When the set amount is exceeded, a percentage is sent to the league's shared revenue pool. In addition, teams will have a license to operate and monetize up to five amateur events in their home territory each year, and to benefit from the sale of league-affiliated fan items in Overwatch, with half of the revenues going into the net shared revenue pool for all teams.

The Overwatch League will also provide advertisers and sponsors "with opportunities that are unparalleled in the esports space, with global fan bases not found in traditional sports, along with better targeting and analytics than traditional forms of advertising," according to Blizzard.

The Overwatch Owners

Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group and the New England Patriots (Boston)

Jeff Wilpon, Co-Founder and Partner of Sterling.VC and COO of the New York Mets (New York)

Noah Whinston, CEO of Immortals (Los Angeles)

Ben Spoont, CEO and Co-Founder of Misfits Gaming (Miami-Orlando)

Andy Miller, Chairman and Founder of NRG Esports (San Francisco)

NetEase (Shanghai)

Kevin Chou, Co-founder of Kabam (Seoul)

To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit the official website at www.overwatchleague.com.

Activision Games

Though the company does not make games for the traditional sports, its franchises include such popular brands as Call of Duty, King's Candy Crush, Destiny and Skylanders, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo, StarCraft, and Heroes of the Storm, Pet Rescue, Bubble Witch and Farm Heroes.

The Bottom Line

Sports have come a longer way than it may appear, with the NFL using nearly no technology upon its launch way back when. Contrast that with esports leagues which would not exist without a solid and far-reaching technology foundation.

By enabling esports, technology has expanded the sports world far beyond brick and mortar stadium, manned-team pro football staple to encompass new opportunities with the potential to minimize spending and maximize revenue.

Launching any new sports league had been a tall task. That has changed. How the Overwatch League makes its competitions available to current and prospective viewers will determine the success of its revenue structure.

Reaching young age groups is an ongoing challenge for the National Football League. Tapping into esports where Millennials around the world play in cyberspace could help the big four sports leagues in the U.S learn more about engaging this sought after demographic.

Stay tuned.