Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Well it's finally happened, the big dog has stepped into the ring. Esports just picked up probably the most important ally any sport could ever ask for, ESPN. While they had been broadcasting buddies with several leagues of varying size and games, such as The Overwatch League, they are now going to begin hosting their own events. Beginning with Apex Legends at the ESPYs in July, the network will begin hosting invitationals and events at most of their major live events and galas. The reality of all of this is that now ESPN is moving from broadcast partner to actual organizer and event holder which means they're upping their level of commitment and involvement in terms of resources and talent and money and screen time, all of which is only going to help the sport as a whole grow.
The Houston Outlaws return to action this week as The Overwatch League comes back for Stage Three of this season. Their first game is tomorrow at about 9:30 central time on Twitch, ESPN online and the various websites and such. It's unfortunate to note overall that the ownership change still hasn't occurred and that there were no significant changes to the coaching staff or roster, as overall the team has been underperforming steadily for a little while. The desired outcome for this program is to return to the winning ways they had in Stage 1 of the first season of OWL when they were in first place and had momentum going in their favor. Since then it's been a very difficult path for this team with disappointment after disappointment stacking up. They obviously finished the first season out of the playoffs and this season they look to be quickly falling towards mathematical elimination, from that point it's hard to see what can be done in the short term to improve this team without the commitment of resources and support that the other teams all seem to be getting. Where can this team go? Overall I'd like to say the only real direction is up but that feels unlikely as both completed stages of this season have been devastatingly underwhelming in both preparation and performance. This is a team that feels like it's going to keep going in the wrong direction until a real change occurs in a leadership position.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help fight cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
