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Overwatch League announces first seven teams and five are in the US

By Christine Wang Dickson

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment /
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After a long wait, we finally have some of the teams who will be part of Overwatch League’s inaugural season.

Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nazer shared some of the biggest news about the league since its announcement on Wednesday by sharing with the world the locations and owners of the first seven teams.

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Five of the seven teams are based in major U.S. cities on the coasts. The other two reside in China and South Korea. Here is a complete list of announced teams and owners:

  • Boston, with owner Robert Kraft. Kraft is a huge name in the world of traditional sports, as he is also the owner of the New England Patriots.
  • New York, with owner Jeff Wilpon. Wilpon is another name from traditional sports as the chief operating officer of the New York Mets.
  • Miami-Orlando, with owner Ben Spoont. Spoont is currently the chief executive officer and co-founder of Misfits Gaming.
  • San Francisco, with owner Andy Miller. Miller is currently the chairman and co-founder of NRG Esports. He is also figure in traditional sports as co-owner of the Sacramento Kings.
  • Los Angeles, with owner Noah Whinston. Whinston is currently the chief executive officer of Immortals, a professional gaming organization.
  • Shanghai, with owner NetEase. NetEase is a Chinese internet technology company, and is so far the only company to sponsor a team.
  • Seoul, with owner Kevin Chou. Chou is the co-founder of Kabam, a developer of mobile games.

With a price tag of $20 million per team, becoming an Overwatch League owner is not cheap. However, the prominent mix of names from both traditional sports and the esports world gives the league a strong start.