Post a Free Blog

Submit A Press Release

At CWEB, we are always looking to expand our network of strategic investors and partners. If you're interested in exploring investment opportunities or discussing potential partnerships and serious inquiries. Contact: jacque@cweb.com

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Action
Animation
Anime
ATP Tour (ATP)
Auto Racing
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Breaking News
Business
Business
Business Newsletter
Call of Duty (CALLOFDUTY)
Canadian Football League (CFL)
Car
Celebrity
Champions Tour (CHAMP)
Comedy
CONCACAF
Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO)
Crime
Dark Comedy
Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)
Documentary and Foreign
Drama
eSports
European Tour (EPGA)
Fashion
FIFA
FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC)
FIFA World Cup (FIFA)
Fighting
Football
Formula 1 (F1)
Fortnite
Golf
Health
Hockey
Horror
IndyCar Series (INDY)
International Friendly (FRIENDLY)
Kids & Family
League of Legends (LOL)
LPGA
Madden
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
MLS
Movie and Music
Movie Trailers
Music
Mystery
NASCAR Cup Series (NAS)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Hockey League (NHL)
National Women's Soccer (NWSL)
NBA Development League (NBAGL)
NBA2K
NCAA Baseball (NCAABBL)
NCAA Basketball (NCAAB)
NCAA Football (NCAAF)
NCAA Hockey (NCAAH)
Olympic Mens (OLYHKYM)
Other
Other Sports
Overwatch
PGA
Politics
Premier League (PREM)
Romance
Sci-Fi
Science
Soccer
Sports
Sports
Technology
Tennis
Thriller
Truck Series (TRUCK)
True Crime
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
US
Valorant
Western
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women’s NCAA Basketball (WNCAAB)
World
World Cup Qualifier (WORLDCUP)
WTA Tour (WTA)
Xfinity (XFT)
XFL
0
Home Blog Page 8628

NHL News: Dave Hakstol, Jim Montgomery, Lindy Ruff named Jack Adams finalists


Boston first-year coach Jim Montgomery, whose Bruins set NHL records for wins and points, is a finalist along with the Seattle Kraken’s Dave Hakstol and the New Jersey Devils’ Lindy Ruff for the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award as the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.”

NHL Broadcasters’ Association members voted for the award at the end of the regular season. The finalists were revealed Friday, with the winner to be announced June 26 during the NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

The Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy for the most points in the regular season — a league-record 135 — as they also set the mark for wins in going 65-12-5.

Boston — which also set NHL records with a 14-game home winning streak to start the season and five seven-game-plus win streaks — led the Atlantic Division from wire to wire. The top-seeded team, however, was eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Hakstol led the Kraken (46-28-8, 100 points) to their first playoff berth in their second year of existence. They made improvements of 19 wins and 40 points from their debut season — the largest jumps from an inaugural season in NHL history.

Seattle had allowed the fourth-fewest shots on goal average (28.9) last season, and improved to 27.0 to rank second in the league this season.

Ruff guided the Devils (52-22-8, 112 points) to franchise marks for wins and points as they finished third in the overall standings. That was their best regular-season finish since third place in 2000-01. The 112 points marked a 49-point gain from 2021-22 — the largest year-over-year improvement since the 82-game schedule was introduced in 1995-96.

A Jack Adams finalist for the fourth time for a third different franchise, Ruff won the award with the Buffalo Sabres in 2005-06.

–Field Level Media

NHL News: Oilers seek better effort vs. Knights after latest Game 1 flop


The Edmonton Oilers find themselves in a familiar predicament heading into Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.

For the seventh straight playoff series, Edmonton trails 1-0. The Oilers have rebounded to win three of the last four series, including this year’s first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

So despite letting a four-goal performance by forward Leon Draisaitl go to waste in a 6-4 loss in Wednesday night’s opener, Edmonton has been here before. The Oilers haven’t won a Game 1 in a playoff series since 2017 when they did it in the second round against Anaheim.

