The Warriors have "chosen Golden Guardians as the name of their new North American League of Legends Championship Series franchise," according to sources cited by Jacob Wolf of ESPN.com. The Golden Guardians are "among four new teams" in the NALCS. Other newcomers "include the Rockets-owned Clutch City Gaming, 100 Thieves, which will be owned by the Cavaliers and affiliated venture capital firms, and OpTic Gaming, which recently received investment" from MLB Rangers co-Owner Neil Leibman. The six other teams "accepted in the league participated" in the '17 season. A "push to apply for the league" was led by Warriors co-Owner Joe Lacob and Assistant GM Kirk Lacob. The initial application for a franchise spot in the NALCS "was made by GSW Esports LLC." However, sources said that the new team, will "likely not be owned directly by GSW Esports LLC due to conflict of interests between Warriors ownership and that of esports teams Cloud9 and Team Liquid" (ESPN.com, 11/15).
For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.
