Video games have come a long way from being every basement dwellers favorite past time, they are now played in Olympic sized stadiums in tournaments with prize pools that can eclipse $30 million, with people like Kevin Durant And Diddy dropping tons of money into eSports organizations, investing in the next big global phenomenon.
With all that cash you already know that players are getting their piece of the bag, with deals for the biggest stars in games like League of Legends ranging from $900k-$2.5 Million per year, BEFORE tournament winnings. If you think that’s brazy, following their big win at the Dota 2 world championship (known as the international), each player on Team OG is set to make $6.5 million this year after their salaries/winnings are added up. That’s right, 7 fucking digits playing computer games, maybe the 2nd coolest job possible after backup NFL QB. So what do these eSports athletes do with all that scrilla? Cop fucking HEAT for flexing on stage of course!
You see, eSports are unique from other sports because there is zero physical contact, with players simply sitting in front of their monitors battling it out in the virtual world rather than the grass field. This setup allows for these athletes to wear whatever the fuck they want on their feet, you know since they’ll just be sitting, and they do not disappoint.
Super hype kicks tend to dominate every eSports stage regardless of the game, and you can chalk this up to the continent of Asia’s penchant for being ridiculously nasty at video games and flexing rare expensive jawnz every chance they get. Balenciaga’s super chunky (and also very fucking heavy) triple S sneaker, which retails for $975, was the hottest on stage look for most of the Overwatch league Players and also the go to shoe for all of the hyped Chinese League of Legends LPL teams, before they league signed an exclusive on stage deal with Nike to start 2019.
You’ll see everything from rare Jordan’s to the latest from Gucci on stage at any given time, with teams often coordinating fire kicks to add cohesiveness to their fits. Just look at Team Liquid shining in these Jordan 9s (MJ is an investor in their organization):
eSports may be frowned upon by your more traditional sports fan, but they are here to stay, and they are here to flex all over your other favorite league.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we started to see major footwear manufacturers start pumping out signature kicks for these eSports athletes in the very near future.
Now someone tell these kids they need to ice their arms after on stage games, because the flexing is just incredible.
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