The Philadelphia Fusion are hosting the team’s first ever show match in their hometown of Philadelphia.
The team will be in Philadelphia for five days and will host two fan events to meet with locals and participate in the announced show match. It remains a mystery who the Fusion will play at the show match, but it was announced that Mitch “Uber” Leslie will be there casting the match.
Philadelphia Flyers hockey team mascot Gritty will also be making an appearance.
This event is the first in Overwatch League history. Although fan events in team’s hometowns aren’t uncommon, such events have never gained attention from fans of other teams across the league.
Previously, attention to hometown fan events has been negative, such as when the London Spitfire won the first OWL Grand Finals. Team manager Susie Kim caught flak after an attempt to hold a meet-and-greet in Korea with no mention of a trip to the team’s actual base in London. The Seoul Dynasty disallowed an event in Seoul, which caused fans of both franchises to voice their displeasure on social media.
Along with the show match, which is a ticketed event, being held at a high-end bowling alley in Center City, there is a meet-and-greet taking place at Local Host that will allow fans to get merchandise signed and talk with the players.
Being able to mingle with players requires a $100 VIP ticket, which includes a season two Fusion shirt, a lanyard, a ticket to the show match on Saturday, and a one-hour event being held prior to the Friday meet-and-greet. A regular ticket for just the show match costs $25.
The large financial commitment to be able to enjoy an experience that was free previously hasn’t sat well with local fans.
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