One of the most valuable sports franchises in the World is now entering the eSports arena as the New York Yankees have announced an investment partnership with Vision Esports.
The partnership will see the two organizations create what they are calling an “ecosystem” of eSports properties that will include Echo Fox, the eSports franchise owned by former NBA Champion Rick Fox; Twin Galaxies, a stats and rankings company; and Vision Entertainment, which is a producer of eSports video content.
Terms, including the amount invested, weren’t disclosed by the parties, but the Yankees will have a stake in all three properties. It’s expected to be one of the largest financial investments in the short history of eSports.
According to the report by Forbes, the game plan for the partnership will be to “maximize revenue opportunities for advertising, sponsorships, media and broadcast rights, merchandise and ticket sales, naming rights and original content programming for both broadcast and streaming distribution formats.”
The Echo Fox organization features a number teams across different games such as League of Legends, Injustice 2 and Super Smash Bros., among other titles. It also just so happens that Echo Fox will be one of the 10 teams to be given a permanent spot in the upcoming North American League of Legends series by game creator Riot Games. This new series marks one of the first official eSports associations with official franchises that are run like a traditional sports organization.
With revenue expected to reach surpass $1 billion in the coming years, more and more “traditional” owners and companies are getting into the digital sports arena. Earlier this year, the NBA announced the launch of their own professional league for the best NBA 2K players in the world.
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