USA Esports launches with plans to unify the country’s competitive ecosystem

USA Esports is a newborn organization which aims to bring together the best esports talent in the United States in order to represent the country on the international stage.

What’s the reason behind USA Esports’ creation?

Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in August 2025, USA Esports’ main goal is to create a structure that can better support American players, promote competitive excellence both at home and abroad, and help the country close the gap with other nations already preparing their talent for international esports competition. The organization is being presented as the result of more than a year of work by a group made mostly of volunteers.

Jesse Bodony, President and CEO of USA Esports, previously served for three years as Executive Director of VOICE (Voice of Intercollegiate Esports), where he helped build the President’s Advisory Council, a consortium of university presidents and chancellors focused on guiding collegiate esports across the United States. According to Bodony, the idea for a national esports body gained real momentum after the Olympic esports announcement surfaced in 2024, when the council asked his group to investigate what kind of organization could best develop the American ecosystem domestically while also helping establish the United States as a true international competitor.

That process led to months of discussions across the wider North American esports landscape. Bodony explained that he and his colleagues spoke with professional organizations, collegiate programs, and multiple national governing bodies in traditional sports, all while trying to understand what was missing in the current system. The answer, according to him, was consistent: the United States lacked a purpose-built national entity capable of unifying every level of esports, from the professional scene to collegiate, scholastic, and amateur competition, Bodony said that gap is exactly what USA Esports was created to address.

The project’s goals and the people behind it

Like USA Basketball, USA Hockey, and U.S. Soccer, USA Esports is aiming to eventually earn recognition from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with that National Governing Body (NGB) status serving as the organization’s long-term north star. That recognition would be a massive step for the industry, giving esports structural legitimacy in the United States and establishing a federally backed body responsible for organizing and growing the scene at a national level.

According to the organization, that would also create the kind of foundation traditional sports have benefited from for decades. USA Esports plans to bring together trusted veterans like Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg to help set safety and training standards, sanction competition, and build a pathway that connects every level of the ecosystem. The long-term vision is clear: one day, a kid picking up a mouse or controller for the first time would have a real route toward college or professional play, just like in any other established sport.

Behind every great movement is a group of individuals committed to building it the right way.

Today we’re proud to introduce the inaugural Board of Directors for USA Esports. These are leaders with unique backgrounds coming together to help shape the future of esports in the… pic.twitter.com/GVY8NwEZHq

— USA Esports (@USAEsportsOrg) March 16, 2026