Everything Esports - San Francisco Shock are Overwatch Champs, First Public Esports Space in Pro Stadium, NASCAR Doubles Down on Esports, and more.

Activision Blizzard crowns San Francisco Shock as champs in season two of Overwatch League

It was the first competitive gaming league structured as a global city-based franchise that imitated traditional sports leagues, with each of the 12 owners reportedly paying $20 million for a slot.

 

NASCAR Doubles Down on Esports with eNASCAR Divisions

NASCAR owners have found an honest outlet for something else other than talent and data: sponsorship activation. As the cost of running teams continues to climb, the cost to pipeline young talent is ever-growing as well. Along with that comes the tough task of acquiring funding from sponsors. Sponsors see NASCAR in a certain light, and whether that’s favorable or not, they have a solid idea of the core audience from a broad stroke.

 

Champion Cyclist Confesses To Robo-Doping, Stripped Of National Esports Title

YouTuber Cameron Jeffers was stripped of his title as the U.K.’s first national cycling esports champion on October 4. The 22-year-old elite cyclist has admitted the upgraded virtual bicycle he used in the indoor cycling platform Zwift, and which won him a place in the live finals of British Cycling’s Esports Championships, had been acquired via a simulation program.

 

Esports Match Fixing - What Can be Done?

Match fixing in professional sports has long been a concern of league organizers and fans, and an offense which comes with a very stiff penalty. As esports grows and prize pools for different tournaments become larger, new avenues to bet on games become available and match fixing can become more profitable for those involved. What can be done about esports match fixing?

 

Texas library utilizes $50,000 federal grant to launch esports program

“It takes something that people love, which is what libraries are all about, independent learning, and then letting them explore it,” Pottsboro library director Dianne Connery told the Herald-Democrat (Sherman, TX), after the grant was awarded.

The goal of the grant is to connect learning and play, according to IMLS, as well as helping to build digital literacy and critical-thinking skills. Gamers also will get the chance to learn strategies, compete in Rocket League and Overwatch and learn the technology used in competitions. And the potentially biggest win-win: Austin College students will help to mentor high school students.

 

ESPL launches national amateur esports tournaments and media network in Asia

 

The Singpore-based company announced it is targeting amateur gamers with a path to becoming professionals. It announced the plans at the Esports Bar Miami event that I am attending this week. The company has raised $2 million to date.

 

Super League Gaming teams up with ggCircuit to turn gaming center customers into esports fans

The Santa Monica, California-based Super League will now become the primary consumer-facing brand within ggCircuit’s software platform, ggLeap, as part of a platform update that will include features designed to further attract, engage and retain players.

 

Nerd Street Gamers Open First Public Esports Space in Pro Stadium

Esports startup Nerd Street Gamers has teamed up with Philadephia’s Wells Fargo Center to open the US’s first public esports space in a pro stadium. Home of Philly’s 76ers and the Flyers, the partnership will see the installation of a Localhost facility geared toward fostering the community and hosting competitive gaming tournaments and special events. In collaboration with Comcast Spectator, the space will also include professional-grade PC and console gaming stations where players of all skill levels are invited to participate. The facility will be open to all Wells Fargo Center visitors on event days and hold dedicated gaming events on off days, making it a year-round destination.

“We’re connecting traditional sports and esports for fans because there’s a direct connection between their love for their favorite traditional sports franchises and their love for video games,” stated Rob Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of Nerd Street Gamers.