Building the NFL of eSports: An Interview with Titus Walker

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Welcome back to the Daily Mastermind, George Wright III here with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. And I've got an awesome guest here today with us on the podcast, Titus Walker. Welcome.

Hey, thanks for having me, man. Thank you so much.

This is good. Listen, I know we had a chance to talk a little bit beforehand, but I think we're gonna get into some cool stuff. Before we do, I want to give them a little bit of your background. Titus is the CEO and founder of the Ultimate End Gamer League (UEL). His goal is for that to be the NFL of eSports.

But you’ve got a pretty diverse background. You've gone from real estate to gaming to starting your own company, growing a community, and creating a brand. We're gonna get into all of that. I really love what you've done in a very short period of time, so you’ve got some great nuggets I'm sure you can share with our audience. So once again, super glad to have you here, man.

Yeah, thanks. Thanks so much, man. Appreciate the intro too.

No worries, no worries. And I know we're gonna be able to do some other things too in the future. So let's do this.

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Titus Walker's Background and Early Hustles

I always like to give our audience a little bit of a framework for the success that you and I touched on. So help us understand where you came from, right? You mentioned that you've been in real estate and then you went into this. Let's just start real quick with Titus's background. Did you grow up like a side hustle type of guy? Where did you come from and how did you get into real estate?

Yeah, absolutely always been a side hustle guy. I was introduced to gaming when I was probably like five or six years old. It was Mortal Kombat. My dad introduced me to Mortal Kombat 1 on Sega Genesis, and I loved it. Just fell in love with gaming. I played a lot of games as a kid.

Fast forward to elementary school, I was selling candy bars. I found out you could buy candy bars in bulk, and I'm doing the math in my head and talking to my mom like, "Hey, we can sell these for a lot more and make a lot of money." She would take me to the store, and I’d buy a bunch of candy bars and sell them.

That's funny you say that. I was just at dinner last night talking to buddies about how I used to buy those boxes of candy bars at school. I'd have 'em in my duffel bag, and I'd just always be the guy like, "Yeah, you need something to eat? Here you go." Constantly all the time. That's funny. Okay, keep going.

Yeah, graduated from that, started selling sneakers, did that very successfully, and then got into the insurance world. I was doing both—selling sneakers and doing the insurance thing. Then I actually got sick.

I don't even know what the sickness was, but I got really sick. While I was sick, I was thinking a lot because I was in the hospital. I realized I wanted to try something different. I happened to get an email saying a company was hiring, and it was a real estate developer. I had never heard of it, but I figured I'd put myself out there. I went to an interview, got hired, and that transitioned me into the real estate world. I did really well—hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue over my eight-year career.

I did a lot throughout that time, my own real estate deals, and eventually created the gaming thing about four years ago.

Let me back you up. Just a question: What do you think was one of the keys to your success in a brand-new industry? You were in it eight years, you said you did all this success. Was it all up and to the right, easygoing? Did you have to study a lot? What helped you become successful in an industry you had no clue about?

I think in everything I've ever done, I spend a lot of time understanding the industry and the people around the industry. Nowadays, you really can find out anything you ever want to know, whether it's true or not, online. Once that concept hit me—oh, I can find this somewhere—it changed everything.

I started Googling everything. I crave knowledge, so I read a lot. I never read a book until I was 28, but since then, I read six or seven books a month easily. That was key. When I get into an industry, I want to know it inside and out. I didn’t just study the real estate market; I studied the financial market, the economy, and industries outside of housing, like the lumber industry.

You're an active learner, for sure. It's funny because we say this a lot on this podcast, but you hear it in personal and financial development—you’ve gotta be curious and an active learner. People sometimes feel they're too busy and don't realize the value of that. Obviously, success leaves clues, and if individuals like yourself are learning and evolving, that's a big reason for your success.

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Curiosity and Transition to Gaming

From what you told me earlier, it’s probably another reason that you went into gaming. Your curiosity and exposure to people and things put you out there to be aware of opportunities. So tell us a little bit about what took you into gaming. I know people think, “I want to make money gaming,” and then think, “Oh my gosh, dude.” But nowadays, it's legit, right? What was the transition point? Were you thinking, “Is this even possible?” or, “I got this”? What was the transition?

When studying the market, I saw how cyclical it was—so many ups and downs. I kept telling my wife, “I have to have something else because I won’t depend on this one industry.” I didn’t want to be left holding the bag when the market took a turn.

I started a trading company and poured money into other businesses, trying to make them work. But none of them drove me. I’d try something because I needed to, but eventually, something clicked. When I started the gaming arcade idea and really researched it, something felt different. It was clear the industry had serious needs, but it was also broken.

Let me stop you for a second because I think people need to really understand the point you just made. People are so busy living their lives, they aren’t looking to prepare themselves. That’s the first point. The second is they say, “I don’t know what I want to do,” and you’re saying you just started trying things—trading, investing, whatever. You were looking. Do you feel you would’ve even come across gaming if you hadn’t been out there looking?

No, absolutely not. At the end of the day, I was very successful. I bought a nine-bedroom house, drove a Porsche, and people would tell me, “Why are you doing this? Can’t you just be happy with what you have?” It was hard to explain because there was just that drive—this isn’t it.

It doesn’t sound like you weren’t happy with real estate. It seems like you’re happy doing whatever you want. But you felt the need to diversify. Is that safe to say?

Yeah, it was more that I wanted to continue to grow. I’m addicted to progress—addicted to it. If I don’t see progress, I struggle. I even have this daily game I play because it’s about progress. It’s 10 minutes in the morning, but it gives me that little sense of accomplishment and fuels my day.

