Esports industry is blooming and is on a good way to surpassing traditional sports in both number of viewers, sponsorships, and popularity in the world of betting. Despite all that, while everyone knows about the Chicago Bulls and FC Barcelona, esports teams are not exactly household names. What are the most popular teams, and what is the magic that takes place behind the keyboard, we asked Aleksandra Maj.
“Whether you bet at an European online casinos (like these here: polskiekasynohex.org/kasyna-online/eur-euro, or simply enjoy traditional sports betting via desktop computer, it is very likely your eye caught a glimpse of banners promoting esports. To us industry insiders, it is only natural to witness the rise of esports, as the biggest finals in esports have been attracting more viewers than Super Bowl”, says the gambling expert from Poland, and editor-in-chief of one of the biggest gaming sites in Europe.
Maj sees esports teams as a new generation of athletes that don’t seek universal praise or approval. Instead of filling the headlines with fancy cars and scandals, they focus on gaining recognition among their own. Here are the teams that impress her the most.
Team Liquid
This multinational egaming team is based in the Netherlands and is one of the oldest on the scene. Today, it has divisions in every single game you can think of from DOTA to League of Legends, making it one of the most versatile organizations in the world of esports.
“Some might say Team Liquid was lucky enough to jump on early on the bandwagon, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. In fact, earlier this year they signed a sponsorship with Honda, for the League of Legends division”, reveals the specialist.
Team Liquid is also famous for its Alienware Training Facility in Los Angeles.
Cloud9
Cloud9 was founded in 2013 and is probably the most recognizable of all the names on this list. Maj elaborates that Cloud9 is not as complex of an organization as Team Liquid, as it is pretty much focused only on one game – League of Legends.
“Think what you want, but being at the very top of the LoL esports league is really impressive. Many consider it to be the most complex game of them all, and Cloud9 established itself as the biggest and boldest team on the planet”, she gets excited.
Aleksandra also says Cloud9 is no stranger to signing lucrative partnership deals. Their list of sponsors includes Puma, Red Bull and Twitch.
OG
OG is a professional esports organization founded in Europe in 2015. It is most famous for its DOTA team, who won The International 2018 and 2019 tournaments. Besides DOTA, the club also focuses on Counter-Strike, yet another popular esport, and a slightly less popular Valorant.
“Compared to many other teams that rule the scene, OG really seems original and close to its roots. For many, OG encapsulated everything esports should be”, continues Maj, and mentions some of the team’s sponsors: Red Bull, BMW, 1xBet. “Not shabby for a bunch of nerds from France and Eastern Europe”, she jokes.
Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses are an American sports association based in Seattle. Established in 1999, they were among the first to recognize the potential of esports. Nowadays, the popular club includes divisions in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., Rocket League and Valorant.
“Evil Geniuses definitely fly by their name. According to some fans of other clubs, they are notorious for calculating when to win, and when to lose, all in order to successfully wiggle to the very top. I won’t say that’s true, but it makes you think”, mysterious is Aleksandra.
Evil or not, the Geniuses have plenty of successful partnerships. The most notable one is with Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves), a Premier League football club. The list also includes Monster energy drink, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, LG UltraGear gaming monitors, Bud Light and many others.
Team Spirit
One can’t go far in the world of esports without team spirit, so one club from Russia decided to go with the flow and simply call themselves Team Spirit. Founded in 2017 in Russia, it is relatively young compared to most other teams on the list, but it quickly gained worldwide recognition. Stationed in Belgrade, Serbia and Moscow, Russia, it has teams competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Hearthstone.
“This small team is well-received, especially so, after it condemned Russia’s action against Ukraine. They might be the biggest of them all, but they do know the power of good PR and building a strong community. It is exactly that what made them the team we know today”, reveals the gaming expert.
Team Spirit has signed a partnership with Nike, Red Bull, 1xBet and HyperX.
Conclusions
“Esports has witnessed a massive rise in popularity over the past few years”, Maj says. “A significant part of this huge success can be attributed to the flourishing of popular esports teams. These teams, consisting of skilled professional gamers, have become key players in the gaming industry. They compete in various video game titles and have amassed huge followings, both online and in the real world”, she concludes.
There’s a close connection between the esports championships and betting as many people are willing to place some bets on their favorite team. It’s worth reminding that the measures of responsible betting should be appliedto protect both players and viewers from potential harm.