According to reports by Italian esports site esportsmag, Inter Milan is looking to enter the esports scene. The 18-time Serie A champions will supposedly work with Italian esports team Qlash, helping them send players to FIFA 20 and PES 2020 tournaments.
Inter hasn’t officially confirmed this news yet, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Other Serie A teams like Juventus and Lecce already participate in esports, while Atalanta has a presentation regarding esports participation tomorrow. Inter’s entry into the world of esports would mean another step in its recognition as a rapidly rising industry.
Traditional sports teams and esports
Traditional sports teams have been involved in esports for quite a while now. If we take a look at Europe, FC Schalke 04’s League of Legends team has been a part of the LEC since 2016. Similarly, the North American LCS has many teams that are owned by traditional sports athletes and teams. Some notable mentions include FlyQuest, owned by Milwaukee Buck co-owner Wes Edens, and the Golden Guardians, run by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. This is even more prominent in the FIFA and PES scenes, where several big football clubs own teams.
Granted, it’s hard to say how successful these teams are. In the League of Legends scene, we could say Schalke 04 and Clutch Gaming are the two standouts. The former has an EU LCS finals appearance under their belt, while Clutch Gaming even went to Worlds in 2019. Another example of a somewhat successful team is PSG.LGD in the Dota 2 scene. They have several top 3 finishes at The International.
Even so, a common problem these teams have is that the actual club ownership doesn’t show much interest in them. That might be just what is keeping these teams from succeeding further. We’ll have to wait and see if Inter takes that same approach, or if they get more involved with the teams they’re supporting.
Do you think Inter Milan will become a powerhouse in the esports world? Let us know in the comments below! For more esports content, stay in touch with Daily Esports.
