In the wake of the announcement that League of Legends' Championship Series has partnered with Bud Light as the official beer of the league, fans of the still-young esports scene have been left wondering what this means for the pursuit as a whole. Traditional sports have long dominated things like beer sponsorships thanks to their more natural fit at physical arenas and stadiums - not to mention mainstream representation of which demographics beer is marketed to - and esports has often chosen to partner up with more obvious brands, like gaming computers and other electronic peripherals. One of the great barriers to larger mainstream acceptance of esports has been that many people unfamiliar with it simply don't view it as "big" enough, despite sold out arenas and millions of viewers suggesting otherwise.

That appears to have changed now that Bud Light has made the jump into esports for the third time as a major partner, this time with its biggest yet. The brand previously sponsored Blizzard's Overwatch League and the NBA 2K league, both of which fit into more traditional models for the company - one is a team-based shooter, while the other is a simulation of a traditional sport. The decision to partner up with League of Legends is significant because it abandons both the franchising necessitated by the Overwatch League while also operating through an esport that isn't a close approximation of an already existing traditional sport. Given that 2019 saw the brand enter into several sponsorships, it also appears the company is seeing good enough returns that it wants to further ingrain itself in esports culture moving into 2020.

Matt Rizzetta, CEO of N6A, an award-winning brand communications and social media agency, believes that an official beer for League of Legends' LCS indicates a major shift in thinking. "Clearly Bud Light is making a pre-emptive strike against other mainstream beer and spirits brands to align with the next generation of sports consumers," said Rizzetta, who believes that the move is a nod to the Gen Z and millennial audiences and an effort to attract their attention before they hit their peak earnings and influence years. If the Overwatch partnership was the next logical step following esports leagues based around traditional sports games, then the massive reach of League of Legends - one of the most popular esports in the world, and certainly a major influencer among fans of competitive gaming - feels more like a leap. Rizzetta had this to say on what he believes will be the next crucial step:

"The next natural step forward from a broadcasting perspective would be to see more mainstream TV and streaming partners attach themselves and their budgets to LCS."

Rizzetta, who anticipates that more brands will begin eyeing esports and, as a result, there will be bigger advertising budgets aimed at the industry's key demographics. With that said, however, the current model - which has seen a lot of focus on teams - might be transitioning to something different, too. "I believe esports needs to build brands and storylines around specific personalities and champions in order to gain more traction among the mainstream sports and entertainment consumer audience," Rizzetta replied when prompted about the next step for esports solidifying itself in the mainstream consciousness, stating:

"I expect [esports] to follow a similar blueprint to what the NBA adopted under David Stern, aligning the league with specific superstar players."
If that's the case, expect an even brighter spotlight than the one that already shines on players like Faker. Rizzetta likens this part of esports growth to the development of the NHL into a true mainstream sports league, again nothing that a focus on its stars would benefit the scene. While Bud Light has already been around esports leagues, though, Rizzetta already has ideas about some other verticals he expects to make their presence known:

"I would anticipate that other legacy brands in vertical categories that are currently underrepresented in esports will be inquisitive about exclusive sponsorship and advertising rights. Some logical verticals that come to mind would be automotive, e-commerce and D2C."

The decision for Bud Light to become an official, multi-year partner with the LCS - which includes an "Ace Moment" segment, post-game shows, and viewing parties all under the brand's official designation - is one that proves the reach of non-traditional sports is growing. League of Legends is a tougher sell to mainstream audiences than a shooter or a sports sim, but the game has made developer Riot into a juggernaut in the video game industry and already attracts millions of eyeballs to it without having had much help from sports brands like beers. With that now a thing of the past, experts like Rizzetta believe there will be more to come from brands looking to ride the wave of the newest surge in interest for games like League of Legends, and with a World Championship finals in China this year, there's even more incentive for brands to get involved ahead of time.