Even though gaming has been with us for quite some time now, coverage on niches such as eSports hasn’t been that widespread. The story is now changing after FaZe Clan was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
ESports crew will step out of the projectors for once to get into the limelight through a famous magazine feature. Sports Illustrated has been focusing on traditional sports and is one of the largest print magazines in America. The magazine has been a preserve for those of astute physical prowess for long, but the tide is now changing. The FaZe Clan has proven to be a strong powerhouse for competitive gaming, and the feature is an illustration that their efforts are already paying off.
Esports Cover Athletes.
July issue, @SInow: https://t.co/iOHq7vfKdq pic.twitter.com/x0N7P1pFU7— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 10, 2021
The article that accompanies the cover shows the journey of FaZe Clan and how it made its name in the eSports industry. The piece illustrates how FaZe has become a force to reckon in both game streaming and content creation from the humble beginnings of young people interested in playing Call of Duty. The article also shows how gaming and content creation and streaming alongside it has transitioned within FaZe Clan. The organization focuses mostly on content creation rather than the hardcore eSports scene.
The article puts focus mostly on personalities within Faze Clan and the content creation team. Some of the members mentioned include FaZe Nickmercs, FaZe K1, FaZe Rug, FaZe Bronny, FaZe Swagg, and FaZe Temperrr. There is little mention of Atlanta FaZe, its team outside CDL. FaZe Clan is illustrated as an organization that has evolved beyond the known eSports atmosphere to become a modern and mainstream streaming giant.
SI Cover Story: The Stream Team
How did @FaZeClan grow from a ‘Call of Duty’ trick shot feed to a lifestyle power brand? Start with this modern truism: Athletes want to be gamers and gamers want to be athletes https://t.co/9LJyEWs1Yf pic.twitter.com/l0ys9n9wCa— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 10, 2021
What is FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan was founded in 2010 and has grown to become one of the world’s most successful eSports organizations. The eSports and entertainment organization is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, and draws its players from different parts of the world.
During the founding phase, their channel was known as FaZe Snipping, and their focus was on designing a channel where people would tune in and watch some cool tricks to apply in the Call of Duty game. Most people were not thinking about eSports competitions at the time, but FaZe seemed to be ahead of time. Their YouTube channel had one million subscribers by 2012 when they decided to go pro.
FaZe decided to split into two teams. One team could focus on delivering content while the second team focused on competing in games such as Call of Duty and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In 2014, FaZe developed a more competitive structure.
FaZe has now become a huge part of society and is even partnering with various charities to raise funds for various causes.
FaZe Clan x Hilarity for Charity
We’re streaming with @Sethrogen tomorrow to raise money & awareness for Alzheimer’s care, support, and brain health education.
Join Seth, Banks, Nate Hill, and our special guests playing @RocketLeague & variety games in support of a great cause! pic.twitter.com/Xofwg1nWzy— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 16, 2021
FaZe’s celebrity ties
Celebrities showing interest or even investing in eSports has been a norm for almost five years now. Some of the earliest celebrities to get associated with eSports were Drake, David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, and Imagine Dragons, to mention a few.
FaZe has also attracted various celebrities as it is partly owned by Meyers Leonard, NBA’s Ben Simmons, and Josh Hart. Other celebrities with close ties with or have been associated with FaZe clan include Offset, Pitbull, and Nyjah Houston. FaZe has thus been able to use some of these celebrities to drive their content to the masses.
The featuring of FaZe on the cover magazine is not only a win to them but the entire eSports fraternity. Bookmaker have been featuring eSports as a betting option, but some people are yet to understand how this sport’s niche works. We hope that this cover is just, but the beginning as the eSports niche has a lot of growth potential if given enough coverage.