The preparations for the Overwatch League are in full swing. Many teams have already been confirmed (like the Seoul team recently), and even more are expected to follow soon. There is a lot to see behind the scenes.
Sinatraa for NRG – with $100,000 over minimum
Just recently, the well-known Overwatch professional and DPS player Jay “sinatraa” Won was signed by NRG Esports. After winning against Germany with his team for the USA in the World Cup Qualifiers, he will compete for the title at Blizzcon in November and soon participate in the Overwatch League.
The special thing about his contract: He did not sign it himself. Sinatraa is only 17 years old, and U.S. law requires that his guardian sign contracts on his behalf. In his case, his mother’s signature was required, which she gladly gave. It has been known for some time that she is very supportive of her son’s career.
Recently, the former coach of Team Selfless, Brad Rajani, was confirmed as the new coach and manager. This means sinatraa will encounter his former coach from the times he played with Selfless until the team disbanded in July of this year.
Team NRG for San Francisco
The founder of NRG Esports, Andy Miller, secured the San Francisco team for the Overwatch League in July. Thus, it is not surprising that this team will primarily represent the players for the city at the event.
The other known cities so far are Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Shanghai, and Seoul.
$50,000 Minimum in the Overwatch League
Noteworthy is also that sinatraa, with $150,000 per year, is far above the minimum of $50,000 set by Blizzard. The reason for this are negotiations by Cloud9 and NRG for the contract with the pro, which pushed it to such heights.
It should always be kept in mind that this is only the base salary that players receive from the team. Professionals also have additional earnings from prize money, sponsorship deals, and more, which usually constitutes the larger part of their income.
What do you think? Are the salaries reasonable for athletes? Should such figures be compared to those of other sports like soccer, or should they generally be reduced?
