Professional esports league ELEAGUE and the United States Air Force (USAF) announced a multi-tournament collaboration initiative this week. The Air Force will serve as the official sponsor while being featured in various content integrations throughout the league.
Air Force joins the action
The aerial and space warfare service branch of the US Armed Forces will get exposure through various ELEAGUE brand channels. Besides being featured across television, Twitch, and the competition’s digital channels, the deal will also see the two collaborate on some unique initiatives. These include ELEAGUE at the Base, a presentation of the breadth and scope of the Air Force through video content series. Then, Tactics will highlight ELEAGUE team strategies.
“ELEAGUE goes to great lengths to bring on partners that have a natural connection to our fans and that understand that the esports community highly values authentic voices,” said Turner Sports Senior VP of Sales Seth Ladetsky. “The Air Force gets it and is a perfect fit; we are excited to be working with them in a deeper way and providing them a platform to articulate how they support the men and women of our country in their time of service.”
ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier will run July 21-29 and will feature a $1 million prize pool. Follow the live coverage through the ELEAGUETV Twitch channel and B/R Live, Turner’s new live sports streaming service. Those who want to tailor the viewership experience can check out ELEAGUE’s Game Command mosaic video player. This platform gives users access to thousands of different in-game viewing angles.
Cloud9 welcomes Air Force as sponsorship partner
The Air Force went even further, deepening its involvement with the industry by entering a sponsorship deal with one of the leading esports organizations, Cloud9. The partnership, which is set until May 2019, will see the organization’s CS:GO team display a US Air Force logo on their jerseys. Moreover, as an addition to the collaboration, USAF will serve as the presenting sponsor for Cloud9’s monthly CS:GO web series, called Reloaded.
To sweeten the deal, the Air Force will produce video content featuring the Cloud9 CS:GO team partaking in various aerial experiences. The first will include insights from the world of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialists, housed at the Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia.
“Cloud9 is proud to create awareness of the Air Force for our amazing fan base,” said Cloud9 owner and CEO Jack Etienne. “No one else in the world can put our team into a jet and let our fans watch the sheer thrill come over their faces. It’s going to be amazing.”
“We are very excited to partner with Cloud9’s stellar CS:GO players, who display the same level of discipline, rigor and achievement that we value in our Airmen,” said Air Force Recruiting Service National Events Branch Chief Maj. Ross McKnight. “The partnership will provide an opportunity to create engaging and relevant content in the esports space and to show Cloud9 fans some of the ways in which they can make a difference in the U.S. Air Force.”
