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39 Franchise L.J. 371 (2019-2020)
Just a Game: Adoption of Franchising in Esports

handle is hein.journals/fchlj39 and id is 395 raw text is: Just a Game? Adoption of Franchising in Esports Farheen Ibrahim & Laura Lewis Esports describes the multi- billion-dollar industry' of computer facilitated competition, typically through computerized games. This community is a worldwide phe- nomenon, with countries such as Germany, China, Russia, and South Korea investing heavily in the devel- opment of professional Esports play- ers and infrastructure.2 In fact, in November 2018, almost 100 million unique viewers watched the final match of the League of Legends, an Esports video game, which was more than the viewership of the 2018 Super Bowl.' Yet, the Esports industry is very much in its infancy in terms of organization, business opportunity, and mainstream appeal. Development of the Esports ecosystem has historically lagged in the United States, trailing behind its European and Asian counterparts.4 How- ever, certain cities in the United States have robust and thriving grassroots communities and traditional sports powerhouses investing heavily in infra- structure and development of professional Esports athletes and teams. One of those cities is Dallas, Texas, where moguls such as Dallas Mavericks' owner 1. How Esports Has Created a Multi-Billion Gaming Media Market, CISION PR NEWSWIRE (May 22, 2019), https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-Esports-has-created-a-multi-billion -gaming-media-market-300854766.html. 2. Which Country Has the Best Esports Gamers?, ESPORTS.NET, https://www.esports.net/wiki /players/country-with-best-Esports-gamers. 3. Annie Pei, This Esports Giant Draws in More Viewers Than the Super Bowl, and Its Expected to Get Even Bigger, CNBC (Apr. 14, 2019), https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/14/league-of-legends -gets-more-viewers-than-super-bowlwhats-coming-next.html. 4. Carly Regehr, Is the U.S. Falling Behind in Esports and Does It Matter?, FANSIDED.COM, https://fansided.com/2017/02/27/north-america-falling-behind-Esports-possible-solution. Farheen Ibrahim (fibrahim@canadalewis.com) and Laura Canada Lewis (llewis@canad- alewis.com) are members of Canada Lewis & Associates PLLC, a franchise boutique firm located the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Their practices focus on representing franchisors in all aspects of their business, including litigation and dispute resolution, employment, real estate, and private equity acquisitions. They would like to thank Ross Chapman and Paula White for their assistance with this article. 371

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