Team Liquid, an eSports franchise, announced the sale of the controlling interest of the team to an ownership group called aXiomatic that includes professional sports owners Peter Guber, Ted Leonsis and Magic Johnson.
Guber and Leonsis will serve as Co-Executive Chairmen of the new ownership group. Guber is an owner of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Dodgers, who also have the Hall of Famer Johnson as part of the ownership group. Leonsis is the owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics.
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The co-ownership group also includes Dodgers executives Lon Rosen and Tucker Kain, Warriors executives Rick Welts and Kirk Lacob, the Washington Nationals owners at Lerner Enterprises, Chicago Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney, and former NFL player Dhani Jones.
Team Liquid has more than 50 players competing on 10 different teams at tournaments including StarCraft 2, League of Legends, Dota 2, Hearthstone, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, Halo, Street Fighter, and SSBM.
“This company has the potential to create all new experiences for esports audiences worldwide,” Leonsis said in a statement.
Steve Arhancet and Victor Goossens will continue as owners and in their respective roles as Co-CEOs of Team Liquid and will also serve as Directors.
“I will always be a fan at heart – a gamer who fell in love with League of Legends,” Arhancet said in a statement. “I followed that heart and built a team that is now shaping the future of esports, but there are still so many opportunities that we want to explore. With our new ownership group leading the charge, I am certain that we can grow from a premier esports team to a powerhouse sports entertainment franchise.”