Celtics F Gordon Hayward is a "crossover star of sorts," having played the game League of Legends in front of a live internet audience, and has a "close association with the game's developer, Riot Games," according to Mark Murphy of the BOSTON HERALD. Riot Games as a tribute to Hayward's comeback this season from ankle surgery, has "produced a commercial featuring an anime version of Hayward and Tryndamere, a League of Legends 'champion'" that Hayward likes to play with in the game. Hayward said, "I've done things with Riot for probably five years now, and we have a really good relationship." Murphy noted Riot's ad will "boost Hayward's profile within the gaming community, and thus extend efforts he has already taken." Hayward said, "I've worked hard to have the community. They know how much of a gamer I am, and that community is really aware of people that aren't and are trying to come into the space, because the space is blowing up. But I've been a gamer since I can remember, and everyone respects that." Hayward went as far as to say that the athlete he would be "interested in meeting as a fan" is esports competitor and Twitch streamer Tyler Blevins -- also known as Ninja. Hayward said, "He's somebody that if I saw it would be cool. I'd be a fan. 100,000 fans at one time is insane. He's making, like, $800,000 a month doing this streaming. That didn't include like sponsorships, and that's a big deal because you stream yourself and it's like advertising, a billboard. But he was making it solely on the number of viewers he was getting" (BOSTONHERALD.com, 10/28).
ANSWERING THE CALL: In DC, Liz Clarke noted Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is an "avid video-gaming enthusiast," who describes his favorite franchise, Call of Duty, as "therapeutic, an off-hours respite from the grind of the NFL." The game also gives Smith-Schuster "another way to connect with fans and extend his personal brand" by streaming himself playing the game. His gaming and streaming currently is "primarily confined to six-hour blocks each Tuesday," the typical off-day for NFL players during the season, or to "special out-of-season events, such as the four-player stream he joined in March with Ninja and rappers Drake and Travis Scott." Smith-Schuster said of streaming games, "I would love to do it full-time, but obviously it's a part-time hobby because football is my number one priority." Clarke noted Smith-Schuster is a "new-era NFL player who's laying the foundation for his exit strategy while in the prime of his career." He is "shaking up norms for NFL players, peeling back the layers of his private life to show fans who he is via multiple social-media platforms." Smith-Schuster has "built a YouTube channel with more than 580,000 subscribers," but the "streaming of his Call of Duty sessions represents a deeper level of intimacy" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/27).
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