The Power of Storytelling in Esports
What does it take to build a sustainable esports program and brand?
We sat down with Brendan C. Hall, M. Ed, Esports Coordinator at Endicott College, to discuss his journey from traditional sports media and marketing to the world of collegiate esports. With decades of storytelling experience at ESPN, the New England Patriots, and Oxygen Esports, Brendan shares his insights on branding, community building, and why collegiate esports is becoming a powerhouse for industry growth.
Q: Brendan, your background is in sports media and marketing. How did your journey lead you into esports?
I’ve had a lot of twists and turns. I grew up wanting to be the next great Boston sportswriter, and I had the chance to work for ESPN Boston, covering high school sports and later the NFL and NHL. That experience opened my eyes to how powerful storytelling is—not just in media but in marketing.
When my time at ESPN ended, I joined Hudl, where I worked on football marketing and saw firsthand how content drives revenue. That was a game-changer for me.
Then, I got pulled into esports through Oxygen Esports, where I became Director of Integrated Marketing. I was responsible for building email marketing and brand storytelling across all their properties. That experience made me realize that collegiate esports has enormous potential—it’s a space that’s growing fast, recruiting top-tier students, and offering real career pathways. That’s what led me to Endicott College, where I now oversee esports operations and teach esports marketing.
Q: You’ve mentioned storytelling as a key part of marketing. Why is it so powerful in esports?
Storytelling isn’t just for entertainment—it drives business results. The best brands don’t just sell products; they sell a vision. Look at Apple. The iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player, but while other companies talked about storage capacity, Apple said, “1,000 songs in your pocket.” That’s the power of storytelling.
In esports, storytelling creates lasting fan relationships. At ESPN Boston, we drove more traffic to our high school page than Celtics and Bruins coverage. That’s insane. But it’s because we rallied around communities at a time when most high school media coverage was hyper-focused on recruiting. There are incredible stories to be told in these hundreds of communities, and Massachusetts is a pretty tribal place when it comes to hometown pride.
Esports has a fan engagement problem, especially in the pro scene. Players switch teams too often, making it hard to build narratives. The teams that win long-term are the ones that create a brand people want to follow, regardless of roster changes. That’s why orgs like OpTic Gaming thrive—they built a community, not just a roster.
Q: You worked in the professional esports scene with Oxygen Esports before moving to collegiate. What made you shift?
Professional esports has its challenges—player turnover, unstable revenue, and difficulty building long-term fanbases. One moment that really stuck with me was when we hosted Call of Duty Major II at MGM Music Hall in Boston. We had giant banners of our players outside the venue, but by June, every single player was gone from the roster. How do you build momentum when your product is constantly changing?
That’s what makes collegiate esports different. Schools aren’t just chasing wins—they’re building career pathways. At Endicott, we’ve seen firsthand how esports recruits high-achieving students, many in STEM fields and business, and fosters community engagement. We’re also one of a handful of schools in Massachusetts offering esports management as a major, which gives students an opportunity to study the industry from multiple angles.
Q: What’s driving the growth of collegiate esports?
Colleges are finally seeing the value. Esports attracts STEM students, business majors, and tech-savvy talent—the exact students universities want. Schools also see esports as a social and community-building tool.
At Endicott, our biggest esports events aren’t even competitions. Our Roblox Dress to Impress nights bring in 40 to 50 female students at a time, even though our campus esports lab only has 15 PCs. That tells you something about where the demand is.
Q: One of the biggest issues in esports is sustainability. How do we build a more stable ecosystem?
The esports industry has been obsessed with merch sales, but that’s a dangerous game if you don’t understand your audience. If you don’t have a deep connection with your community, you could be stuck with unsold inventory and wasted resources.
The reality is that products don’t win—product ecosystems do. Before selling anything, you need to build a community that deeply connects with your brand.
Look at traditional sports. The Buffalo Bills aren’t just a team—they’re a way of life for their fans. That’s the level of attachment esports needs to strive for. Without community and brand loyalty, you’re just selling a jersey that could be irrelevant next season.
That’s why I teach my students not to focus on impressions, but on immersion. What are fans saying about your brand when you’re not in the room? If they aren’t talking, you don’t have a real community.
Q: What’s next for Endicott’s esports program?
We’re leaning into what our students want. When I started, our Overwatch team was doing well, but over time, student interest shifted. Meanwhile, our Fortnite community exploded. Now, Fortnite is our dominant game, and we’re expanding competitive opportunities for our students.
The key lesson? Once your community tells you what you are, lean into it. We’re not forcing a direction—we’re listening to our students and building a program that reflects their interests.
Wrapping It Up
Brendan Hall’s journey from sports media to collegiate esports highlights the power of storytelling, community, and adaptability. Whether it’s marketing an esports org, building a college program, or creating brand loyalty, his insights reveal a critical truth: success in esports isn’t just about competition, it’s about understanding and engaging with the right audience.
About Brendan Hall
Brendan Hall is in his second year as Esports Coordinator at Endicott College, where he manages esports teams, content production, and curriculum development. Before Endicott, he was Director of Integrated Marketing at Oxygen Esports and held key roles at ESPN, the New England Patriots, NBC Sports Boston, and The Boston Globe. With over 20 years of professional storytelling experience, Brendan is a sought-after speaker on the intersection of marketing and esports, delivering one of the most well-received talks at the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) convention.
