The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) has announced the second ever C.O.D.E. Bowl presented by USAA on 11 December. The C.O.D.E. Bowl is the Endowment’s cornerstone charity event to raise awareness and funds for veteran employment.
“We are proud to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to participate in the C.O.D.E. Bowl. This will be the first time all military branches have come together for a spirited esports competition with the added bonus of raising awareness for veteran employment and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with USAA to make this happen,” said Call of Duty Endowment executive director Dan Goldenberg.
The C.O.D.E. Bowl kicks off at 10:00 am Pacific on 11 December, and will feature eight teams each captained by a popular Call of Duty streamer teamed up with another top influencer and service members from the United States and the United Kingdom, all competing in the newly-released Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a tournament-style competition. The action will be broadcast live on the Call of Duty YouTube and Twitch channels. Each team will be also be coached by a Call of Duty League professional who will provide strategy, tips and recommendations prior to the event.
“C.O.D.E. Bowl is a premiere gaming event made even more impactful by the work of the Endowment to help place veterans into careers following their military service. USAA is proud to support C.O.D.E. Bowl and expand our involvement in esports as a way to celebrate military members and veterans and help them connect with each other through games they love,” said USAA chief brand officer Tony Wells, who was an infantry officer in the US Marines.
Participating teams from the military include players from the United States Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force, and UK players from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Streamers joining these teams include CouRage, LEGIQN, Huskerrs, Swagg, TeeP, Espresso, Vikkstar, Tommey, C9Emz, Spratt and more to be announced soon.
Started as a grassroots effort by volunteer Airmen, Air Force Gaming is the official hub of gaming and esports for the entire Air Force and Space Force. The program, housed under the Air Force Services Center and focused on improving mental health by building community through video games, currently counts more than 10,000 servicemen and women on all platforms in just their first season of competition.
Air Force Gaming founder Captain Oliver Parsons shared, “Air Force Gaming exists to bolster resiliency and foster a community of support, mental wellbeing, and inclusion for all interested Air Force and Space Force service members. These friendly competitions are great for morale across all branches and are a great showcase for the work Air Force Gaming is doing to establish a vibrant and positive culture across the entire Department of the Air Force. I’m looking forward to watching the first-ever Air Force and Space Force esports teams dominate the competition!”
Additionally, Air Force Gaming announced that it will host special tournaments during the month of December for service members that are deployed. AFG hopes to provide a bright alternative to missing the holidays with family by holding friendly competitions and rallying the Air Force and Space Force communities around those currently serving overseas.
“It’s always tough to be away from home, but especially on the holidays. We wanted to create a few opportunities for our deployed Airmen to connect with each other through their shared love of video games. Holiday tournaments felt like a great way to bring a touch of home back to these individuals. This style of resilience promoting activity is exactly why we on-boarded Air Force Gaming, and I’m thrilled we can give our Airmen and Space Professionals stationed across the world a taste of home,” said Air Force Services Center director of operations Colonel Marc Adair.
In addition to being the first all-service esports competition of its calibre, the C.O.D.E. Bowl, presented by USAA, is centred on impact. Ram Trucks will be giving away a 2021 Ram 1500 Built To Serve special edition truck to a deserving veteran recently placed into a job through the Endowment’s support. Scuf Controllers is also an event partner, for the second year in a row. All net proceeds from the event will be used to place veterans into high-quality jobs.
The Call of Duty Endowment has funded the placement of more than 77,000 vets into high-quality employment since its inception and aims to place 100,000 veterans into meaningful jobs by 2024. The Endowment’s 2019 cost to place a veteran was $499, providing employment at one sixth the cost of the US Department of Labor efforts.
