Los Angeles Times - 25.08.2019

D2 SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 SSS LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

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The Los Ange-

les profes-

sional sports

scene is full of

rivalries with

catchy nick-

names. There’s

El Trafico

between the Galaxy and

LAFC, the Freeway Series

between the Dodgers and

Angels, the Hallway Series

between the Lakers and

Clippers, the Freeway Face-

Off between the Kings and

Ducks and the Fight for L.A.

between the Rams and Char-

gers.

L.A.’s newest rivalry took

a big step toward joining its

more established brethren

Saturday when the Gladi-

ators and Valiant, Los Ange-

les’ two Overwatch League

teams, squared off in the

Battle for L.A. at the Novo at

L.A. Live.

The Novo is a 2,400-seat

performance venue that will

serve as the home of the

Valiant next season as the

Overwatch League, a profes-

sional esports league for the

popular first-person shooter

game, moves into the home

markets of its 20 teams.

Currently the city-based

teams, which dot the globe

from Shanghai to San Fran-

cisco and from New York to

Paris, play most of their

games at the neutral Bliz-

zard Arena in Burbank,

which was formerly “The

Tonight Show” soundstage

at the old NBC Studios.

Beginning next year,

however, teams will move

into their home markets and

into their home arenas, and

Saturday offered the first

glimpse of what that will look

like in Los Angeles.

“We want to change the

narrative from L.A. being the

home of the Overwatch

League to L.A. being the

home of the Valiant,” said Ari

Segal, the chief executive of

Immortals Gaming Club,

one of the premier esports

organizations in North

America that owns the Val-

iant with investment from

AEG, which owns L.A. Live,

Staples Center, Dignity

Health Sports Park, the

Kings and Galaxy. “When

you walk in here, we want you

to feel like you’re in the home

of the L.A. Valiant. We want

to be L.A.’s esports team.”

The Gladiators are owned

by Kroenke Sports and

Entertainment, a company

controlled by Stan and Josh

Kroenke, who own the Rams,

Arsenal, Denver Nuggets,

Colorado Avalanche, Col-

orado Rapids and the under-

construction Los Angeles

Stadium at Hollywood Park,

which is opening next year in

Inglewood. The Gladiators

will play at a 6,000-seat per-

formance venue being built

next to the stadium, which

will be the home of the Rams

and Chargers, but will play

their first home games of

next season at the Novo until

it is completed.

Not only will the Valiant

and Gladiators move into

their new home arenas next

year but Immortals and

Kroenke Sports and Enter-

tainment have also bought

two spots for the Call of Duty

League, which is launching

next year. As the only city

with two teams in the Over-

watch League, Call of Duty

League and the home of the

League of Legends Champi-

onship Series, Los Angeles is

further solidifying itself as

the epicenter of esports.

“Los Angeles has two of

our best ownership groups,”

said Bobby Kotick, CEO of

Activision Blizzard, the

developer and publisher of

Overwatch. “They have a

great vision for their home

venues and it’s a great mar-

ket where they support two

teams in every other sport.

This is one of the few markets

where we considered two

teams. The key is having

great owners and L.A. has

that.”

The Overwatch League

launched last year with 12

teams and plans to expand

to 28 teams in the future.

Last season’s grand finals

took place at the sold-out

Barclays Center in Brooklyn

and this season’s grand

finals will take place at the

sold-out Wells Fargo Center

in Philadelphia with the

winning team taking home

$1.1 million. The price of an

Overwatch League franchise

is around $35 million while

the Call of Duty League slots

are reportedly being sold for

$25 million.

As fans entered The Novo

on Saturday night, they were

reminded that they were

entering the home of the

Valiant with pillars outside

the building covered in the

pictures and gamer tags of

their players such as Kyle

“KSF” Frandanisa, Brady

“Agilities” Girardi and Jo-

hannes “Shax” Nielsen.

There was a team shop sell-

ing Valiant merchandise

ranging from green scarfs

and jerseys and the conces-

sion stands sold “gamer

snacks” created by Valiant

players. The team was also

selling season tickets for next

year, ranging from $15 for a

standing-room ticket to $80

for a front-row seat.

What has separated the

Overwatch League from

other esports leagues is its

focus on geolocation and

adopting a more traditional

sports model of placing

teams in home markets and

home arenas, which creates

regional rivalries. When the

San Francisco Shock play

the Gladiators or Valiant, for

example, you can hear “Beat

L.A.” chants from the Bay

Area faithful, and when the

two Los Angeles teams play

each other, Gladiators fans

in purple yell “Shields up!”

while green-clad Valiant

supporters scream “Wings

out!”

