But they do know the game of basketball, and a CMO explaining a 5v5 digital version of it to the CEO or board of a public company is infinitely much easier than trying to explain Soldier 76, Super Minions and Summoner’s Rift.

Additionally, I also questioned “why wait?” The opportunity to be a leader in the space — with the three, franchise-based leagues launching in the coming months — is now. What I realized is, that’s our responsibility. As embedded in esports as we are, we need to show uneasy, unfamiliar sponsors how to get involved and how to innovate — especially in a meaningful and 100 percent authentic way.

Take the NBA 2K League launch, for example. My head spins thinking about all the amazing sponsor activations the League could do to launch it.

Obviously there’s a ton to consider regarding existing NBA sponsors, budgets, timelines, etc., but just throwing out a few top-of-mind ideas — purely for fun, brainstorming and discussion sake (so please add to the discussion):