A New League Hopes to Bring Video Game Competitions Into Mainstream

The future of sports has arrived.

Overwatch
Participants seen playing the video game OVERWATCH. (Photo by Hyunha Kim/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The phenomenon of esports, or people playing against each other in live video game competitions, like a game called Overwatch, is relatively new for most of us. But for the players, almost all of whom are between the ages of 17 and 26, it has been around for most of their lives. And almost all of them are men, as the women who play Overwatch tend to be targets of harassment. Blizzard, the company who owns Overwatch, announced the Overwatch League back in Nov. 2016. It will be the world’s first esports venture to follow the North American sports model. There will be nine U.S. teams and 3 international teams. They are looking to build “a whole new sport.”

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