“When the Gladiators and

Valiant play, the arena is

louder than it ever is,” said

Pete Vlastelica, CEO of

Activision Blizzard Esports

and the commissioner of the

Overwatch League. “When

you walk down the center

aisle of the arena there’s

nothing but green on one

side of the aisle and nothing

but purple on the other side

of the aisle. The fans have

made their pick but some

fans are still deciding which

team they want to support in

L.A.”

The expectation is sports

fans in Los Angeles who

haven’t picked a side yet will

become fans of Gladiators or

Valiant. Perhaps they pick a

side because they prefer

downtown and L.A. Live to

Inglewood and Hollywood

Park or maybe they are

Rams fans and want to side

with Kroenke’s other L.A.

team or Kings or Galaxy fans

who want to stick with AEG.

Whatever the case, the hope

is the Battle for L.A. will

become the city’s next great

sports rivalry.

“I think it’s already a

great L.A. rivalry,” Segal

said. “It’s only going to get

better. The Gladiators are

going to be playing in Ingle-

wood. We’re going to be

playing here at L.A. Live.

There’s already an inherent

regional rivalry there. Both

sides are competitive and it’s

nice that there’s a common

enemy. It’s an exciting time

to be a sports fan in Los

Angeles.”

L.A. tacks on esports

rivalry to its vast lineup

ARASH MARKAZI

FANS CHEERduring a break in the action during the Overwatch League compe-

tition between the Gladiators and Valiant at the Novo venue at L.A. Live.

Robert Paul Blizzard Entertainment

PRO CALENDAR
SUN. MON. TUE. WED. THU.
25 26 27 28 29

DODGERS

N.Y.

YANKEES

4

ESPN

at San

Diego

7

SNLA

at San

Diego

7

SNLA

at San

Diego

6

SNLA

at Arizona

6:30

SNLA

ANGELS

at Houston

11 a.m.

FSW

TEXAS

7

FS1

TEXAS

7

FSW

GALAXY

at LAFC

7:30

FS1

LAFC

GALAXY

7:30

FS1

SPARKS

CONN.

2

SpecSN,

NBA TV

at

Washington

4

ESPN2

at Indiana

4

Shade denotes home game

RAMS:Thursday at Houston (exhibition) 5 p.m., Ch. 2
CHARGERS:Thursday at San Francisco (exhibition), 7 p.m., Ch. 7

TIME EVENT ON THE AIR

AUTO RACING

6:30 a.m. NASCAR Trucks, Chevrolet Silverado 250,

qualifying

TV:FS2

10:30 a.m. IMSA Weathertech SportsCar, Michelin GT

Challenge at VIR

TV:NBCSN

11:30 a.m. NASCAR Trucks, Chevrolet Silverado 250 TV:FS1

BASEBALL

11 a.m. Angels at Houston TV:FSW R:830,

1330

11 a.m. Washington at Chicago Cubs TV:TBS

2 p.m. San Francisco at Oakland TV:MLB

4 p.m. New York Yankees at Dodgers TV:ESPN, ESPND

R:570, 1020

BASKETBALL

10 a.m. Big3 playoffs, 3’s Company vs. Bivouac TV:CBSSN

11 a.m. Big3 playoffs, Killer 3s vs. Power TV: 2

Noon Big3 playoffs, Triplets vs. 3 Headed Monsters TV: 2

Noon WNBA, New York at Washington TV:NBATV

2 p.m. WNBA, Connecticut at Sparks TV:SpecSN

4 p.m. WNBA, Las Vegas at Minnesota TV:NBATV

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

10 a.m. Aurora Games TV:ESPNU

GOLF

5 a.m. Tour Championship, third round TV:Golf

10:30 a.m. Tour Championship, final round TV: 4

10:30 a.m. LPGA Tour, CP Women’s Open, final round TV:Golf

1:30 p.m. PGA Korn Ferry Tour, Albertsons Boise Open, final

round

TV:Golf

3:30 p.m. PGA Tour Champions, Boeing Classic, final round TV:Golf

HORSE RACING

10 a.m. Saratoga Live TV:FS2

Noon Saratoga Live TV:Prime

1 p.m. Trackside Live! Del Mar TV:TVG

5 p.m. Trackside Live! Shared Belief Stakes TV:TVG

6 p.m. The Quarters featuring Los Alamitos TV:TVG

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

7 a.m. Consolation game, Wailuku (Hawaii) vs. Japan TV:ESPN

Noon World championship game, River Ridge (La.) vs.

