The Miami Heat—an NBA franchise—has recently invested in the Misfits—a multi-game eSports organization.
Part of the agreement involves the Heat participating in managerial duties of the brand, according to ESPN. The Misfits will undergo a rebrand to mirror the Heat colors in addition to marketing and brand promotion and sponsorship.
While other NBA teams have invested in eSports before, the deal makes the Heat the second NBA franchise to hold this level of involvement with an eSports team.
The first was the Philadelphia 76ers who acquired and merged Team Dignitas and Apex Gaming in September of last year. The Sixers made administrative changes to the new team and brought their own staff into the eSports brand.
Misfits CEO Ben Spoont voiced enthusiasm for the affiliation and the potential growth for his organization.
“This partnership will be the catalyst and foundation to our continued expansion of the Misfits organization into a global esports brand and company,” he said. “The Heat—innovators and leaders in traditional sports—will help Misfits to unlock meaningful value across all facets of our business.”
Spoont and his father-in-law, Mitchell Rubenstein—co-founder of Syfy channel—launched the team together in 2016. The two founded the Misfits and acquired the European League of Legends team, Renegades Banditos, after the franchise was disbanded. The team went on to qualify for the League Championship Series.
Since then, the brand has expanded to include Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone, and Super Smash Bros.
