New esports arena and broadcast studio opens Thursday at Bullard Academy at Sligh Middle
The district and the Bullard Family Foundation say it is the first facility in Florida to combine competitive esports, broadcast production and career-pathway classes. A ribbon cutting is set for 10 a.m. Nov. 12.
TAMPA - Students at Thaddeus M. Bullard Academy at Sligh Middle Magnet School are getting an esports arena with its own broadcast control room, and it opens with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, Hillsborough County Public Schools announced.
The arena, at the school at 2011 E. Sligh Ave., was created by the district and the Bullard Family Foundation, started in 2018 by Thaddeus Bullard, the former WWE wrestler known as Titus O'Neil, through a partnership with the technology company CDW-G, according to the district. The district says it is the first facility in Florida to bring together competitive esports, broadcast production, Unreal Engine technology and career-pathway classes in one place.
The arena has a 22-by-8-foot LED video wall connected to a broadcast control room, where students will learn live broadcast work, virtual production and esports competition, the district said. The program is aimed at careers in game design, digital media, broadcasting, live production and interactive technology.
“This new Esports Arena is about opening doors for our students and giving them opportunities to discover new learning pathways,” Superintendent Van Ayres said in the release.
Equipment and furniture came from several companies, including Acer, Spectrum Furniture and Newline Interactive, according to the district. The release does not say what the arena cost or who paid for which parts of it.
Source: Hillsborough County Public Schools release on the Sligh Middle esports arena (Nov. 10, 2026; opened Nov. 11).