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Boston Uprising

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Boston Uprising
The logo for the Boston Uprising is a protective shield encompassing an emboldened letter B.
FoundedJuly 12, 2017
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionAtlantic (2018–2020) West (2021–2023)
Team historyBoston Uprising
(2017–2023)
Based inBoston, Massachusetts, US
Colors     
OwnerRobert Kraft
General managerAaron "PRE" Heckman
Affiliation(s)Uprising Academy
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

Boston Uprising were an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team competed in the Overwatch League (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 of the Kraft Group, who also owns the National Football League's New England Patriots and Uprising Academy, an academy team for the Uprising that compete in Overwatch Contenders.

Boston became the first team in Overwatch League history to go undefeated during a regular season stage, finishing 10–0 in Stage 3 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

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On July 12, 2017, Blizzard Entertainment 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 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."[1] 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".[2] On October 25, 2017, the Uprising announced their full roster, consisting of eight players.[3]

Early years: 2018–present

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Boston Uprising's first regular season OWL match was a 1–3 loss to the New York Excelsior on January 11, 2018.[4] Boston found their franchise's first-ever regular season win a day later, after defeating the Florida Mayhem, 4–0.[5] 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.[6] Following, Kwon "Striker" Nam-joo took over DreamKazper's starting position – a move that ultimately benefited the team. Throughout Stage 3 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.[7] Boston reached the Stage 3 finals; however, they lost the finals match against the New York Excelsior.[8] Prior to the start of Stage 4, Overwatch underwent a balancing update, as well as the introduction of a new hero, which would significantly reduced Striker's effectiveness. Additionally, head coach Park "Crusty" Dae-hee left the team to join the San Francisco Shock.[7] The Uprising finished the regular season in third place with a 26–14 record.[9] The Uprising's postseason came to a quick end, as they were defeated in the quarterfinals by the Philadelphia Fusion, two series to one.[7]

Boston Uprising on stage in 2019

Boston went through major roster changes prior to the 2019 season. Among other signings, the team picked up tank player Cameron "Fusions" Bosworth, who had recently performed well at the 2018 Overwatch World Cup.[10] Additionally, the Uprising transferred Striker to the San Francisco Shock and tank Noh "Gamsu" Young-jin to the Shanghai Dragons.[11][12] Throughout the entire 2019 season, the Uprising went without a head coach.[13] 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.[14][15]

Following the 2019 season, the Uprising picked up former Florida Mayhem coach Vytis "Mineral" Lasaitis as their new head coach, marking the first time that the organization had a head coach in 16 months.[13] 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.[15][14] 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.[16]

Prior to the 2021 season, the Uprising signed Kim "Lori" Seung-hyun as their new head coach, while Mineral took on a management position within the organization.[17] The team retained four of the players from the previous season, including Colourhex, Fusions, support Seo "Myunb0ng" Sang-min, and tank Leyton "Punk" Gilchrist,[18] while signings a mixture of veterans and rookies.[19] The Boston Uprising competed in the SteelSeries Invitational, coming in second place after losing to the Los Angeles Gladiators 0-3.[20] 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, failing to reach the season playoffs.[21]

In the following offseason, the Uprising parted ways with six players, including Colourhex, Myunb0ng, and Fusions, who retired from professional Overwatch altogether.[21] 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.[22] However, three weeks into the season, Striker was dropped from the team.[23]

Team identity

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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 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.[24]

Sponsors

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In late April 2018, the team revealed their first partnership, a shaving product sponsor, with Boston-based Gillette. 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.[25][26]

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.[27]

Personnel

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Current roster

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Boston Uprising roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 18 Decay Jang Gui-un South Korea
Tank 5 smurf Yoo Myeong-hwan South Korea
Head coach
  • Sim “Mobydik” Seung-bo
Assistant coach(es)
  • Park “KariV” Young-seo
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: October 12, 2023.

Head coaches

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Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Crusty Park Dae-hee 2018 22–8 (.733) Released after 30 games in 2018. [28][29]
Mineral Vytis Lasaitis 2020 2–19 (.095) [13][17]
Lori Kim Seung-hyun 2021–2022 12–21 (.364) Released after 17 games in 2022. [17][30]
Ascoft Valentin Wulfman 2022 5–2 (.714) Interim head coach. [30][31]
Dongsu Shin Dong-soo 2023 6–2 (.750) Released after eight games in 2023. [32][33]
Mobydik Sim Seung-bo 2023 11–5 (.688) [34]

