Players looking to go pro in the Overwatch League are reportedly turning down offers from the New York Excelsior as the team moves forward with its marginalized gender.
Back in November, it was reported that the NYXL was looking to build its 2023 OWL roster with players who identify as members of marginalized genders, and despite the backlash, the team is moving forward with its decision.
However, things aren’t proceeding very well for the team as it looks to recruit players following Blizzard’s low-viewership “Calling All Heroes” Challengers Cup tournament.
According to a new report by Aaron ‘HaloofThoughts’ Spake, New York is “struggling” with their plan ahead of the March deadline for teams to have at least five players signed.
NYXL struggles to sign “marginalized gender” players for OWL 2023 season
Sparke claims that multiple sources have told him that a “large majority of professional players” are not interested in joining the team for the upcoming Overwatch League season.
The controversial decision has been blasted by many in the Overwatch 2 community, including players who identify as female or non-binary.
A common criticism stems from the fact that there is a severe lack of players who can compete at a pro level while still checking all of NYXL’s diversity checkboxes.
So far, no players have been officially signed to the team, but on January 2, the Excelsior welcomed Twitch streamer NyanSox as a content creator.
With a few months still remaining until the deadline, the NYXL will still have plenty of time to put together a roster, but if things continue to go south, the team could end up abandoning its current plans.
For more on OWL’s off-season signings, be sure to check out our rostermania hub with all the latest updates for all 20 squads.
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