Major League Gaming is the home of pro competition for the video gaming world and it might just be the next big sports league.
Instead of talking about Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant kids could be looking up to StrongSide aka Michael Cavanaugh, a 20-year-old from Edgewood, Kentucky who since finishing fourth in the Halo 2 event at the 2005 Las Vegas competition has gone on to be named MLG’s Most Improved Player. These players have major endorsement deals with gaming companies just like pro athletes sign deals with Nike and Gatorade.
And why not, the second stop of this seasons MLG tour in San Diego was streamed over 1.3 million times on mlgpro.com. ESPN, King Kong of the sports broadcasting universe, has created ESPN Saturday Night, which will be broadcasting MLG’s tour stops all the way to the championship tournament. The Next MLG stop in Toronto on Aug. 22-24 boasts a price purse of over $60,000 with sponsorship backings from Dr. Pepper, Stride Gum, GameStop and HP. The tournament hosts team competitions in Halo3, Gears of War and Rainbow 6: Vegas 2.
Playing video games against your mother’s wishes could turn into a more lucrative activity instead of doing homework.