Team San Francisco
The San Francisco announces an eight-player roster. (Credits: NRG Esports) A second city now has its roster! NRG Esports has announced the roster of the San Francisco team. With an introduction by celebrities and athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Lopez, Marshawn Lynch and Michael Strahan, the team was announced to be the following players: DPS: · Jay “Sinatraa” Won · Andrej “Babybay” Francisty · André “Iddqd” Dahlström · Dante “Danteh” Cruz Tank: · Matthew “Super” DeLisi · David “Nomy” Ramirez Support · Nikola “Sleepy” Andrews · Daniel “dHaK” Martinez Paz With a maximum of twelve players per team, eight of the slots have been filled for San Francisco. With Overwatch League rules preventing players aged under eighteen from participating in the League, both Sinatraa and Super cannot play in any official League games until they reach 18. However, since they will reach the age of 18 before the deadline of April 5, 2018, they were allowed to sign contracts with Team San Francisco. With NRG Esports backing and handling the team, alongside its celebrities endorsers and shareholders, Team San Francisco will be one to watch within the Overwatch League.
The full reveal video of Team San Francisco.
Team Shanghai
The first reveal of a team of the Overwatch League: The Shanghai Dragons! (Credits: Overwatch League) On the other side of the world, Team Shanghai has released its logo and colors. Dubbing themselves Shanghai Dragons, a red and black color scheme will be adopted by Team Shanghai for their in-game team skins. According to the official press release:
In Chinese culture, the dragon symbolizes the spirit of that which is sacred, powerful, and supreme. The Shanghai Dragons’ logo combines the team’s name and a dragon figure to call upon the history of this symbol. The letter S outlined by the body of the dragon represents Shanghai, and the smooth line design is a nod to the strategic skill and flexibility of the team. Furthermore, red is present as a theme color for the Shanghai Dragons’ logo in order to emphasize its Chinese connection.
The Shanghai Dragons, backed by NetEase, has no roster announcements as of this time. With the commitment, effort and star power these announcements have, the Overwatch League is being hyped to be the pinnacle of both esports play and organization. The preseason of the Overwatch League will begin on December 6, 2017, with a series of exhibition matches between the teams. The League’s season itself will start on January 10, 2018, and will continue through June, with the playoffs and finals set for July of the same year.