Washington D.C. pushing to be "the capital of eSports"
U.S. city now sponsors NRG Esports, will host live events in new $65 million stadium
Washington D.C. intends to become the home of eSports in the United States, with a strategy that includes sponsorship of the NRG Esports team and the construction of a $65 million stadium.
The city's plans, which were revealed to Mashable, will be executed by Events D.C., the District of Columbia's convention and sports authority. The deal with NRG Esports is among the first instances of a city sponsoring a pro gaming organisation, and Washington D.C. will now have its logo and branding on NRG teams' uniforms, livestreams and websites.
NRG, which has teams competing in Overwatch, Counter-Strike: GO, Hearthstone and Rocket League, has roots in the world of traditional sports. It was founded by Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov, the co-owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, and counts the basketball player Shaquille O'Neal and the baseball stars Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins among its investors.
"This is just another prong in our strategic approach to continue to make D.C. a great place to live and work and play," Events D.C. chairman Max Brown told Mashable, highlighting the number of students attending the city's many universities.
"There are lots of younger kids who are here and are coming here every year through our universities, so we think it makes a lot of sense for us as a city to plant a flag [for eSports], and ultimately be the capital of eSports like we're the capital of the United States."
There are other "prongs" to the city's strategy, the most notable being the construction of a new stadium. The arena will be used by the WNBA team the Washington Mystics, as well as other events, but it is being built "with eSports in mind."
"A $65 million 4,200-seat, state-of-the-art arena," Brown added. "[It will] come online in late-2018, early-2019. Fully tailored and wired for esports."