 1 gaming company and its pro ball team to the Super Bowl!”
Click here to read about Kansas City businesses celebrating the Chiefs historic run.
Additionally, Local Legends — Yahaya’s mobile gaming truck startup — will host a Madden NFL tournament for kids and NFL all-stars, further elevating Kansas City as an emerging eSports hub, Yahaya explained.
“I’m putting Kansas City on everyone in the industry’s radar as a premier eSports resource and no longer just a ‘flyover city,’” he said.
Yahaya closed a Westport brick-and-mortar incarnation of Local Legends after several months of operation in 2019, citing a shift in direction for the startup.
Had such events not transpired as they did, the founder isn’t sure he’d have been on track to achieve a milestone like the Miami trip, he said.
“It’s all in God’s plan. He wouldn’t bring me through anything he didn’t plan to lead me through,” Yahaya said.
Click here to read more about Yahaya’s decision to change directions.
As for the big game itself, there’s no way Kansas City doesn’t bring home the Lombardi trophy, he added.
“My Chiefs are winning 24 to 14,” he predicted.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
TrackMy exit: KC startup’s sale secures team’s jobs, stronger position for its health compliance solutions
The acquisition of Kansas City-based TrackMy is expected to help its team focus on hyper-growth and deliver award-winning technology solutions, said Jeremy Elias, noting the deal limits some financial pressure by building a more strategically-capitalized business. Banyan Software and TrackMy Solutions Inc. announced the acquisition this week. The purchase price for the startup — an…
GreenLight Fund’s $1.2M investment brings two nonprofits focused on food security to KC
GreenLight Fund Kansas City recently announced a $1.2 million investment spread over four years to bring nonprofit solutions mRelief and Food Connect to the Kansas City region, addressing food security through responsive approaches to dignified food access. The two organizations have already begun work in Kansas City. mRelief uses technology to remove traditional barriers in the Supplemental Nutrition…
Entrepreneur on the side: UMKC challenge awards cash for top student hustle
Side hustles are a growing trend across the country — and the UMKC campus, said Alex Krause Matlack, noting the university is leaning into its role as an innovation incubator for student founders. Now in its second year, UMKC’s Side Hustle Challenge was established with the primary goal of empowering students with the knowledge and…
KC is capitalizing on recent wins: Here’s how it’s paying off for tech, biologics startups (and investors)
Dan Kerr joined a chorus of area officials and investment leaders singing the praises of a region on the rise Tuesday during a Midwest-focused venture conference in downtown Kansas City. “I hope you engage with the city and see some of the awesome stuff going on here locally,” the event co-founder and partner at Flyover…