The Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, is furthering the growing relationship between eSports and traditional sports by hosting a three-day gaming tournament at its facility.
While Major League Baseball itself, including many of its owners and players, drag their feet on investing in the exploding eSports industry, one Minor League Baseball franchise is taking advantage of the opportunity with the first-ever DBAP Gaming Challenge.
The DBAP Gaming Challenge is a three-day eSports tournament which will be played at the Durham Bulls’ stadium, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, in Durham, N.C. The challenge is set to begin on Friday, Sept. 29 and conclude on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Participants in the multiple tournaments that will be held stand to win a share of over $5,000 in prizes provided by the Bulls, Coastal Credit Union, the Durham Sports Commission, Ultimate Comics, Red Storm, Ubisoft Studio and Alienware. Tickets to the challenge start at $12 and everyone with a ticket can enter any/all of the tournaments free of charge. Games featured include but aren’t limited to League of Legends, Madden 18, NBA 2k18 and Injustice 2.
Adding to the success that the Bulls have had on the baseball diamond, as the team has recently clinched the International League South Division title, the move to bring in big-name sponsors in the eSports business like Alienware, Red Storm and Ubisoft is something that MLB teams would be wise to mimic.
Esports globally is projected to reach nearly half a billion in revenues this year, and that number is only going to grow as time passes. By establishing relationships with major players in the eSports industry now, the Bulls position themselves to be one of the benefactors of the industry’s continued growth.
Another reason that this is a great move is in terms of marketing for the Bulls. The tournament has the potential to get people who might not otherwise patronize the park inside the gates. While they are there to play games, the Bulls will have the opportunity to sell them on the value of returning to the park for hardball and other forms of entertainment.
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On top of being a tremendous entertainment value for those in attendance, this is a genius move by the Bulls. It isn’t certain how long it will take MLB teams to catch on to their lead, but this Triple-A team has taken the bull by the horns.