“I can’t explain the history of Game 1’s,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. “We look at each game in its own entity. We do have a history of getting better as the series goes on. … I think the team that adjusts and continues to improve is the one that’s going to win this series.”

Edmonton fell behind 3-1 in the first period in Game 1 but rallied to tie it 3-3 early in the third period on Draisaitl’s second power-play goal of the game. But Vegas scored twice in just a 50-second span, starting with Ivan Barbashev’s deflection goal just 61 seconds after Draisaitl scored, to make it 5-3.

Draisaitl scored his fourth goal off Connor McDavid’s feed at the 8:33 mark, but Vegas sealed it with Jack Eichel’s empty-net goal with 34 seconds left.

It was Edmonton’s first regulation loss since a 7-4 setback at Toronto on March 11, a stretch that covered 53 days and 21 games (18-0-3).

“I think that was our first regulation loss in almost eight weeks,” Woodcroft said. “Saying that, we didn’t play our best game, but I thought we were one shot away. When the game was 5-4, we had numerous chances to even it up. For me, it wasn’t our best game yet the score was 5-4. So that’s a good sign.”

“It’s nothing that they did,” Draisaitl said. “They’re a good team, we know that. But it’s nothing that we can’t handle or we haven’t seen. This is just on us not bringing our best game.”

The Oilers went 3-0-1 against Vegas during the regular-season.

“We made it too easy on them and that can’t happen,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “I think we gave them our B or C game. We can be a lot better.”

There was a much different perspective of the contest in the Golden Knights’ locker room after their fifth straight playoff win.

“We were terrific,” said Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who finished with 23 saves. “… We took it to them for 60 minutes. I even think the score wasn’t necessarily indicative of how well we played.”

“We’re aware of their top guys and the damage they can do, but we like our team,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy added. “We feel if our team plays well, we’re going to have success.”

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, who posted a goal and an assist in Game 1, said his team expects “a better push” from the Oilers in Game 2.

“I don’t think they loved their game,” Stone said. “We all had (a) pretty solid start. Got to bring a lot of the same intensity.”

–Field Level Media

PGA News: Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend alleges sexual harassment

0


Erica Herman, Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend who is suing the golf superstar for $30 million, alleges that Woods forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding their sexual relationship or risk losing her job at his restaurant.

The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) was a previously known element of the lawsuit, but a state court filing on Friday in Florida spelled out Herman’s position on the key piece of evidence.

According to USA Today, Herman’s attorney, Benjamin Hodas, wrote, “Mr. Woods was Ms. Herman’s boss. On Mr. Woods’s own portrayal of events, he imposed an NDA on her as a condition to keep her job when she began having a sexual relationship with him. A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment.”

Hodas’ document added, “Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then — according to him — forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job,” said the document filed by her attorney. “And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA.”

The Friday filing also details Herman’s version of events leading up to Woods allegedly kicking her out of the home they share.

Per USA Today, the court document from Hodas stated, “The landlord made the availability of her housing conditional on her having sexual relationship with a co-tenant. That conduct amounts to sexual harassment under federal and Florida fair housing laws.

“The short summary of events here and the Defendant’s own linking of the purported agreement to his sexual motivations in both her employment and housing are sufficient to bring this case within the ambit of the Ending Forced Arbitration Act.”

USA Today reported that it was unable to reach Woods’ attorney, J.B. Murray, for comment. Murray previously stated that Herman was “not a victim of sexual assault or abuse.”

–Field Level Media

PGA News: Tyrrell Hatton among 3 Wells Fargo co-leaders after second round

0


Englishman Tyrrell Hatton shot a 6-under 65 to soar into a share of the 36-hole lead at the Wells Fargo Championship on Friday in Charlotte, N.C.

Hatton, Nate Lashley (66 Friday) and Wyndham Clark (67) are atop the leaderboard at 8-under 134.

