The Houston Outlaws held their first in-person event of the 2021 season after the Covid-19 pandemic forced live events to cancel for more than a year.
The Outlaws, the local esports franchise competing in the Overwatch League, hosted a watch party for their matchup against the Dallas Fuel at The Woodlands restaurant Herb & Beet July 9. More than 70 vaccinated guests were in attendance for the watch party, said Lori Burgess, COO of the Houston Outlaws and owner Beasley Esports. During the event, the Outlaws players competed against the Dallas Fuel from the team's headquarters in The Woodlands.
Despite the negative outcome of the match for Houston fans — the Outlaws fell to their Texas rivals as the Fuel nabbed a 3-0 win — the watch party drew fans from near and far. Enrique Popoca, 23, traveled from Las Vegas to Houston to be at the Outlaws first live event since the pandemic began.
"I used to live in Texas, so it kind of resonated to be an Outlaws fan," Popoca said. "Plus, [Jeong Woo "Happy" Lee] is my favorite."
Following the match, Houston fans had an opportunity to engage with the Outlaws players at the restaurant with autographs and a Q&A session. Despite the loss, the chance to meet the team's professional players was an opportunity Popoca couldn't pass up, he said.
"You gotta stick with your team through the losses," Popoca said. "You can't win every game, and Dallas is a tough team."
Meanwhile, the Dallas Fuel held a large in-person watch party at Esports Stadium Arlington for the game against the Outlaws, the Dallas Morning News reported.
In February 2020, the Outlaws hosted its inaugural homestand weekend at the Revention Music Center in downtown Houston for two days of esports competition with Overwatch League franchises representing Florida, Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, London and Paris. A second homestand weekend at the Revention was scheduled for early August 2020 but ended up being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Founded in 2017, the Houston Outlaws are in the midst of their fourth season competing in the Overwatch League. Naples, Florida-based Beasley Broadcast Group (Nasdaq: BBGI) purchased the Outlaws franchise and existing player contracts in late 2019.
Heading into the fourth season, Beasley worked to revamp the team's roster with new players and coaches. Read more about the Houston Outlaws and building an esports brand in the Bayou City in this Houston Inno profile.