Curacao

TV: 7

MOTORCYCLE RACING

7 a.m. Motocross, FIM MX2 TV:CBSSN

8 a.m. Motocross, FIM MXGP TV:CBSSN

PRO FOOTBALL

5 p.m. Exhibition, Pittsburgh at Tennessee TV: 4

SOCCER

6 a.m. England, Bournemouth vs. Manchester City TV:NBCSN

6:30 a.m. Germany, Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt TV:FS1, UDN

8 a.m. Spain, Mallorca vs. Real Sociedad TV:beIN1

8 a.m. Portugal, Maritimo vs. Tondela TV:GOLTV

8:30 a.m. England, Tottenham vs. Newcastle TV:KVEA

9 a.m. Germany, Hertha Berlin vs. Wolfsburg TV:FS1

9:30 a.m. Mexico, Toluca vs. Tijuana TV:KMEX, UDN,

UNI

9:45 a.m. Spain, Leganes vs. Madrid TV:beIN1, beINES

10:30 a.m. Portugal, Portimonense vs. Sporting TV:GOLTV

11:30 a.m. Italy, Roma vs. Genoa TV:ESPN

11:45 a.m. Spain, Barcelona vs. Betis TV:beIN1, beINES

Noon NWSL, Chicago at Portland TV:ESPNews

12:30 p.m. Portugal, Gil Vicente vs. Braga TV:GOLTV

3 p.m. MLS, Columbus at Cincinnati TV:FS1, FOXD

5:30 p.m. MLS, Houston at Dallas TV:FS1

7 p.m. Mexico, Sonora vs. Tampico Madero TV:GOLTV

7:30 p.m. MLS, Galaxy at LAFC TV:FS1 R:710,

980, 1330

SURFING

3 p.m. World Surf League, Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o, Day 5 TV:FS2

TODAY ON THE AIR

Major League Baseball
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Favorite Underdog
Philadelphia -195 at Miami +180
at New York -112 Atlanta +102
at Pittsburgh OFF Cincinnati OFF
at Milwaukee -110 Arizona +100
at St. Louis -145 Colorado +135
Washington -118 at Chicago +108
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Favorite Underdog
at Baltimore OFF Tampa Bay OFF
at Cleveland -310 Kansas City +280
at Chicago -112 Texas +102
at Houston OFF ANGELS OFF
at Minnesota OFF Detroit OFF
at Seattle -135 Toronto +125
INTERLEAGUE
Favorite Underdog
at Oakland -144 San Francisco +134
at San Diego -120 Boston +110
at DODGERS -175 N.Y. Yankees +163

College Football
THURSDAY
Favorite Line (O/U) Underdog
at Cincinnati 3 (60^1 ⁄ 2 ) UCLA
at Clemson 351 ⁄ 2 (59^1 ⁄ 2 ) Georgia Tech
at Tulane 2 (57^1 ⁄ 2 ) FIU
at Texas A&M 331 ⁄ 2 (57^1 ⁄ 2 ) Texas State
at Arizona State 25 (61^1 ⁄ 2 ) Kent State
Utah 5 (48^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Brigham Young
FRIDAY
at Army 231 ⁄ 2 (50^1 ⁄ 2 ) Rice
at Wake Forest 31 ⁄ 2 (63^1 ⁄ 2 ) Utah State
Wisconsin 131 ⁄ 2 (57^1 ⁄ 2 ) at South Florida
at Michigan State 23 (47^1 ⁄ 2 ) Tulsa
at Rutgers 151 ⁄ 2 (55) Massachusetts
Colorado 13 (58) Colorado State

Purdue 10 (58) at Nevada

Oklahoma State 16 (74) at Oregon State

SATURDAY

at Ohio State 271 ⁄ 2 (63^1 ⁄ 2 ) Florida Atlantic

at Nebraska 35 (64^1 ⁄ 2 ) South Alabama

at N.C. State 17 (55^1 ⁄^2 ) East Carolina

at Illinois 17 (58^1 ⁄ 2 ) Akron

Indiana 17 (59) Ball State

at Kentucky 11 (58^1 ⁄ 2 ) Toledo

Mississippi State 21 (58) Louisiana-Lafayette

at Memphis 6 (68) Mississippi

at Tennessee 26 (58) Georgia State

Eastern Michigan 51 ⁄ 2 (55) at Coastal Carolina

South Carolina 8 (63) North Carolina

Alabama 341 ⁄ 2 (58) Duke

at Stanford 61 ⁄ 2 (47^1 ⁄ 2 ) Northwestern

Virginia Tech 31 ⁄ 2 (57) at Boston College

Syracuse 171 ⁄ 2 (66) at Liberty

Florida State 51 ⁄ 2 (53) Boise State

at Arkansas State 21 ⁄ 2 (58) Southern Methodist

at Michigan 331 ⁄ 2 (54) Middle Tennessee

at Iowa 211 ⁄ 2 (49) Miami (Ohio)

at Louisiana State 28 (54^1 ⁄ 2 ) Georgia Southern

Georgia 201 ⁄ 2 (58) at Vanderbilt

Virginia 21 ⁄ 2 (45^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Pittsburgh

