Licencing rights company OneTeam Partners has partnered with the League of Legends Championship Series Player Association (LCSPA) to manage and commercialise group rights for North American pro and academy players.
This is the first time OneTeam has done a licensing deal in esports. The deal will provide LCS players with licencing opportunities that are similar to the ones seen in traditional sports. It will also create a group licencing deal for LCS players.
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OneTeam is a company founded by the NFL and MLB Players Associations as well as Redbird Capital Partners. The company represents players in commercial deals, marketing, media, investing and licencing. The company revealed that it plans to help the LCS players in the same way it helps ‘stick and ball’ players in North America.
Marty Strenczewilk, Head of Competitive Gaming for OneTeam, stated: “The size of the LCS fanbase places it among the biggest traditional sports in North America, and their players deserve to have the same business opportunities as their stick and ball counterparts.”
According to the release, LCS professionals and academy players that are members of the LCSPA will be able to opt into the group rights programme if they desire. OneTeam will also administer the programme, which will provide a range of licensing opportunities for LCS players.
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Darshan Upadhyaya, the President of the LCSPA, commented: “Today, we took a major step toward that goal. I look forward to our long-term partnership with the LCSPA, where we’ll be able to grow the pie for everyone in the LCS ecosystem. “
Esports Insider says: The ability for LCS players to have their personal brands licensed is a huge step for the association. Having an established partner in One Team guiding and assisting the process is also a clever move.