With esports teams popping up all over the country, it’s no surprise to see professional gaming being taken more seriously now than ever before. When it comes to high-level competitive gaming,
it’s important to take stock of the rising teams across the country to have a better sense of who’s who. That’s why today, we’re focusing on the top five biggest esports teams from the state of Pennsylvania.
Esports in general have been getting more and more popular lately, not just in Pennsylvania but worldwide as well. Whether it’s due to PA sports betting or the thrill of watching high-octane tournaments, esports seem to be here to stay, just like the five big teams in this list.
And if you’re interested in placing a wager and making the experience of watching the competitions unfold that much more engaging, then you might consider betting on the esports matches online.
1. The Pittsburgh Knights
Founded in 2015, the Pittsburgh Knights have been around longer than most esports teams. With a strong focus on community, the Knights have been organizing meetups and tournaments in their city for years, with prize pools and lots of engagement with newcomers to the esports scene.
In addition to their big presence in real life, the Pittsburgh Knights also have a very active social media presence, making them very easy to follow and get updates on. They regularly post across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and their official website. They even have a podcast where they discuss developments in the world of gaming and esports.
When it comes to games, the Pittsburgh Knights have a strong focus on Mortal Kombat 11, Rocket League and Madden 22, though Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is their primary and biggest game, and has their largest roster.
2. Nerd Street
Nerd Street is definitely one of the largest esports teams you can find in Pennsylvania, and has been for some time. The members of Nerd Street have competed in a wide variety of high-stakes tournaments, including EVO. They’ve also won many prize pools in a variety of games.
Though Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is where their headquarters are, they also have venues in several other states, including New Jersey, Missouri, Colorado and California.
Though Valorant is their primary game and what they’re best known for across the country, Nerd Street also competes in a wide variety of other esports titles. You can expect to find the members of this esports group competing in Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, Splatoon 3, Tekken 7 and many more.
3. HU Storm
One of Pennsylvania’s largest esports teams is actually an official school steam organized by Harrisburg University. The HU Storm is one of America’s largest and most successful collegiate esports teams. This makes them important trailblazers in the world of esports from several angles, including legitimizing the domain of professional, competitive gaming in the eyes of the rest of the world.
HU Storm even offers scholarships to prospective esports gamers who submit an application and are deemed suitable to join the team. Keep in mind that Storm primarily practices for and competes in League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League.
One of the most notable aspects of HU Storm is their annual Harrisburg Esports Tournament, which offers a prize pool of $50,000 USD.
4. Penn Manor Esports
Colleges and universities aren’t the only kinds of institutions in Pennsylvania that have been bitten by the esports bug. The state is home to some of the largest and most successful high schools with esports teams, with Penn Manor being one of the most notable.
Best known for being some of the fiercest Rocket League players in the state, the players of Penn Manor are considered some of the most promising underdogs in the game. While Pennsylvania in general is known for its love of Rocket League, Penn Manor takes that love to an entirely new level.
5. The Susquehanna Soniqs
One of the largest esports teams in all of Pennsylvania’s history has to be the Susquehanna Soniqs, or the Soniqs for short. This team made major news a couple of years ago when they won over a million dollars at a major PUBG tournament. This helped put the world of Pennsylvania esports in the global spotlight even more than it already was.
The Soniqs are best known for their North American League Champions team competing in Rainbow Six Siege and their famous esports coach, Joe “Jobro” Reyes. With major sponsorships under their name, they’ve competed successfully in Rocket League, PUBG and Rainbow Six Siege on numerous occasions, making them a force to be reckoned with.
