The Reasons Behind Overwatch League Fans' Passion
By Nicholas Barth ·
The Overwatch League has created 12 new esport fanbases. Each one having their own reasons why they root for certain teams.
The Overwatch League has been very successful in its inaugural season so far and does not look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. One of the major reasons behind the success of Blizzard’s esports league is the massive amount of fans that each team has created. Each team has a passionate fanbase that cheers them on through victory and defeat. Why is this though? Why have teams that have not been in existence for very long garnered so much support in such a short amount of time?
The geographical focus of each team is a major part, as fans can connect to these teams in the same way they might connect to a NFL team. Living in a city that is the home of a team, fans feel a connection and want to see their hometown team do as well as possible. This also factors in the nationality of players on a team, as a fan from a certain country would want to see their fellow countrymen succeed.
The Overwatch League arena is always full of excited fans.
Source: Robert Paul via Blizzard Entertainment
This was the case for a couple of fans that answered my call on the competitive Overwatch subreddit, as I asked for the reasons why they root for their favorite Overwatch League teams.
“I root for Gladiators because they’re from my city and every single team member is a pure and lovely person so far!” Said BadassHalfie.
Wadomicker had national pride as his main reason. “I root for Fusion because there’s Shadowburn-a person who makes me proud of being Russian.”
Then there are the individual players themselves, as many fans point to their favorite players being the main reason they support a certain team.This is the case for plant_ow and the Houston Outlaws players of Jacob "JAKE" Lyon, Matt "coolmatt" Iorio and Shane "Rawkus" Flaherty.
“I guess I’m “player loyal” in a sense. I was fortunate enough to see Team USA in the Santa Monic World Cup Qualifiers and got to meet the team. After that I really enjoyed their streams and I have followed them.”
Many Overwatch League teams are making fans that will be with the team for many years to come.
Source: Robert Paul via Blizzard Entertainment
Then there is the section of fans who throw their support behind teams and players because of how they play the game of Overwatch. This was the case for fan named wallflower.
“In for Seoul for their creative comp compositions. Ryujehong on Ana and Zen has me immersed in the most. But I’ve been really into NYXL because of how Jjonak utilises Zen’s right click and how fast and efficient their team can communicate to get to their objective.”
The Overwatch League has created truly passionate fanbases that will continue to root for their favorite teams and players for as long as they can. Hopefully, with the addition of new teams in the league, many more fanbases will rise and join in cheering for the Overwatch League team they feel the most connection to.