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Boston Uprising were an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. The team competed in the
Overwatch League The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American prof ...
(OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Boston was one of the League's twelve founding teams. The team was owned by
Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainmen ...
of the Kraft Group, who also owns the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
's
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
and Uprising Academy, an academy team for the Uprising that compete in
Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) was an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in ...
. Boston became the first team in Overwatch League history to go undefeated during a regular season stage, finishing in
Stage 3 Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
of the 2018 season. After reaching the playoffs and finishing fifth in the final season standings in 2018, the organization returned to the playoffs only one other time, in 2023, the final season of the League.


Franchise history

On July 12, 2017,
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the h ...
officially announced that the Kraft Group had acquired the Boston-based franchise of the Overwatch League. On the decision to purchase the Esports franchise,
Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainmen ...
said in a statement, "We have been exploring the esports market for a number of years and have been waiting for the right opportunity to enter. The incredible global success of Overwatch since its launch, coupled with the League's meticulous focus on a structure and strategy that clearly represents the future of esports made this the obvious entry point for the Kraft Group." In August 2017, the Kraft Group announced Chris "HuK" Loranger would be serving as and president of gaming for the franchise, where he would "oversee player acquisition, training, and daily operations". On October 25, 2017, the Uprising announced their full roster, consisting of eight players.


Early years: 2018–present

Boston Uprising's first regular season OWL match was a 1–3 loss to the
New York Excelsior The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) was an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the leag ...
on January 11, 2018. Boston found their franchise's first-ever regular season win a day later, after defeating the
Florida Mayhem Florida Mayhem was an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Miami and Orlando, Florida. The team competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West Division. Founded in 2017, Florida Mayhem was one of th ...
, 4–0. In April 2018, Uprising player Jonathan "DreamKazper" Sanchez was indefinitely suspended from the Overwatch League following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor. Shortly after, on April 9, Boston Uprising terminated his contract. Following, Kwon "Striker" Nam-joo took over DreamKazper's starting position – a move that ultimately benefited the team. Throughout
Stage 3 Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
of the season, the Striker-led Uprising did not lose a single match, going 10–0, to become the first team to go undefeated in a stage. Boston reached the Stage 3 finals; however, they lost the finals match against the
New York Excelsior The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) was an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the leag ...
. Prior to the start of Stage 4, ''Overwatch'' underwent a balancing update, as well as the introduction of a new
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
, which would significantly reduced Striker's effectiveness. Additionally, head coach Park "Crusty" Dae-hee left the team to join the
San Francisco Shock The San Francisco Shock are an United States, American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West ...
. The Uprising finished the regular season in third place with a 26–14 record. The Uprising's postseason came to a quick end, as they were defeated in the quarterfinals by the
Philadelphia Fusion Seoul Infernal is a professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Infernal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017 as the Philade ...
, two series to one. Boston went through major roster changes prior to the
2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...
, including the departure of analyst Mohid "MrBleeple" Asjid and the addition of Jordan "Gunba" Graham. Among other signings, the team picked up tank player Cameron "Fusions" Bosworth, who had recently performed well at the 2018 Overwatch World Cup. Additionally, the Uprising transferred Striker to the San Francisco Shock and tank Noh "Gamsu" Young-jin to the Shanghai Dragons. Throughout the entire 2019 season, the Uprising went without a head coach. Through the first half of the season, the Uprising posted a middling 7–7 record. However, in the second half of the season, they only picked up a single win, finishing regular season in 19th place with an 8–20 record. Following the 2019 season, the Uprising picked up former
Florida Mayhem Florida Mayhem was an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Miami and Orlando, Florida. The team competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West Division. Founded in 2017, Florida Mayhem was one of th ...
coach Vytis "Mineral" Lasaitis as their new head coach, marking the first time that the organization had a head coach in 16 months. The team released all but three of their players: Fusion, tank Park "Axxiom" Min-sub, and damage player Kelsey "Colourhex" Birse. Boston signed mostly rookies to their squad, leaving many analysts predicting them to finish near the bottom of the standings. Throughout the season, Boston parted ways with four players, and tank player Park "Axxiom" Min-seob became inactive for medical reasons. The instability of the roster proved too much for the team to overcome, as Boston ended the season with a league-worst 2–19 record and found no success in any of the league's midseason tournaments or in the postseason play-in tournament. Prior to the
2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, the Uprising signed Kim "Lori" Seung-hyun as their new head coach, while Mineral took on a management position within the organization. The team retained four of the players from the previous season, including Colourhex, Fusions, support Seo "Myunb0ng" Sang-min, and tank Leyton "Punk" Gilchrist, while signings a mixture of veterans and rookies. The Boston Uprising competed in the
SteelSeries SteelSeries (styled as steelseries), formerly Icemat, is a Danish manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, controllers, and mousepads. SteelSeries was acquired by GN Store Nord in 2021. History St ...
Invitational, coming in second place after losing to the Los Angeles Gladiators 0-3. Behind a stable roster throughout the season, Boston finished in 15th place with a 7–9 record, marking their best regular season winning percentage since 2018. The team qualified for the Western region play-in tournament; however, they lost in the first round to the
Toronto Defiant Toronto Defiant was a Canadian professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 2018 as an expansion team for the Overwatch League (OWL), Toronto began play in 2019 and was one of two ...
, failing to reach the season playoffs. In the following offseason, the Uprising parted ways with six players, including Colourhex, Myunb0ng, and Fusions, who retired from professional ''Overwatch'' altogether. Boston signed and picked up several new players; most notably Striker was signed back to the team after he retired in the middle of 2021 season. However, three weeks into the season, Striker was dropped from the team.


