Following donations from Washington Justice and the Houston Outlaws, the Overwatch League announced it will be making donations to various organizations that specialize in addressing and preventing sexual violence, as well as those that work to support and empower women.
The league said it will match the donations of both teams “on a local level” following the conclusion of the OWL match, which resulted in an Outlaws victory.
“There is no place for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind,” the OWL said in a statement via Twitter. “We at the Overwatch League will do everything possible to ensure that, together, we build an inclusive environment in our field of play and beyond.”
The Outlaws and the Justice came together to announce their “Outlaws for Justice” initiative, in which the team made base donations to sexual assault support and prevention organization RAINN. The losing team also pledged to donate additional funds to a local charity of the winner’s choice per map win, resulting in an additional donation to the Big Sister Little Sister Mentoring Program in Houston. The current amount donated is unknown, though the OWL said it plans to match all donations made by both the Justice and the Outlaws.
These donations follow a lawsuit made by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Activision Blizzard, which alleged the company fostered an environment that included sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation. Additionally, texts and screenshots were recently released to the public that showed Blizzard officials and developers seemingly discussing recruiting women for sexual favors in a room informally known as the ‘Cosby Suite.’
The Overwatch League continues with the Countdown Cup this weekend, with just a few more weeks for teams to prove themselves before the 2021 OWL Playoffs.
