Although Fortnite star Ninja is mostly known for his prowess in Epic’s battle royale, the streamer has been expanding his portfolio with appearances on Family Feud and The Masked Singer, as well as a collaboration with German sportswear manufacturer Adidas. Now, the Detroit native tackles his next milestone—the NFL.
The Detroit Lions Twitter account informed fans last night that Ninja will serve as the team’s “honorary captain” in this weekend’s home game against the New York Giants. The Mixer streamer will also be in charge of the Lions social media account for the duration of the game, so fans can likely expect plenty of Ninja selfies.
“Not only is Ninja taking over our social media for NYGvsDET, he’s also going to serve as our honorary captain,” the tweet reads. “See you Sunday at [Ford Field].”
While many fans are excited for Ninja’s partnership with the Lions, others are questioning the franchise’s decision.
“As a fan- this is a pretty desperate play,” one fan said. “I’d be extremely curious how many of his followers actually contribute revenue toward the Lions franchise.”
Other fans believe naming Ninja as captain is distasteful since the Lions traded team captain and safety Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week.
Despite the complaints, Ninja’s popularity transcends the gaming world and will likely help bring traffic—and maybe a little luck—to a team that’s lost their last three games.
If this proves anything, it’s that you don’t have to play in the NFL to become a team captain.