A host of big names on their tails with a share of a $20 million “designated event” prize purse on the line. Sungjae Im of South Korea (66), Justin Thomas (67), Xander Schauffele (69) and Australia’s Adam Scott (68) are all part of a six-way tie for fourth at 7 under, along with J.J. Spaun (67) and Canada’s Adam Svensson (67).

First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England settled for a 71 on Friday and is tied at 6 under with Michael Kim (68) and South Korea’s K.H. Lee (70).

Hatton’s 65 matched the round of the day at Quail Hollow Club. He began his round on the back nine and birdied four of his first six holes before a setback of consecutive bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17.

He rectified that by saving six straight pars, draining a 33-foot birdie putt at the par-3 sixth and carding an eagle on the par-5 seventh from 26 feet out. One last birdie at the par-4 ninth, this time from 31 feet, brought him to 8 under.

“They’re not the type of putts that you hole consistently, so to finish the round that way, I’m obviously very pleased with that,” Hatton said.

While Hatton has a single win on the PGA Tour (the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational), Clark is still after his first. Clark also eagled the seventh hole en route to his second straight 67.

“The shot in there was very lucky and unbelievable,” Clark said. “We were trying to hit it left of it. I was trying obviously to hit a cut, but I was not trying to go for the green. It kept cutting and kept cutting and kind of knuckled on me and ended up on the green. Then, yeah, I hit that putt firm, so glad it hit the hole.”

Lashley entered the week No. 209 in the Official World Golf Ranking and hasn’t won since the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Lashley put together a bogey-free card with five birdies Friday.

“Anytime you get a round at Quail Hollow with no bogeys, it’s a great round,” Lashley said.

Thomas will be one to watch on the weekend; the two-time major champion has slipped to No. 15 in the world but won his first PGA Championship (2017) at Quail Hollow.

He navigated Friday with five birdies and two bogeys.

“This is a very, very special place to me and always will be, so it’s always going to put me in a good head space here,” Thomas said.

World No. 5 Schauffele stayed in the mix after an opening-round 66. He was even through his first 12 holes but birdied the par-3 fourth and the seventh.

Lee was tied with the three co-leaders at 8 under stepping to his final hole, the ninth, but a wayward drive and a poor third shot led to him making double bogey and losing his share of the lead.

Defending champion Max Homa shot 67 and was part of a tie for 13th at 5 under. Patrick Cantlay (71 Friday), Webb Simpson (67) and Gary Woodland (69) are among those tied at 4 under. Rickie Fowler posted a 68 to get to 3 under and ensure he would make the cut.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the world No. 3, made a crucial par save at the par-4 18th to finish off a 73 and make the cut on the number at 1-under par. His tee shot at No. 18 nearly found the creek to the left of the fairway, and standing on a difficult lie, he sailed his ball onto the front of the green, where he two-putted for par from 75 feet.

Notable names to miss the cut include Australia’s Jason Day (even), Ireland’s Shane Lowry (2 over), Collin Morikawa (4 over) and Jordan Spieth (7 over).

–Field Level Media

LPGA News: Sweden, Thailand improve to 4-0, U.S. 3-1 at International Crown

0


Sweden swept China and Thailand held off South Korea to remain unbeaten at the Hanwha LifePlus International Crown on Friday in San Francisco.

Fourth-seeded Sweden now leads Pool A at 4-0 through two days of round-robin play — locking up a berth in the semifinals — and the top-seeded United States moved into second at 3-1 after taking both points from England on Friday. Sweden and the U.S. will battle Saturday in the final day of the round-robin stage.

In Pool B, sixth-seeded Thailand and seventh-seeded Australia (3-0-1) are guaranteed advancement to the semifinals after Australia won one match and tied the other against Japan on Friday.

The International Crown is being played for the first time since 2018 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The top eight countries in women’s golf were determined by last year’s Rolex Rankings and each country sent four of its top players to the unique team event.

