Sixers Look To Win At Different Kind Of Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's plenty of anticipation for the upcoming 76ers season, but the team is making a big move off the court. It involves two of the biggest eSports franchises in the game.
The Sixers now own and manage what could be an eSports all-star team. The organization has scooped up two big names in the eSports game: Teams Dignitas and Apex field top players for video game competitions.
"That started off as something very local -- two college kids on a couch in a fraternity, and has now become a sport where you have a quarter of a billion people watching it every year," said Greg Richardson, chairman of the new Team Dignitas.
The Sixers, along with Richardson, will be involved with player recruitment and development, and sales and marketing.
"It's very early in the days as a business in terms of generating revenue," Richardson said. "And that's no small part about why the 76ers want to get involved. Because they understand how to turn rabid, passionate fan bases into enduring businesses."
With 100 million people playing League of Legends every day, it's not easy to make a living as a gamer. But the world's best can earn millions in prize money, sponsorships, and pro team contracts.
Sound familiar?
Sixers CEO Scott O'Neal says it makes business sense to branch out.
"It's the fastest-growing sport in the world," said O'Neal. "While we'll do some fun promotions and we'll do some recruiting of players at Sixers games, this is really about Team Dignitas and how we can become the most dominant eSports team in history."
The Sixers will run the combined Teams Apex and Dignitas under the latter's name, fielding squads for League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and other big games.
