The Philadelphia 76ers, a North American professional basketball team, has made a mark in history by being the first professional sports team to acquire an esports team. Revealed through a post on the official ESPN website, the Philadelphia 76ers has picked up both Dignitas and Apex, with Apex joining the Dignitas name.
Speaking on the matter of this recent purchase was the 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil who made mention of bringing in the right person to help in the esports division. Greg Richardson, an executive who is knowledgeable in the consumer tech and video game industry will be overseeing this latest project.
Scott O’Neil spoke of how the 76ers owners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, has big visions and likes to make these big changes instead of sitting on the sidelines while watching other companies make those steps first. However, just because the 76ers and Dignitas are connected, we won’t see much of a cross-promotion.
Greg Richardson admits that while there would be some fun cross-branding between the two franchises, he realizes that both have differences and if they are not respected the company could be hurting more than promoting.
Although, there are some synergies that could really benefit Dignitas such as merchandising esports player jerseys. For now, it seems that the team will still focus on various leagues with video games such as CS:GO, Leagues of Legends, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Smite.
One aspect that may have been interesting to learn is the number figures that went into the purchase of both Dignitas and Apex. Unfortunately, there has been no statements on the matter, but in the past, there have been figures for esports teams that were estimated to be worth around seven to eight figures.
