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The Overwatch League has planted its flag atop the esports mountain. But just like its twitchy-thumbed superstars Davante Adams Packers Jersey , the premier circuit can't afford to sit still.

Not as long as Fortnite commands the rest of the gaming universe.

The Fortnite phenomenon has put Overwatch in a strange position. The Overwatch League's inaugural season has been a barrier-breaking achievement, but Blizzard Entertainment's 6-on-6 first-person shooter isn't nearly the world's most popular video game. That would be Fortnite, a battle royale that has transcended gaming and smashed into the mainstream unlike any title in years. Overwatch executives say they aren't nearly panicked because of one grand gamble: their deep pockets and impressive infrastructure can keep Fortnite from making a successful charge for the crown.

THE LEAGUE

A top-selling game doesn't necessarily make an elite esport 鈥?the latter requires a professional circuit, loyal fans and a product that's just as enjoyable to watch as to play.

The Overwatch League has set the standard for esports in its first season. Ten million fans watched its opening weekend, and 100-150 thousand tuned in for every second of the regular season. The league's two-night championship sold out Brooklyn's Barclays Center, and the opening night aired live on ESPN, the network's first live broadcast of esports in prime time. The league has a fierce and sizable stable of fans, big-name investors like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the momentum of a monumental first season.

FORMIDABLE FORTNITE

Yet video gamers are clearly more ravenous for Fortnite. The breakout title from Epic Games has 125 million global players, compared to 40 million for Overwatch. Perhaps more jarring, Google searches for "Fortnite" outpaced "Overwatch" 14-to-1 in the week leading up to the Overwatch League Grand Finals.

Fortnite's crossover appeal is unrivaled, a fact most recently on display when France's Antoine Griezmann celebrated a goal in the World Cup Final with a dance move popularized by the game .

How could Overwatch not be terrified of a competitor with that kind of organic reach?

Simple: it doesn't see Fortnite as competition 鈥?yet.

"Fortnite right now is 99 percent a game and not an esport," said Ari Segal, president of Immortals Gaming, which runs Overwatch's Los Angeles Valiant. "But I think obviously there's a path for it to become an esport."

The distinction is key. Structured, competitive Fortnite events are still in their infancy Alex Avila Jersey , and Epic has a ways to go to match the professional experience provided to Overwatch League fans. Epic began that effort by promising in May to offer $100 million in Fortnite esports prize pools 鈥?an enormous sum for the industry.

Yet early returns have been shaky, like when the Fortnite Summer Skirmish Series was cancelled mid-play due to technical issues. The tournament has also been hindered by conservative game play, with players waiting until the last possible moment to engage. In a statement, Epic said that it "under delivered" in what was supposed to be its first marquee esports event while laying out plans to improve the viewing experience.

Epic did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

"It takes a lot more than a press release to build an esport," Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer said. "I think I can speak as well as most that there's a ton of investment and planning and infrastructure that you need to build in order to do professional esports at a high quality bar."

THE GRAND FINALS

Overwatch's Grand Finals have been a showcase for that. All it takes is one look at the 165-foot-wide, 36-foot-tall LED screen behind the Barclays Center stage 鈥?players and fans alike were in awe of the massive display.

But it runs deeper than flashy tech. The league's broadcasts on Twitch have been nearly flawless technologically all season. Its teams have impressive support staffs including chefs, physical trainers and PR managers. Even the in-event entertainment is first-rate: DJ Khaled performed at Saturday's championship finale.

Which isn't to say Overnight is a finished product. There's work to be done packaging its events, especially for casual fans. Blizzard plans to experiment with its broadcast structure to better serve diehards and newbies alike. Those adjustments began with more explanatory segments on the ESPN show for uninitiated viewers, and the league will use feedback from that to shape coverage for next season.

"What I saw on Twitter was fun," said Pete Vlastelica, President and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. "I liked seeing the healthy debate between the old-school, old-guard sports audience who wondered what they were watching and then a lot of young sports fans who were very excited by what they were seeing."

Even as it experiments, everything about the league has the look and feel of a top-notch pro sports organization, and that's been a matter of investment and expertise for Blizzard and its team owners 鈥?a group that includes Kraft, New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Esports organizations Cheap Baker Mayfield Jersey , like Segal's Immortals, are keeping a close eye on Fortnite.

"Do you have the access to capital and the human resource capacity and the organizational bandwidth to be nimble and flexible to evaluate whatever that next thing is?" Segal asked. "With respect to Fortnite, it's an ongoing evaluation."

BUILT TO LAST

At some point, it seems likely that Fortnite 鈥?or perhaps another battle royale, like PlayerUnknown's Battleground 鈥?will get there. When it does, Overwatch thinks it's poised to survive.

For starters, Overwatch the game was built to endure. Blizzard Entertainment specializes in titles with staying power. Its Warcraft franchise launched in 1994 and has remained a hit. Same with series like Diablo (1996) a

WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals are approaching July 4 on the verge of becoming what nobody predicted them to be when the season started — a .500 club.

Washington fell to 42-41 Monday night with 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, their sixth loss in seven games. Once again, they did almost enough to win, falling behind 3-0 and rallying within one before Craig Kimbrell retired Anthony Rendon with the tying run on base to end it.

Max Scherzer, who has had an impressive year at the plate as well as on the mound, ironically was done in by friend and former pitching teammate Rick Porcello, whose bases-loaded double off Scherzer in the second inning made it 3-0.

“I wish I had a lot to say about that, but I don’t really know what happened,” Porcello Dan Bailey Jersey Womens , who improved to 10-3, told NESN.com. “Obviously I know he’s got a big fastball and I just got lucky. He got to the top of his windup and I told myself start swinging and I hit it.”

With the loss, Washington dropped seven games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

“This is where the test is, that even when things aren’t going your way, when things are bleak, when we haven’t been playing great baseball, you have to find a way to take and find certain things you are doing well and just try to build off those,” Scherzer, winless in his last five starts, told MASN.com. “That’s just what the whole team has to do.”

The Red Sox (57-29) survived solo homers by Rendon in the fourth, Daniel Murphy in the sixth and Bryce Harper in the eighth.

Reliever Joe Kelly surrendered the Harper homer to cut Boston’s lead to 4-3. Since the start of June, Kelly has pitched 9 1/3 innings and allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs.

“We’ll keep working with him, one thing that he needs to do better is tempo,” Red Sox manager Joey Cora said. “I think his tempo is going the other way instead of being more aggressive, and just grab the ball and throw it. So Wholesale James Washington Jersey , we’ll talk to him.”

Boston left-hander Brian Johnson (1-2, 4.28) opposes right-hander Tanner Roark (3-9, 4.10) on Tuesday night.

Johnson allowed a run in four innings for the Red Sox Thursday night against the Angels in place of Steven Wright, who went on the disabled list with a knee injury early last week. Tuesday could be Johnson’s last turn in the rotation with Drew Pomeranz close to returning.

Roark is glad to put June in his rearview mirror. He went 1-4 with a 6.08 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance, surrendering 18 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings. He did show improvement last time out, allowing two runs — one earned — on seven hits over six innings of a 4-3 loss to the Phillies while sporting a mustache and mutton chops.

“Tanner pitched good enough to win and that was good to see,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told the Washington Post. “He started off a little erratic and then all of a sudden he started getting the ball down, which is good. He pitched well.”

Roark, sounding like any respectably superstitious baseball player, told the Post he’s keeping the mutton chops.

“I feel like it’s a pretty decent look,” he said.

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