This is Part Two of a multi-part series about the infrastructure of esports leagues. Part One focused on the differences between the franchise model chosen by Blizzard and Riot and the hands-off approach used by Valve. This part concerns the minor league ecosystem and both the League Championship Series and Overwatch League’s “Path to Pro” […]
American tennis shoe brand K-Swiss and the Immortals esports franchise announced plans on Friday for a pair of sneakers, both a lifestyle shoe in the leisurewear category and also — wait for it — “a technical performance model” designed for professional gamers. While the proposition of specifically engineered footwear for a sedentary activity may seem […]
North Carolina State’s Nyheim Hines and PC-component manufacturer NZXT claim to have one important thing in common: speed. The NFL-bound running back, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a RB at the combine, has partnered with the company to promote its products. Step one: show everyone the joys of playing Fortnite on a PC […]
The University of California, Berkeley and Riot Games have announced a partnership to launch the inaugural League of Legends (LoL) Intramural Esports League this fall and to provide scholarships to student-athletes on the UC Berkeley LoL team. UC Berkeley is one of Pac-12’s leading proponents of esports, having offered the competitions through intramural programs for […]
This is Part One of a multi-part series about the infrastructure of esports leagues. Part two will focus on the differences between the Overwatch and League Of Legends academies, the role collegiate esports could play in this system, and both leagues’ “Path to Pro” initiatives. For traditional sports leagues, stability has come over time. The […]
