This esports team is moving to DC

Professional athletes often excel when they live together in a training camp experience, and the same is true for professional gamers. In a move toward bolstering esports in the District, Events DC announced that California-based NRG Esports is moving 10 players and coaches from three continents into a house in D.C.

“While technology is shaping the future of entertainment, esports is just another opportunity for us to showcase DC. Through Events DC’s esports initiative, the District remains committed to creating a hub for esports,” said Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner in a statement.

NRG Esports and Events DC reveal a training space in Washington DC for the San Francisco Shock's Contenders team.https://t.co/oEGC11w6PU@SFShock @NRGgg #SanFrancisco #OWL2018 #OverwatchLeague #OverwatchContenders pic.twitter.com/JBorakxqCy

— Gamereactor Esports (@GR_Esports_) February 27, 2018

Events DC is the District’s official convention and sports authority. Last month, it hosted an esports tournament at the DC Armory that attracted over 2,000 people. There are a dozen teams in the Contenders league in North America, and matches are played weekly with a total prize pool of $185,000,000.

“We are beyond thrilled that NRG has chosen the District of Columbia to locate a house for their Overwatch Contenders team. One of our priorities at Events DC over the last 18 months has been to create and execute an esports strategy to position Washington, DC as a leader in this important economic development and tourism space,” said Max Brown, board chair at Events DC. “We have done this through our ongoing sponsorship of NRG; our hosting of major esports events, and our brand building across the country.”

Competition begins March 13. The players are part of NRG’s developmental Overwatch Roster for the Contenders Series, and the roster includes:

• Head Coach – Bumhoon Kim – Ninek – Seoul, South Korea
• Manager/Assistant Coach – Shaurav Ghosh – Shu – Toronto, Canada
• Assistant Coach – Albert Yeh – Yehhh – Rockville, MD
• Main Support – Riley Taylor – Fahzix – Pittsburgh, PA
• Flex Support – Robert Garcia – Rob420 – Victorville, California
• Flex Tank – Eoghan O’Neill – Smex – London, England
• Main Tank – Sangwon Yoon – Butcher – Pohang, South Korea
• Flex DPS – Ethan Yankel – Stratus – Pittsburgh, PA
• DPS – Daemin Kim – Daemin – Seoul, South Korea