Some Overwatch League sponsors are reconsidering their partnerships with the esports league in the wake of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit. As reported by the Washington Post, both Coca-Cola and State Farm are reassessing their sponsorships of the Overwatch League moving forward in light of the allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard runs two esports leagues, the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty league. The Overwatch League currently has seven sponsors listed on its website: Xfinity, IBM, Coca-Cola, State Farm, Cheez-It, Pringles, and TeamSpeak. A spokesperson for State Farm told the Washington Post that the company is “reevaluating our limited marketing relationship with the Overwatch League,” and that it has requested no advertisements be run during this weekend’s matches.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola told the Washington Post, “We are working with our partners at Blizzard as we take a step back for a moment to revisit future plans and programs.” They confirmed that Coca-Cola is aware of the allegations against Activision Blizzard but declined to comment if Coca-Cola would continue sponsoring the league.
GameSpot has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.
As reported by Charlie Intel, T-Mobile’s logo has disappeared from the sponsorship section on both the Call of Duty League and Overwatch League websites. The logo appeared on both websites as recently as July 21, based on the Wayback Machine. Last weekend the New York Subliners, a Call of Duty League team, covered the T-Mobile logo on their jerseys with duct tape. T-Mobile has not officially stated that it has pulled back its sponsorship of either league nor has it publicly commented on the allegations against Activision Blizzard.
