Drive to Detroit: Motor City Madness Esports Championship
Lance Rinker
Drive to Detroit is a series that prepares fans for Motor City Madness. Each article will take fans behind the scenes of a team’s journey or preview what fans can expect when they arrive in Detroit.
In this installment of Drive to Detroit, Horizon League Contributor Joey Yashinsky highlights the conference's innovative esports tournament surrounding this year's Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships.
(Feb. 9, 2018) — As kids grow up, they watch from afar as their athletic heroes perform unimaginable moves on the court, field, or ice. Youngsters dream of one day getting that same chance to showcase athletic greatness on the world’s biggest sports stages.
This year, Motor City Madness is providing such an opportunity. Only, in this case, the leather basketball will be replaced by an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controller.
In the lead-up to the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship in Detroit, 16 online NBA 2K18 tournaments will be held, with the top performers advancing to compete at Little Caesars Arena — the home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and site of Motor City Madness.
The esports initiative is yet another way the Horizon League is looking to engage fans and connect with the city of Detroit at Motor City Madness.
“What we’ve done from the beginning in our partnership with Detroit is focus on how to make this more than just five days of basketball,” said Julie Roe Lach, deputy commissioner of the Horizon League. “That is why our teams have committed to community service every time they come to Detroit, with all 20 teams participating. We also have events like the Champion’s Brunch and a youth basketball camp — we’ll have yoga; we are working to engage high school fans more in the tournament. Anything that we can do to continue to really grow roots in the city, we want to do. And we see esports as a way to branch out to an audience that may not be familiar with the Motor City Madness basketball tournament, but wants to get involved with the Motor City Madness Esports Championship. And through that, we obviously want them to come back and watch some really great basketball.”
Here’s how it all breaks down. Preliminary tournaments will begin on February 20 and run through Feb. 25. Of the 16 initial tournaments, 13 will be played on the Xbox One system and three will use PlayStation 4. Contests will be played on the GamerSaloon tournament platform. Each of those 16 tournament winners will qualify for a live championship event at Little Caesars Arena on March 1. Those games will be broadcast live on Twitch, a live streaming video platform where more than 100 million visitors gather every month to broadcast, watch, and talk about video games. NBA 2K18 is the fifth-fastest growing game on Twitch.
These NBA 2K18 experts will compete for a whopping $10,000 in prize money — a pot that was recently doubled by the Detroit Sports Commission. Each championship event participant will also receive a one-night hotel stay. Cost to enter the competition is $25, with registration taking place online at 313Presents.com/NBA2K. Entrants will also receive a one-day general admission ticket to Motor City Madness, which is good for all games on that day’s schedule.
The tournament’s champion will receive a $6,000 payout, with the runner-up taking home $2,500. Third and fourth place will walk away with $1,000 and $500, respectively.
Fans looking to attend the esports action in person can do so by purchasing tickets for $10, which also includes entry to all four Horizon League basketball tournament games on Friday, March 2 — the kickoff day for Motor City Madness.
Tournament viewers will notice some different NBA teams being chosen at the beginning of play. That’s because rules state that in the final rounds, before selecting their own NBA roster, players will “ban” one squad from use by their opponent. Otherwise, “it would wind up being a whole lot of Golden State versus Golden State,” said Ari Dolgin, director of business development for GamerSaloon.
While children of the 1980s will recall their video game-playing experiences taking place in dimly-lit basements with not a spectator in sight, today’s esports stars are accustomed to competing in massive, state-of-the-art arenas in front of devoted, enthusiastic fans.
The Motor City Madness Esports Championship will be no exception, with the final 16-person bracket playing out at brand new Little Caesars Arena with big bucks and ultimate bragging rights on the line.
To register and for more information, please visit 313Presents.com/NBA2K.
MOTOR CITY MADNESS
The 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship will take place March 2-6 at state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased now at campus box offices or at HorizonLeague.com.
Drive to Detroit series
1: The District Detroit
2: College Hoops Invades Little Caesars Arena
3: #HLWBB Garners National Acclaim as League Play Tips Off
4: A Visitor's Overview
5: Five Awesome Spots to Eat During Motor City Madness
6: Horizon League Schools Making an Impact in the Detroit Community
7: Metro Detroit Talent Takes the Stage at Motor City Madness
8: A Midpoint Look Ahead to Motor City Madness
9: Motor City Madness Esports Championship