Team identity

On October 25, 2017, the franchise name was revealed as the Boston Uprising; the name "Uprising" was selected in honor of Boston's resilient forefathers and their legacy in the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
which laid the foundation of the city. They also unveiled the team's logo and blue-yellow-black color scheme, with the latter drawing inspiration from the colors found in Boston's city flag. The logo is a shield surrounding a bold "B"—a letter that is synonymous with the city of Boston.


Sponsors

In late April 2018, the team revealed their first partnership, a shaving product sponsor, with Boston-based
Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...
. The deal included a number of digital and social content initiatives, as well as having the Gillette logo featured on the team's practice jerseys and training facility. On October 31, 2018, the team added Bose as a sponsor, joining other Kraft-owned sports franchises and Boston teams supported by the Boston-based audio company.


Personnel


Current roster


Head coaches


Awards and records


Seasons overview


Individual accomplishments

All-Star Game selections * Gamsu (Noh Young-jin) – 2018 *Neko (Park Se-hyun) – 2018 * Striker (Gwon Nam-ju) – 2018 *Fusions (Cameron Bosworth) – 2019 *Myunbong (Seo Sang-min) – 2020


Academy team

On February 19, 2018, the Uprising announced a partnership with Toronto Esports Club's
Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) was an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in ...
team. In November 2018, following the unveiling of the
Toronto Defiant Toronto Defiant was a Canadian professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 2018 as an expansion team for the Overwatch League (OWL), Toronto began play in 2019 and was one of two ...
in the Overwatch League, the league informed the Uprising they needed to change their name. Rather than change their name, the Toronto Esports team decided to pull out of Contenders completely, citing not only issues with the naming request but new changes in the Contenders format. According to their president Ryan Pallet, the organization was given a six-week notice to change their name. The Kraft organization still owns the rights to the players, coaches and the Contenders slot held by the team, which is officially competing under the name "Uprising Academy."


References


External links

* {{Massachusetts Sports 2017 establishments in Massachusetts Esports teams based in the United States Esports teams established in 2017 Overwatch League teams
Uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
Kraft Group assets