At Sports Gamers Online, we report on athletes for a variety of reasons. Maybe their stats change in a video game, or they’re announced as a cover athlete. Sometimes they just perform at a level that feels like maybe they’re in a game. We also talk about eSports athletes, like NBA 2K pros or Madden champions. So rarely do we get to show love for someone who fulfills both categories. Which is why this story is such a treat. Gaming organization Dignitas has signed Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott to their professional Rocket League team.
Our Rocket League team just became more stacked. 💪
Welcome to @DignitasRL, @BostonScott2 – the first two sport NFL and Rocket League pro! pic.twitter.com/avrrDgBbds
— Dignitas (@dignitas) February 3, 2022
Introducing Dignitas Boston Scott
Scott finished his fourth season with the Eagles this year, scoring 8 touchdowns on 407 yards rushing. Somehow, along-side football practice, Scott finds team to maintain “Grand Champion” status in Rocket League. This is the top online rank possible for Rocket League players, which a press release points out puts Scott in “the top 0.52%” of active players. I can barely crack diamond rank in Hearthstone without the fatigue brought about through hours of weekly physical endurance. Sports fans got a peak at Scott as a Rocket League player with a tweet back in November.
Nothing like going home after a tough loss and playing rocket league only to be bodied by a 12 year old who’s user name is sook_medik
— DIG B0ston. (@BostonScott2) November 8, 2021
Dignitas’ Rocket League team is no slouch, either. The organization’s website boasts that it is “the most successful organization in Rocket League’s history,” but six championship wins since 2018, including a DreamHack win and three Rocket League Championship Series firsts seems to support the claim.
The Emergence of the Hybrid Dual Threat
Dignitas presented Scott as the “first two sport NFL and Rocket League pro,” but he is not the first athlete to cross into eSports. Four other NFL players will attempt to play the largest game of Madden NFL 22 in Vegas this weekend. Last year, eSports organization Team Liquid announced that WNBA champion Aerial Powers would be joining as a streamer and diversity ambassador. Sports history has features a handful of powerful dual-sport athletes. However, as eSports continue to grow in popularity, it is more likely that we’ll see more dual-threat hybrid athletes in the future.