FaZe Clan makes cover of Sports Illustrated

FaZe Clan is on the cover of the July edition of Sports Illustrated, one of traditional media’s legacy publications.

The cover features FaZe’s NICKMERCS, Swagg, Rug, and Temperr alongside Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and the son of LeBron James, Bronny James. Pictures from the article feature NICKMERCS squatting while the rest cheer him on. NICKMERCS, a battle royale streamer, is also known for his gym streams.

Gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated is a major honor for any athlete. The FaZe Clan cover features streamers and members of management, along with Murray and James, but no esports players. The only FaZe Clan esports team mentioned beyond a passing acknowledgment that they exist is the Atlanta FaZe in the penultimate and final paragraphs.

FaZe is one of the most storied esports organizations. Beginning as a trick-shotting team in Call of Duty, YouTube earnings helped expand their squad from YouTubers to esports teams. FaZe has its hands in nearly every single esport of note and at the very least has a team in every single first-person shooter of note in North America.

FaZe is known for its brash, cool style and blend of lifestyle, gaming, and esports. In addition, FaZe helped pave the way for merchandise to be a viable option for organizations to make money outside of content creation and advertising.