You literally have a game you do every day to give you that progress? That’s cool. I’m going to need more details on that! But let’s go back—you said you came across gaming. Was it a passion first or the opportunity? What drew you to it?

It was the opportunity at first. I thought, “I can create this; it’s something I love.” But as I dove into the research, something clicked. I had the University of Mary Washington put together a research piece. They told me the industry was worth $150 billion, and the average gamer plays 24 games a year. I thought, “Why would I pigeonhole myself into one game?”

That’s exactly it. Every other gaming competition is one game. So I started thinking, “Why on earth would I focus on just one game when gamers play an average of 24 games a year?” It didn’t make sense. I dove deeper into the research and realized there was an entire untapped opportunity.

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Building the Ultimate End Gamer League (UEL)

So you decided to build the UEL. But let me ask you—how did you figure out what to do? Did you pattern what you did off the track record of the NFL or other major leagues?

Exactly. I didn’t go out and say, “How do I create the UEL?” I said, “How did the NBA, NFL, and MLB start? How did they create a new industry?” Because that’s what they did. The NBA owns basketball. If they change a rule, the entire sport changes. Same with the NFL and football. They control their industries.

But eSports? No one owns it. It’s fragmented—different games, different developers. Nobody controls the industry. I wanted to change that. I realized I needed to control not the games, but the people around the games.

That’s a paradigm shift. Instead of focusing on games, you focused on creating an industry. That’s genius. But it must’ve been hard to get people to shift their thinking. What did you do?

It was tough. I spent three years convincing people. Everyone told me I was wrong. They said, “This will never work. Just do it the way everyone else does.” But I kept going. I focused on building a community first.

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Gaming as an Art Form

Gaming has never been seen as an art form, but I believe it is. It’s a form of expression. How you play a game reflects your personality and creativity. eSports doesn’t allow for that. There are rigid rules—play this way or it doesn’t count.

I opened it up. I said, “Play the game however you want. Express yourself.” Over time, people started to see it. They realized this was something special.

That’s huge. You created an environment where people could express themselves. That’s a rare mindset in gaming. But it also sounds like you were patient. You waited three years before people started to buy in. How did you keep going through all the doubts?

It was hard. But I believed in what I was building. I felt peace about it, even during the tough times. My business partners backed out. My job gave me an ultimatum. I lost $150,000 a year for three years. But I never wavered.

Wow. That kind of commitment is rare. So now you’ve built the UEL. Tell us, where is it today? What’s the vision?

We’re in Season Seven. The competition is for $100,000, and we give out $300,000 a year. But the vision is so much bigger. I believe the UEL will be bigger than the NFL, NBA, and MLB combined.

That’s a bold vision, but with 2.5 billion gamers worldwide, it’s not hard to see the potential. What would you say to someone who has a big dream but is struggling to make it happen?

You have to commit. Decide that you’re going to do it no matter what. Don’t dabble. Don’t wait for the perfect plan. Just start. And don’t let the doubts stop you. Keep going, even when it’s hard.

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Final Thoughts and How to Get Involved

That’s powerful advice. I love it. So how can people connect with you and support the UEL?

You can follow us on all social media or visit our website at uelesports.com. That’s U-E-L-eSports.com. We’re also on Instagram and Discord. If you’re a gamer and want to join, check us out.

That’s awesome. Titus, thank you so much for sharing your story and insights. I know this is just the beginning for the UEL, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Thank you for having me. This has been great.

It’s been a pleasure. Guys, as always, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Let’s get this message out there. I’ll see you tomorrow on The Daily Mastermind. Have an amazing day.

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About Titus Walker:

CEO, Ultimate Endgamers League‍

Titus Walker is the visionary CEO of the Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL), a trailblazing esports organization he founded in 2019, which is swiftly redefining the global gaming landscape. Under his leadership, the UEL has celebrated seven thrilling seasons, captivating over a million viewers each season and distributing over $200,000 in prizes. With a mission to cultivate a vast, inclusive gaming community, the UEL integrates 33 diverse games, catering to a spectrum of gamers, from the casual enthusiast to the competitive professional. The league is distinctively known for its commitment to diversity and its dedication to the 99% of gamers outside the top 1% skill level, promoting both console and PC gaming excellence. As a recognized leader in esports, Walker has forged impactful partnerships with entities like the NBA Draft Party, Philadelphia Eagles, and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Looking ahead, Walker aims to expand UEL’s reach and impact, continuously adapting to the evolving esports environment and strengthening its position as a premier, multi-game esports platform.

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Guest Resources:

Website: https://whodat.app/uelesports

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tituswalker/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UELesports

X: https://x.com/tightasswalker

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About George Wright III:

George Wright is a Proven, Successful Entrepreneur- and he knows how to inspire entrepreneurs, companies, and individuals to achieve Massive Results. With more than 20 years of Executive Management experience and 25 years of Direct Marketing and Sales experience, George is responsible for starting and building several successful multimillion-dollar companies. He started at a very young age to network and build his experience and knowledge of what it takes to become a driven and well-known entrepreneur. George built a multi-million-dollar seminar business, promoting some of the biggest stars and brands in the world. He has accelerated the success and cash flow in each of his ventures through his network of resources and results driven strategies. George is now dedicated to teaching and sharing his Prosperity Principles and Strategies to every Driven and Passionate Entrepreneur he meets. His mission is to Empower Entrepreneurs Globally to create Massive Change and LIVE their Ultimate Destiny.

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