With the increasing growth of eSports culture into the mainstream, the United States Air Force Reserve has decided to sponsor the top North American squad.
In a report to OnGamers, Colonel Christopher Nick, the Air Force Reserve Command Recruitment Service spokesman said:
The Air Force Reserve is very excited to start this adventure with Cloud9. As the cyberspace mission continues to grow in the Air Force Reserve, we continuously search for new Citizen Airmen with various skillsets such as those possessed by online gamers."
Jack, CEO of Cloud 9, said in response:
Cloud9 is proud to be partnered with The Air Force Reserve. This is a tremendous opportunity for Cloud9 and we're looking forward to building a long relationship with an organization that values teamwork and dedication as much as we do.”
While government and military bodies have sponsored teams before in South Korea, this will be a first military branch to directly sponsor the pro scene within the United States.
Many fans have speculated that this may just be a recruitment-advertising scheme from the military, though Jack stated the two mutually "saw many similar traits between each other including team work, hard work, and preparation." Cloud 9 is responsible for some of the most impressive season finishes and currently are fighting to win yet another split in the North American LCS.
Source - OnGamers
