Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper has been streaming himself playing Fortnite on Twitch as a means to deal with the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Well, Harper's love of the game will be taken to a whole new level as gaming management company Loaded reportedly has struck a deal with Boras Corp. The deal will "build out ... Harper's game presence" through additional platforms, streaming techniques, sponsorships and collaborations, per Adam Stern of Sports Business Daily and The Esports Observer.
Harper, whose agent is Scott Boras, has accumulated 14,000 followers on Twitch since he first began streaming on May 1, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"Baseball will always be my No. 1 priority," Harper said in a release Tuesday, "but gaming gives me a fun competitive outlet to uniquely connect with friends, peers and fans. This partnership will help further fuel my passion for gaming, allowing for opportunities to grow my community and streaming presence."
Loaded CEO Brandon Freytag credits Harper for broadening his audience.
"Bryce is a smart dude and Boras Corp. is a smart company for him, and this is about broadening his audience," Freytag said, per The Esports Observer. "In baseball, he's probably captured a good portion of the enthusiasts, whereas in the gaming world, there's not a lot of people that know Bryce especially if they don't watch baseball.
"Our playbook is to initially get him set up and comfortable with streaming ... and certainly working with Boras on endemic sponsorships within the tech world."
Harper isn't the only high-profile athlete based in the City of Brotherly Love who actively competes in esports. Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons reportedly regularly streams Call of Duty: Warzone.