The countries were seeded and split into two pools, with teams competing in four ball (best ball) in a single round-robin format from Thursday to Saturday. One point will be awarded for a win and a half-point for a tie, with the top two countries advancing from each pool.

Two semifinal matches will be played Sunday morning, each consisting of two singles matches and one foursomes (alternate-shot) match. The winning semifinal countries will compete in the final match on Sunday afternoon in the semifinal format.

On Friday, Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark defeated China’s Ruoning Yin and Xiyu Lin 2 and 1. The Swedes birdied the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-4 eighth at TPC Harding Park to go 3 up and held on from there.

Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall doubled the pleasure with a 2-and-1 victory over China’s Yu Liu and Ruixin Liu, going 3 up through six and staying the course.

“I’m really proud of my team,” Nordqvist said. “I think we’ve all grown up with a lot of match play, a lot of playing for Sweden in the European team events and the World Amateur Championships. I think we’re just very comfortable and very confident.

“There’s just something special to it. We fight until the end. It’s match play; you never know what’s going to happen.”

Thai stars Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul handled South Korea’s Jin Young Ko and Hyo-Joo Kim 3 and 2. In the last match of the night, sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand never trailed Hye-Jin Choi and In Gee Chun, leading 3 up with three to play. The Koreans extended the match with Chun’s birdie at the par-4 16th, but they halved the next hole to end the match.

Second-seeded South Korea, the defending champion, has yet to score a point despite entering the competition with four top-25 golfers in the world, including three ranked in the top 12.

Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda got the Americans on the board Friday by defeating England’s Alice Hewson and Liz Young 2 and 1. Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson then beat Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff 3 and 2, Thompson’s birdie at the par-4 16th clinching the match.

Korda said, “We were 2-down through 2, and honestly we were just kind of attacking pins. It was kind of cold out there, and then we finally got it back to even. On the back nine, we kind of turned it up where we won three in a row, and then after (that) we lost one, but Lilia made a nice putt on 17 to secure our win.

“Overall I think it was a lot of teamwork out there.”

Australia’s Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou beat Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Ayaka Furue 2 up. Both countries held a lead in the second match, but Hannah Green and Sarah Kemp of Australia parred No. 16 while Hinako Shibuno and Yuka Saso both bogeyed, allowing Australia to draw even. The teams halved the final two holes to split the point.

The tournament continues Friday with the following matchups:

Saturday Pool A
No. 1 United States vs. No. 4 Sweden
No. 5 England vs. No. 8 China

Saturday Pool B
No. 2 South Korea vs. No. 3 Japan
No. 6 Thailand vs. No. 7 Australia

Standings (W-L record, points)

Pool A
1. Sweden 4-0, 4 points
2. United States 3-1, 3 points
3. China 1-3, 1 point
4. England 0-4, 0 points

Pool B
1. Thailand 4-0, 4 points
2. Australia 3-0-1, 3 1/2 points
3. Japan 0-3-1, 1/2 point
4. South Korea 0-4, 0 points

–Field Level Media

CHAMP News: David Toms, Stephen Ames share lead at Mitsubishi Electric


David Toms and Canada’s Stephen Ames shot bogey-free rounds of 7-under 65 to share the lead after one round at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on Friday in Duluth, Ga.

The PGA Tour Champions veterans have already won this season and are hunting for another title. They have a one-shot edge over Ken Tanigawa, Lee Janzen, South Korea’s Y.E. Yang and Australian Rod Pampling, who are tied for third at 6-under 66.

Not far behind are Paul Goydos, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and German Bernhard Langer at 5-under 67. Langer, age 65, would break the all-time Champions Tour record with one more victory; he is tied with Hale Irwin at 45 for his career.

Toms picked up a pair of victories in March at the Cologuard Classic and the Galleri Classic. After tying for third last week at the Insperity Invitational, he’s in second place in the Charles Schwab Cup money standings.

Toms started his round on the back nine at TPC Sugarloaf and made three birdies going out before piling on four more on the second nine. It was posed to Toms in the media center that he was on a heater.

