Tyler “Ninja” Blevins made an appearance at the Champions League Round of 16 in Paris Wednesday. The star Fortnite player was seen at the game—a key match between Paris Saint-German and Manchester United—with Neymar, the Brazilian soccer superstar, PSG talisman, and transfer world-record holder (PSG acquired him for approximately $250 million in 2017).
The camera briefly panned to Ninja and Neymar during the match, and PSG posted a video from the game on its official Twitter account, showing Neymar shaking hands with and hugging Ninja before sitting down.
Neymar was watching from the stands because he’s still suffering from a metatarsal injury that he picked up in January. The Brazilian player has been known as an avid fan of first-person shooters, including Counter-strike: Global Offensive and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Ninja’s appearance with Neymar at a major international sporting event represents yet another step the streamer has taken in pushing esports into the mainstream. Ninja has made similar appearances on talk shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in the past to help pull the two worlds closer together. His biggest cross-over success came from his collaboration with Drake, which broke streaming records, bringing in 628,000 viewers. He also previously streamed with Neymar during his New Year’s Eve stream event in Times Square.
Over the years, traditional sports teams have slowly trickled into the world of esports with NBA teams entering the professional League of Legends and Overwatch scenes. PSG launched its own esports arm—fittingly named PSG Esports—in collaboration with the French media company Webedia in 2016. The organization has since built teams to compete in FIFA, Rocket League, and Dota 2.
Ninja was treated to one of the biggest comebacks in Champions League history at the match as well. Manchester United overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit with a shocking 3-1 away win at PSG, booking their ticket to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Published: Mar 6, 2019 04:20 pm