Menu
Esports

L.A.'s Two OWL Franchises Have Sparked League's Biggest Rivalry

The Valiant are expected to move into The Novo at L.A. Live in the coming yearsACTIVISION BLIZZARD

The Overwatch League begins its second season on Thursday, and the two OWL teams in L.A. -- the Gladiators and Valiant -- "not only have gotten a head start in building a fan base in their home city, they have already cultivated the best rivalry in the league," according to Arash Markazi of the L.A. TIMES. Activision Blizzard Esports CEO Pete Vlastelica said L.A. is the "hub of esports in North America so it’s one of the few markets that could support two teams, so it made sense to have two teams here and have a built-in local rivalry." OWL crowds at Blizzard Arena, where the league currently hosts most of its games, often "resemble traditional sports crowds when rival cities face each other." The league has "not shied away from adopting a traditional sports model, with some of the owners invested in more traditional sports teams." The Gladiators and Valiant both realize the way to "capture the hearts of the city is no different than any other team in the market -- they have to win." OWL Commissioner Nate Nanzer: "I don’t think we’re that far away from seeing a level of passion for these teams and this rivalry compare to traditional sports in the city." When OWL teams move into their home markets and arenas in the coming years, the Gladiators are "expected to move into the amphitheater being built next to the future home of the Rams and Chargers, while the Valiant are expected to move into The Novo at L.A. Live" (L.A. TIMES, 2/10).

For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: April 25, 2024

Motor City's big weekend; Kevin Warren's big bet; Bill Belichick's big makeover and the WNBA's big week continues

TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, ESPN’s Tim Reed, NBA Playoffs and NFL Draft

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with TNT’s Stan Van Gundy as he breaks down the NBA Playoffs from the booth. Later in the show, we hear from ESPN’s VP of Programming and Acquisitions Tim Reed as the NFL Draft gets set to kick off on Thursday night in Motown. SBJ’s Tom Friend also joins the show to share his insights into NBA viewership trends.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/02/11/Esports/OWL-LA.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/02/11/Esports/OWL-LA.aspx

CLOSE