NRG Esports just signed 17-year-old player “sinatraa” (aka Jay Won) to their Overwatch League esports team for an annual salary of $150,000, triple the minimum salary for a league player. NRG managed to outbid competing team owners Cloud9 in their attempt to sign the player.

Bidding War

Jay Won is already an accomplished Overwatch player. He is currently a member of the North American Overwatch World Cup team. The skills he demonstrated, and the stats he has to show for it, resulted in a bidding war between two OWL teams to land this top player.

From an opening offer of $100,000 annually, Won managed to boost his final salary by another $50,000 as NRG and Cloud9 attempted to sign him on. His mother co-signed the contract with him since he is still a minor. Anyone under 18 must have permission of their parent or guardian to enter into a contract.

Total Compensation

While “sinatraaa” has landed himself a deal with a $150K annual salary, this is not the end of his compensation. I don’t have the details of his personal contract, but all players are entitled to certain benefits at a minimum.

The biggest of those benefits is the prize pool revenue sharing that all players participate in. Teams are required to set aside 50% of the prize money from contest wins (before subtracting costs) to distribute to players on the team. Other benefits for players include housing, health insurance, and a retirement savings package. Players are also provided with coaching and counseling as needed, and are expected to adhere to a strict practice regimen.

Upcoming Play

Jay Won has an upcoming match scheduled in his role on the North American team against the South Korean team in Overwatch World Cup play. That tournament is scheduled for Nov 3 & 4 for opening rounds. Won will continue his play in this tournament unencumbered by his relationship with the new OWL.

The start date for tournament play in the new Overwatch League has not yet been announced, but initial player signing continues through October 31, 2017. Two more teams have been announced, for a total of nine teams. Each team has between six and twelve players.