San Francisco Shock pursue player health and welfare with Hyperice

Overwatch League team San Francisco Shock has announced a new partnership with performance technology company Hyperice.

Established in 2010, Hyperice specializes in high-performance portable ice compression devices.

Hyperice originally created its line of products with traditional athletes in mind. In 2018, the company partnered with NFL wide receiver and noted gamer JuJu Smith-Schuster to bring the technology over to the gaming space. The company is now teaming up with NRG Esports and its Overwatch League franchise, San Francisco Shock.

NRG president Brett Lautenbach made note of NRG’s commitment to maintaining its players health, and attributed the partnership to this pursuit.

“Our athletes are the lifeblood of this organization and we are relentless in our efforts to maintain and improve the health, wellness and career longevity for each and every athlete,” said Lautenbach.

Longevity is one of the most discussed topics among professional gamers. Sedentary lifestyles and a lack of proper recuperative therapy after matches and long practice sessions affect players and their long-term health and performance. As the industry grows, esports organizations are better focusing on the health and physical conditioning of competitors in whom teams have invested.

“The teams and organizations that put an emphasis on athlete health will most likely be the ones performing at the highest levels, for longer periods of time.,” said Hyperice CEO Jim Huether.

San Francisco Shock returns to the Overwatch League stage on February 15 to face Dallas Fuel.