Trust the process. After having the lottery balls bounce their way during the Draft Lottery, the 76ers– a team stuck in mediocrity for several years — finally had things go their way with the number one pick in the NBA Draft which they then used to add Ben Simmons to the team. To keep the good vibes rolling, the team has once again made news Monday by announcing their acquisition of two eSports teams, Team Dignitas and Apex Gaming’s League of Legends team (now Team Dignitas).
This is the first North American professional sports team to own eSports teams, so as you can imagine, it’s kind of a big deal. No dollar figures have been shared yet, but we do know that the basketball team will manage the teams as well as provide help with endorsements and such. The team brought in Greg Richardson (executive with history in video games) to oversee the project. What motivated the team to make this acquisition?
“The market created itself and became a product that a quarter billion people are watching, and when they watch, they’re watching an hour and half a day,” said Greg Richardson. “But at the same time, it’s an incredibly large, immature market that is somewhat of a Wild West.”
Basically, this is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Former Laker and NBA Champion Rick Fox also purchased an eSports team not too long ago, so this could potentially become the norm. Yes folks, eSports are here to stay.
Would you to see eSports teams run like an NBA team? How do you feel about the 76ers making this move? What other NBA team or North American sports team do you think will take interest in eSports? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: Riot Games