Awards and records

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Seasons overview

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Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2018 40 26 14 .650 2nd, Atlantic Lost in Quarterfinals, 1–2 (Fusion)
2019 28 8 20 .286 9th, Atlantic Did not qualify
2020 21 2 19 .095 10th, North America Did not qualify
2021 16 7 9 .438 9th, West Did not qualify
2022 24 10 14 .417 10th, West Did not qualify
2023 16 11 5 .688 4th, West Lost in Semifinals, 1–3 (Mayhem)

Individual accomplishments

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All-Star Game selections

Academy team

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Main article: Uprising Academy

On February 19, 2018, the Uprising announced a partnership with Toronto Esports Club's Overwatch Contenders team.[35] In November 2018, following the unveiling of the Toronto Defiant 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.[36] 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."[37]

References

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  1. ^ Yee, Erica (July 13, 2017). "Robert Kraft is bringing an esports team to Boston". Boston.com. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (August 22, 2017). "Former StarCraft 2 pro HuK named president of gaming for Boston's Overwatch League franchise". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (October 26, 2017). "Boston Uprising just announced its Overwatch League roster—will they prevail?". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  4. ^ Waltzer, Noah (January 15, 2018). "Fusion, Spitfire, Excelsior snag wins on Day 2 of Overwatch League". ESPN. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (January 12, 2018). "Boston Uprising vs. Florida Mayhem: A tale of 2 underdogs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Alexander, Jula (April 9, 2018). "Overwatch League player fired after sexual misconduct allegations (update)". Polygon. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Woolums, Kenneth (July 14, 2018). "Explaining Boston Uprising's fall from grace". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. May 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (July 17, 2018). "Overwatch League sendoffs: Until next year, Boston and L.A." ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Maher, Cian (December 15, 2018). "Fusions: It's not about stopping here for the Overwatch World Cup star". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Richardson, Liz (February 12, 2019). "Boston Uprising's main tank Gamsu traded to Shanghai Dragons". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Overwatch: Shock acquire Striker from Uprising". ESPN. December 3, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Chen, Ethan (September 7, 2019). "Boston Uprising hires Mineral as head coach". Upcomer. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Wilkinson, Josh (January 8, 2020). "2020 Team Preview: Boston Uprising". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Richardson, Liz (February 5, 2020). "New roster, same ideas: Boston Uprising team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Alford, Aaron (November 5, 2020). "Boston Uprising parts ways with Jerry". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Richardson, Liz (October 5, 2020). "Boston Uprising adds Lori as head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Rutledge, Caroline (October 21, 2020). "Overwatch: Boston Uprising Re-Signs Four Players Ahead of 2021 Season". The Gamer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Richardson, Liz (April 27, 2021). "New hope: Boston Uprising 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 1, 2021). "What we learned from the Overwatch League SteelSeries Invitational". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Boston Uprising release 4 players; Fusions retiring from OWL". Reuters. October 5, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Czar, Michael (October 26, 2021). "Veteran DPS player Striker returns to the Boston Uprising". Upcomer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Richardson, Liz (May 23, 2022). "Boston Uprising parts ways with Striker". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Randall, Dakota (October 25, 2017). "Here's Official Name, Logo For Boston's New Overwatch League Team". NESN. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  25. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (April 30, 2018). "Gillette is now an official partner of the Boston Uprising". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  26. ^ Murray, Trent (April 30, 2018). "Gillette Finalizes Partnership With Boston Uprising". The Esports Observer. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  27. ^ "Boston Uprising Adds Headphone Sponsor Bose – ARCHIVE – the Esports Observer". October 31, 2018.
  28. ^ Mersel, Matt (October 26, 2019). "Boston Uprising Brand and Roster Announced for Overwatch League". mxdwn.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  29. ^ Rand, Emily (June 5, 2018). "Coach Park 'Crusty' Dae-hee: He has his heart in San Francisco". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Scharnagle, Jessica (August 30, 2022). "Boston Uprising parts ways with head coach Lori ahead of Summer Showdown main event". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  31. ^ Lyons, Ben (November 10, 2022). "Boston Uprising has parted ways with its head coach". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "@BostonUprising". Twitter. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  33. ^ Boston Uprising [@BostonUprising] (June 27, 2023). "Today we are parting ways with Coach Dongsu" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Boston Uprising [@BostonUprising] (June 27, 2023). "Welcome to Boston, Head Coach @Mobydik_ow" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (February 19, 2018). "Toronto Esports aligns with the Boston Uprising for Overwatch Contenders 2018". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  36. ^ Grayson, Nathan (November 13, 2018). "Toronto Esports Team Pulls Out Of Overwatch Because It Couldn't Use 'Toronto' Anymore". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  37. ^ "The sudden end of Toronto's first pro Overwatch team – Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
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