Celtics ready to suit up eGaming team
The music is blasting, fans are cheering and lights are shining on the iconic hardwood floor at the TD Garden. But instead of the professional Celtics basketball players, they’re cheering on five professional Celtics video gamers.
Next year, 17 NBA teams, including the Celtics, will form professional basketball videogame teams and compete against other pro teams in NBA 2k, a long-running series of basketball video games.
“It’s not crazy to think that one day we might be able to fill a theater or an arena with fans who want to watch the Celtics eGaming team, but we have a ways to go before that becomes a reality,” said Celtics President Rich Gotham.
The NBA and NBA 2K maker Take-Two Interactive Software said yesterday they will launch a competitive league with more than half of the teams in the NBA signed on, including the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Teams will be responsible for assembling and running their organizations.
Esports have exploded in recent years. Nielsen recently reported that 14 percent of Americans over age 13 are esports fans.
Gotham said the Celtics see esports as a way to tap into younger audiences who may be more interested in playing basketball video games than watching actual basketball.
“The Celtics are getting involved with the NBA 2K league as an innovative way to extend our brand digitally to connect with a young, multicultural, global, digital-first fan base that is increasingly spending more time online and with game consoles in their hands than they are watching traditional television,” said Gotham. “It’s a great way for fans who may or may not play basketball to engage with the game.”