“That’s what I tried to do when I was on the (PGA) Tour. When you felt good about your game, you needed to capitalize on it,” Toms said. “When you were confident, you needed to play well. There’s so many days that can beat you up and you can’t score that when you are playing well, you need to take advantage of it.

“That’s where I feel like I am right now. I feel good about my tee ball, I feel good about iron shots, judging distance properly, speed’s been pretty good on the greens lately and I’ve made my fair share.”

Ames, who won the Trophy Hassan II in February, also opened on the back nine. He made the turn with a pair of birdies — the par-5 18th and the par-4 first — and added three straight at Nos. 6-8 before finishing up.

Ames won the Mitsubishi Electric in 2017, though he said TPC Sugarloaf is a different course these days.

“I think overall the condition of the golf course is awesome,” Ames said. “A little thin in some areas, but overall the condition of the golf course is very nice, and the weather’s been holding off, which is even better. So we’ll see what happens for the rest of the weekend.”

–Field Level Media

NFL News: Jets’ Robert Saleh calls talk of Aaron Rodgers’ wish list ‘tired’ narrative


Calling it a “silly” and “tired” narrative, New York Jets coach Robert Saleh is trying to discourage talk of the franchise trying to fulfill a “wish list” of new quarterback Aaron Rodgers by signing some of his former teammates.

Speaking as the Jets began rookie minicamp on Friday in Florham Park, N.J., Saleh called it “very common for new faces to want old faces to come in and help accelerate the installation of an entire program. Everything is pinned on the quarterback. It’s not just him.”

As the Jets worked to acquire Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player who led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory in 2011, they have also picked up four players from his past, all on offense. The list includes receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, tackle Billy Turner and quarterback Tim Boyle.

Talk of Rodgers having a preferred list of teammates began with a report two months ago when he acknowledged discussing his favorite players with Jets executives.

That doesn’t mean these player additions are just for Rodgers, however, according to Saleh, who specifically mentioned offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

“Hackett has something to say about it. He loves Lazard. He loves Randall. He took Billy Turner with him to Denver, and he wanted him here. Of course, you’re going to surround a coach with people who he feels like will plant the flag,” Saleh said.

“That whole narrative — what people are trying to put on the quarterback — it’s tired. It’s common practice in the NFL.”

New York started 6-3 last season before going 1-7 the rest of the way to finish 7-10 and last in the AFC East.

–Field Level Media

NFL News: Colts release veteran QB Nick Foles


The Indianapolis Colts, after selecting Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick of last week’s NFL draft, released veteran quarterback Nick Foles on Friday.

Foles, 34, signed a two-year contract with the Colts as a free agent on May 23, 2022. He appeared in three games — starting two — and was 25-of-42 for 224 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Indianapolis (4-12-1) struggled with the quarterback position last season, between Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Foles, who was injured in Week 18.

The current roster has veterans Ehlinger and Gardner Minshew, with the Colts grabbing Richardson out of Florida as the heir apparent to the position.

Foles has played since 2012 for the Philadelphia Eagles (2012-14, 2017-18), St. Louis Rams (2015), Kansas City Chiefs (2016), Jacksonville Jaguars (2019), Chicago Bears (2020-21) and Colts (2022).

He was a Pro Bowl selection in his first stint in Philadelphia (2013) and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player during his second stint (2017).

Foles has started 58 of 71 career games, completing 1,302 of 2,087 passes for 14,227 yards, 82 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Boxing News: Gervonta Davis given 90 days’ home detention stemming from hit-and-run

0


Undefeated boxer Gervonta “Tank” Davis was sentenced to 90 days of home detention and three years of probation on Friday in Baltimore circuit court for his role in a 2020 hit-and-run that injured a pregnant woman and three others.

Davis, 28, pleaded guilty in February to four traffic offenses related to the case. He will serve the sentence at the home of Calvin Ford, his coach and trainer. He was placed on three years probation and is also required to complete 200 hours of community service as part of the sentence.

