PLANO, Texas – The highly anticipated championship week for the 2021 LevelNext Madden College National Championship has arrived, with nightly live streams on Twitch Monday through Thursday (Nov. 15-18) from 6-10 p.m. ET at LevelNextGG.
Fans can watch the final 24 college students from around the country represent their respective school in EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 22. Championship week culminates a seven-week competition within LevelNext, featuring hundreds of competitors who registered to play in this fall event. LevelNext is the home for collegiate esports, launched in October 2020 by LEARFIELD and cornerstone partner Electronic Arts. The debut LevelNext national college championship featuring Madden NFL 21 recently received a Tempest Esports Award for “Best Collegiate/Amateur/Semi-Pro Event.”
The LevelNext Madden National College Championship will feature a cash prize pool of $150,000 – $50,000 of which will be awarded directly to 20 campus esports programs through a Twitter competition. During the live broadcast finals on November 18, the top collegiate player in the country will be crowned the LevelNext Madden National College Champion on behalf of their university. Free to enter and available to all students currently attending a four-year accredited university, LevelNext is home to the national college championship for Madden. It combines official athletic marks and promotion, and an easy-to-follow, centralized structure by unifying competitive play for all college students and enabling them to officially represent their schools on the road to a national championship. LevelNext is the home of EA’s competitive gaming franchises college national championships.
“LevelNext has had a tremendous first year, and we have big plans moving forward,” said LEARFIELD EVP/Managing Director-Media & Partnerships Group Rick Barakat. “Nearly two million people watched live streams for our first LevelNext Madden National Championship last year, and we anticipate an even larger viewership for this week’s championship play. It’s been rewarding to see the overall visibility grow for collegiate esports, in terms of scholarships provided, and interest by fans and the player community.”
The LevelNext Madden National College Championship has featured shoutcasters, celebrity guests, and institutional radio play-by-play announcers throughout. LevelNext can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok will with competitive updates, highlights and player exchanges.
LEARFIELD is a leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services include licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics; ticketing, ticket sales, and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.