Daily newspaper The Dallas Morning News has announced that it will provide coverage of Overwatch League franchise Dallas Fuel for the remainder of the league’s regular season.
Having started on August 5th, Dallas Morning News will cover the Dallas-based team owned by Envy Gaming as tit competes through the regular season which ends on August 25, with playoffs scheduled through September 29. Dallas Fuel content will live on the SportsDay area of the publication’s digital variant.
Garry Leavell, Sports Editor at The Dallas Morning News commented on the coverage: “We think we are in a strong position to build a following of esports enthusiasts. There are plenty of bloggers who don’t have access to players and some good esports journalists who write trend stories. But no one covers local sports franchises the way we approach the Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers or Stars. We think esports fans are hungry for serious coverage. Led by assistant sports editor Tommy Magelssen, we aim to provide that coverage of the Dallas Fuel.”
The coverage will serve as a trial period for Dallas Morning News ahead of Dallas Fuel’s imminent North Texas residency when the team is relocated from Los Angeles, California in 2020. During this time, Dallas Morning News stated that it will weigh audience reception, feedback, and interest around its esports reportage. Leveraging the aforementioned data into its designs for continued, in-depth coverage, Dallas Morning News will look to refine its esports model to match anticipation of the franchise’s full-time occupancy in North Texas.
Grant Moise, President and Publisher of The Dallas Morning News offered, “The Dallas Morning News will continue to evolve our coverage of areas of interest to the North Texas community and our broad geographic footprint. The topic of esports is one such area we have identified for expanded coverage in which North Texans have expressed an emphatic interest.
“Esports is a multi-billion-dollar industry with millions of dedicated players and followers, but until now there has been a lack of serious reporting on the teams, especially from big news organizations. We intend to change this and will experiment with coverage, interact with our loyal audience members, and receive feedback in this new arena so that we can deliver the content that is of most interest to the enthusiastic North Texas fan community.”
The Dallas Morning News, Texas’ leading newspaper and flagship media subsidiary of A. H. Belo Corporation, was established in 1885 – and this is the first time that it will offer comprehensive coverage of esports.
Esports Insider says: This is another classic case of ‘esports gone mainstream’ here between The Dallas Morning News and the city’s Overwatch League franchise. In all seriousness, the opportunity here offers a chance for traditional sport journalists and reporters to offer a more seasoned level of coverage for esports enthusiasts and that is something we can get behind.
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