Overwatch League team the Florida Mayhem took to the stage last night to play its first matches in Overwatch League stage two. As shown in the embedded Twitch clip below, when the team took the stage they bowed their heads for a moment. All of the players donned patches to honor those affected by the shooting as well.
[HTML1]
In a statement posted to Twitter, Florida Mayhem said that “everyone in our organization has been touched by the impact of the act of strength and those affected, and as proud representatives of Florida we wish to demonstrate our support and promote continued positive outreach by the larger Overwatch population.”
The statement also included comments by Florida Mayhem CEO Ben Spoont, who is a native of South Florida. Spoont said that the events of the school shooting had left them feeling “shaken and upset” but the team felt it was important to honor the victims, the message and passion of the community, Parkland, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and the state of Florida. Spoont continued, saying that the team is “proud to wear the Stoneman Douglas patch to bring both a sense of community healing to all.”
The statement ends with a link to the victims’ fund on GoFundMe, with Florida Mayhem encouraging Overwatch League fans to leave kind messages and donations. A list of other ways that Overwatch League fans can help the victims of the shooting and their families is also available here.
Much of the focus on the Overwatch League’s return has been on the Twitch Cheering With Bits features and the ability to get free Overwatch League skin tokens, but many fans of the eSports initiative are glad to see the Florida Mayhem make this gesture to shed light on the tragic incident.
Many fans are also eager to get their hands on the version of the Florida Mayhem jersey with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School patch on it, with proceeds from the sales to go to the victim fund. It is currently unclear if the team has plans to sell the variation of the jersey.