Missouri 171 ⁄ 2 (54^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Wyoming

Auburn 31 ⁄ 2 (56) Oregon

at Texas 201 ⁄ 2 (55) Louisiana Tech

at Washington St. 331 ⁄ 2 (64^1 ⁄ 2 ) New Mexico State

at USC 131 ⁄ 2 (52^1 ⁄ 2 ) Fresno State

SEPT. 1

at Oklahoma 241 ⁄ 2 (83) Houston

SEPT. 2

Notre Dame 20 (56^1 ⁄ 2 ) at Louisville

NFL

TODAY

Favorite Line (O/U) Underdog

at Tennessee 21 ⁄ 2 (40) Pittsburgh

ODDS

unrelenting, both in-season

and offseason, and I felt stuck

in it. The only way I see out is

to no longer play football.

“My teammates, I feel so

conflicted because of my love

for these men, but it is clear to

me that what’s best for this

team is that it doesn’t involve

me.”

Luck, 29, told reporters he

had been mulling retirement

for a week and a half as he bat-

tled an ankle injury that jeop-

ardized his chances of playing

in the Colts’ season opener

against the Chargers.

He said the Colts’ front of-

fice, including general man-

ager Chris Ballard, was sup-

portive of his decision, which

he initially planned to an-

nounce Sunday. ESPN’s Ad-

am Schefter broke the news

on Twitter.

“I haven’t been able to live

the life I want to live,” Luck

said. “Taken the joy out of this

game, and after 2016, when I

played in pain and was unable

to regularly practice, I made a

vow to myself that I would not

go down that path again. I find

myself in a similar situation

and the only way forward for

me is to remove myself from

football and this cycle that

I’ve been in.

“I’ve come to the proverbi-

al fork in the road.”

Luck, the former Stanford

star and first player selected

in the 2012 draft, sat out the

2017 season after undergoing

shoulder surgery. He came

back with a tremendous 2018

season that included eight

consecutive games throwing

for at least three scores. His 39

touchdown passes were sec-

ond in the NFL to Kansas

City’s Patrick Mahomes (50).

Indianapolis, widely con-

sidered a vogue Super Bowl

pick, has the moderately ex-

perienced Jacoby Brissett as

its backup quarterback. He

played a full season in place of

Luck in 2017, throwing 13

touchdown passes with seven

interceptions.

At the Westgate Las Vegas

Resort, the Colts’ Super Bowl

odds dropped from 12-1 to 30-1,

according to Actionnetwork-

.com.

The Colts returned to the

playoffs last year for the first

time since 2014, and Luck, who

essentially took the torch

from Peyton Manning, re-

sumed his spot among the

NFL’s elite players.

For the bulk of his career,

however, Luck took a beating.

Between 2012 and ’16, he ab-

sorbed more sacks and hits

than any quarterback. Al-

though he’s built like a line-

backer, those collisions took a

toll.

“Somewhat surprised but

not totally,” Archie Manning,

Peyton’s father and a former

star quarterback, texted to

The Times. “The worst side of

football is losing and being

hurt. Both can wear you

down. Andrew has a brilliant

mind and can be successful in

other fields. He’s moving on.

Great young man.”

Luck commands huge re-

spect among his peers.

“Andrew has no weak-

ness,” said Dan Orlovsky, who

played quarterback for the

Colts during the gap year be-

tween the changeover from

Manning to Luck. “There was

nothing when it came to

playing quarterback in the

NFL he couldn’t do on or off

the field. He was both phys-

ically and mentally a rare

prospect.”

In Indianapolis, while the

Chicago Bears were in town

for the exhibition game, the

news was just starting to set-

tle in. At the St. Elmo’s Steak-

house, the mood was sub-

dued.

“Everyone is surprised,”

said a hostess at the popular

restaurant, who identified

herself only as LeeAnn. “Colts

fans are really upset. It’s going

to sink in by tomorrow.”

Luck was in street clothes

on the sideline during the

game, and after word of his de-

cision spread inside Lucas Oil

Stadium, he was booed by

some Colts fans as he made

his way to the locker room.

“Very disappointing that

the fans booed him tonight,”

texted former NFL lineman

Tony Boselli, the onetime No.

2 pick whose own career was

cut short after six seasons by a

shoulder injury. “One of the

things I loved about watching

Luck was that he was fearless

and laid it all on the line. He

was a great QB.”

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

Luck stuns league by retiring

[Luck,from D1]

ANDREW LUCKreplaced Peyton Manning in Indianapolis and became a four-

time Pro Bowl player, but injuries cost him the entire 2017 season and took a toll.

Richard LipskiAssociated Press