Davis was in downtown Baltimore on Nov. 5, 2020 and had an escort from local police. He turned away from the police escort, ran a red light and struck a car before crashing into a fence.

When another car showed up, Davis and the woman he was with returned to his vehicle and left the scene.

According to the Baltimore Banner, Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy said Davis had refused to apologize to the victim, Jyair Smith, who was pregnant at the time.

“Three words: ‘I am sorry,'” Handy said. “And he was not man enough to do that … He’s shown absolutely no remorse.”

The sentencing came just two weeks after Davis improved to 29-0 with a knockout of Ryan Garcia in a fight in Las Vegas. The WBA lightweight champion since 2019, Davis has won 27 of his 29 fights via knockout.

–Field Level Media

OVERWATCH News: OWL head: Overwatch esports ‘not going away anytime soon’

0


Sean Miller, the head of the Overwatch League for Activision Blizzard Esports, remains optimistic about the direction of the game as an eport and the future of the circuit as it begins its sixth season.

In a recent interview with Dexerto, Miller touched upon potential YouTube exclusivity for the league, co-streaming, investment in the product, the inclusion of Contenders teams in Tier 1, the evolving situation with China, the lowering of age restrictions and the Chengdu Hunters’ reported disbandment.

“We’re obviously always assessing what matters most to the fans and the players, and keeping a pulse on other publishers and what they do,” Miller said.

“If anything, we’re committed to Overwatch esports and growing a community, bolstering it. … To me, it shows a strong commitment to Overwatch esports. They’re not going away anytime soon.”

Miller’s comments are in opposition to statements by Activision in its filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday.

The company wrote, “Our collaborative arrangements for our professional esports leagues (i.e., the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League) continue to face headwinds which are negatively impacting the operations and, potentially, the longevity of the leagues under the current business model. We continue to work to address these challenges, which could result in significant costs, and such efforts may prove unsuccessful.”

Regarding the inclusion of the Contenders and the challenges involved in making it part of Tier 1 Overwatch, Miller called it a “seismic shift” and said it’s his goal as the leader of Overwatch esports to “create compelling competitive communities all across the globe and at all competitive levels.”

When asked about the status of the OWL and YouTube deal, Miller said he appreciated YouTube’s commitment to the league but couldn’t comment further.

Switching gears to the subject of co-streaming, Miller is all for it.

“I actually think co-streaming is a very effective way to get your product out into different parts of the community that may or may not be interested in watching the main broadcast,” Miller said.

“We’ve had discussions around YouTube co-streaming and how we can make it more appealing for creators that are on YouTube to do it, etc. It’s very much a part of the conversation.”

Asked what success would look like for the league this year, Miller said authenticity, participation and viewership are vital, along with evolving the league.

“What matters for us there is participation and engagement,” he said. “We want people to see that they’re engaging. And obviously, at the OWL level, not everyone can be a pro. That’s kind of the reason that there’s a pro level, you know? So, the metric depends on what exact part of the ecosystem you’re talking about.”

On the subject of the Overwatch Chinese servers getting shut down, Miller lauded the Chinese organizations that OWL have been working with closely.

“They’re really incredible partners,” he said. “… I have nothing but positive things to say about our partners in China.”

Regarding the departure of Chengdu, Miller said, “Obviously, the Hunters will continue to contemplate the future direction of their team as we said, and we’ll continue to work closely with them on that front.”

Miller said the reason for changing the league’s minimum age this year was to integrate Contenders more in the East.

“As we looked across different esports titles as well as the average age of Contenders players in the East, we found that, if we want to be able to make the competition even more compelling for, you know, teenagers and others that may want to participate in this esport — particularly the orgs, like if you think about O2 Blast, Panthera, all these really awesome orgs out in the East, it’d be wonderful if they didn’t have to blow up their ecosystem.”

–Field Level Media