2017 was the year that esports became harder to ignore than ever, even for the sports blog readers who are desperate to do so. TBS has been broadcasting its Eleague Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions since 2016, and in 2017, the show expanded into broadcasts of Street Fighter, Injustice 2 and Rocket League, with each event boasting prize pools in the tens of thousands. Speaking of big money, Dota 2's The International tournament prize pool climbed to a record-breaking $US23 million ($30 million) in 2017.

The Overwatch League is gearing up for its inaugural season in 2018. All of the 12 teams competing in the new esports league have been announced, backed by familiar sports names like Patriots owner Bob Kraft and Mets owner Jeff Wilpon. Some of these names are fun and good; others less so. Here they are, ranked from best to worst.

A League of Legends pro team that has played since 2011 will reportedly not participate in the coming competitive season.

European esports organisation H2K issued a letter yesterday to the League of Legends community, saying it will not continue to participate in the European League Championship Series unless Riot Games creates a better financial structure for teams.