Our group focused on 100 Thieves, an esports and apparel company based in Los Angeles, CA. Our pitch is focused on the apparel arm of 100 Thieves, citing the lack of apparel sales in the esports industry currently. Sports organizations made over $30 billion USD in apparel sales in 2018 alone. We showed the similarities between an esports team like 100 Thieves and a physical sports team like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors: from structure to monetization, digital and traditional sports have very similar structures (partnerships, sponsors, ticket sales, etc). Why not apparel? One of esports’ core benefits over traditional sports is a global audience with instant access to the same game they watch online. This access provides new opportunities unavailable in sports like basketball. Everything an esports viewer sees, from livestreams to in-game content, is already online. This gives companies like 100 Thieves the ability to sell directly to fans through their own website but also from within the livestreams and games. Our pitch is to offer apparel sales inside the game’s marketplace (in this case, the game League of Legends) alongside its already abundant and successful digital cosmetic items. This would allow 100 Thieves to capitalize on the exploding viewership and existing playership of League of Legends. 100 Thieves is the future of the sports clothing industry because its apparel is not only the exact style of its demographic, but also because it is sold on the direct platform of that demographic. Related to this week’s objectives, we included details on 100 Thieves’ successful partnerships and brand recognition. By showing previous success and the confidence of large investors and influencers (Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage, Drake, Sequoia Capital, etc), we increase 100 Thieves’ credibility and use that as a persuasive technique.
