Major League Baseball executive Chris Park is leaving baseball to enter esports by becoming the new CEO of Gen.G esports, according to a report from Sports Business Journal.
Park most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Growth Strategy and International at MLB, starting early in 2015. As things stand, Kevin Chou, Co-founder of Gen.G esports currently serves as CEO of the organisation.
Former NBA player Chris Bosh was brought on as a Player Management Advisor for all of the organisation’s teams in October. Gen.G esports owns and operates Overwatch League franchise Seoul Dynasty and also competes in League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and Clash Royale. It currently operates in South Korea, the United States, and China.
In June, Jordan Sherman was appointed as Gen.G esports’ Head of Sponsorships and Revenue. He has almost a decade of experience in traditional sports, previously working in business development, digital marketing, and sponsorships at MLB. He was also the Director of Corporate Partners at the Los Angeles Clippers for close to two years.
Gen.G esports as we know it has only existed since May of this year, following a rebrand. Formerly known as KSV eSports – representing a combination of Korea and Silicon Valley – the organisation adopted an entirely new identity in an effort to establish a “new gold standard for global esports”.
Esports Insider says: Gen.G is evidently putting a lot of stock in figures and executives from traditional sports being able to push the organisation forward. Chris Park is a big grab, having gathered plenty of experience at an entertainment giant in MLB.