The New York Yankees are diving into esports with an investment partnership with Vision Esports, and the two organizations will create and manage an ecosystem of properties that include Echo Fox, Twin Galaxies and Vision Entertainment.
The Yankees are taking a stake in the three esports companies and will team up with Vision Esports to accelerate the growth and increase the brand awareness of the companies. The Yankees and Vision Esports leadership will mirror management of the esports companies in a manner similar to traditional professional sports properties.
Vision Esports is led by General Partners including Stratton Sclavos, a former San Jose Sharks co-owner. Echo Fox, a a professional esports organization, has many ties to traditional sports as it was founded by NBA champion Rick Fox
Twin Galaxies is a league operator in performance validation, statistics and skill indexes. Vision Entertainment is a production studio that creates original esports content for scripted and non-scripted platforms, broadcasting esports or competitive gaming shows on Facebook Live.
“The New York Yankees are thrilled to partner with Vision Esports and its diverse portfolio of esports companies,” Hal Steinbrenner, Yankees Managing General Partner and Co-Chairperson, said in a statement. “Guided by an impressively skilled and sports-savvy leadership team, Vision Esports is transcending the industry with a bold, innovative approach to their business, and we are excited to enter into this dynamic arena as their partner.”
Major League Baseball teams are increasingly getting involved in the esports space, and that includes the New York Mets, which its co-owner running a team in the new Overwatch League. For the Yankees, they will use their marketing, sales and partnership experience to help esports companies.
This philosophy includes seeking to maximize revenue opportunities for advertising, sponsorships, media and broadcast rights, merchandise and ticket sales, naming rights and original content programming for both broadcast and streaming distribution formats. In addition, the Yankees and Vision Esports will collaborate on marketing and sponsorship initiatives across assets.
“The New York Yankees brand is synonymous with success, and we are thrilled to welcome the organization to the Vision Esports team,” Sclavos said in a statement. “In every business, you are known by the company you keep, and we cannot be more pleased to be a part of the New York Yankees organization. We look forward to exploring synergies between the Yankees and all of our portfolio companies to maximize the opportunity for a successful esports ecosystem for teams, players and fans.”