Just like most of the sports and entertainment world, esports leagues have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. While competitive teams are adapting to games without their teammates sitting beside them, more people are joining in from home, meaning they can play with even more spectators.
Ben Spoont, CEO of Misfits Gaming Group, told Cheddar Wednesday while many esports events were canceled due to the pandemic, they were able to work with their partners and the different leagues to get back to playing online within a couple of weeks.
“Esports has the ability to adapt really quickly. We’re now back online playing games in front of a lot more people because there are a lot more people at home, so we're excited about that,” Spoont said. “We’re fortunate for more people and to provide a form of entertainment for them.”
Spoont is also the co-founder of Florida Mayhem, a professional esports organization competing in Blizzard’s Overwatch League, and owns teams in all three major esport leagues. Despite being able to get back to playing online within a few weeks, Spoont said that they still had to make some changes.
“We’ve taken our nonessential players and nonessential personnel and removed them from the equation of the teams,” he explained. “When they talk about social distancing and stay in your home, most of our teams live together, so they’ve been continuing to act as a family unit. But instead of playing in the office they’re playing from their apartments.”
Spoont is also trying to help combat this global health crisis by joining in on the Gamers vs. COVID-19 pledge to help spread awareness about “flattening the curve.”
“Esports and gaming could actually do a lot right now to encourage people to stay at home, which is why we think that joining this challenge made a lot of sense. We think it’s important for us to give back to the community and make a meaningful and positive impact through esport’s strengths, which is to play video games and stay at home,” Spoont said.
Gotham Chopra and his Religion of Sports media company may have just entered the filmmaking scene a few months ago, but it has already snapped up an Emmy nomination, which Chopra says feels like "an affirmation."
SeatGeek co-founder Russ D'Souza says that, despite lower ratings and bad PR, NFL ticket prices remain the highest of all pro sports, and he doesn't see that changing anytime soon.
The professional equestrian and daughter of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says bringing the Riders Masters Cup to the city was "a dream come true."
The world's top equestrians gathered in New York City for the inaugural Longine Masters event. Professional Equestrian Georgina Bloomberg explains how this event brings the competition to the masses, through its Rider Masters Cup.
Professional dancer Sharna Burgess paired up with Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman for the new "Dancing With the Stars: Athletes." Having sports stars in the mix increases the competition level because they're "used to winning at what they do," says Burgess. The new season premieres Monday on ABC.
The former Major League Baseball MVP tells Cheddar that these days there are many players who can hit as well as he did, so he's happy to watch from the sidelines.
A lot of times athletes need financial education before they are able to turn their paychecks into long-term investments, says Frank Zacca, managing director of Octagon, a wealth management firm that works with elite sports stars.
A total of 72,000 gamers qualified for the 17-week long video game competition, and only 102 -- "the elite of the elite" -- made the final cut, says Brendan Donohue, managing director of the League.
The obstacle race organizer had to be tough enough to convince the rapper to skip his own workout routine, said Rich Abend, VP of Global Partnerships. "[Flo Rida] happens to be an incredibly fit person," he said.
Matt Barnes, who won the NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors last year, says professional athletes shouldn't be punished for using marijuana and that he actually played his best when high.
