Successfully hosting home games could revolutionize esports and help attract a mainstream audienceDALLAS FUEL
The Dallas Fuel this past weekend became the first Overwatch League team to host home matches, which was a "critical litmus test for a league crafted around the idea of adding local sponsors to the global partnerships already struck by many esports leagues," according to Eric Van Allen of the WASHINGTON POST. Success in such a venture could "revolutionize the world of esports" and "help generate awareness, and acceptance, by a mainstream audience." The matches at the Allen Event Center on Saturday and Sunday "generated a boisterous atmosphere" that featured a "litany of league business partners with a presence in the arena and the surrounding area." The Bud Light Homestand Weekends, which are also being held this year in L.A. and Atlanta, are "not just a traveling road show, but a proving grounds." Getting positive results in the Dallas area in terms of ticket sales, local sponsorship and fan enjoyment was a "critical next step" for the league. OWL Commissioner Nate Nanzer said, “The most important thing for the first home game is that every single fan that comes here wants to come again some day.” L.A. Valiant player Scott Kennedy said, “It was actually a really cool thing walking out on that stage. Even though they booed us, that’s the fun of sports. That happens in all sports." Bringing that sporting atmosphere to cities around the world is "the challenge for the OWL’s teams, but successfully doing so would be a stride toward mainstream acceptance of esports" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/29).
STILL UNANSWERED: ESPN.com's Tyler Erzberger noted after "years of promises that fans across the world would see their franchises live, Blizzard finally made good." Erznerger: "Though the crowd in Texas might have not been anywhere near the biggest, the enclosed, compact seating of the arena along with the low ceiling in the venue contributed to what might have been the loudest crowd I've ever experienced in competitive games." By any barometer, the first homestand was "a runaway success." Fuel Fans "came out in droves, and the in-state rival Houston Outlaws weren't too far behind in number of supporters." Still, a "slew of questions" remain unanswered for OWL. How will teams "handle constant flight travel, including trips to cities like Paris and Hangzhou, China?" Will the game quality be "lessened because of the expected crazy travel schedule?" Will each home arena have "a designated practice area for the traveling team?" (ESPN.com, 4/29).
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