Alongside Main Tank Matthew “Super” DeLisi, Jay “Sinatraa” Won has become one of the most recognizable faces in the Overwatch League. He helped bring the Shock to their Grand Finals victory and received MVP for the 2019 season. He even recently partnered with Indy “Space” Halpern to put out a line of streetwear, bridging the gap between gaming and fashion. From young toxicity, he has reformed himself to not only be a likable public figure, but a caring leader for his team.
Name: Jay “Sinatraa” Won
Birthday: March 18, 2000 (19 years old)
Country: United States
Jersey Number: 2
Signature Heroes: Tracer, Zarya, Doomfist, Genji, Sombra
Twitter: @sinatraaOW
Twitch: sinatraa
Instagram: @sinatraa_ow
A Toxic Beginning
Sinatraa started playing video games at a young age, with his mother stipulating that grades come first. However, this took a turn in high school, where he dropped out to pursue a career in esports. From his home in Washington, he moved into the Selfless Gaming house in Atlanta, Georgia. Though he had made a name for himself on the competitive ladder, on Selfless he was able to showcase his prowess in an organized competitive environment.
Known as a toxic player and streamer, Sinatraa’s behavior fed into the playstyle of Selfless Gaming. Alongside Daniel “dafran” Francesca, Jeff “emongg” Anderson and future Shock teammate Daniel “dhaK” Martinez Paz, the team was incredibly talented. So they played every match with that mindset that the other team is far worse, and proceeded to spawn-camp and *ahem* ‘tactical crouch’ on them. Their dominance was cut short as the team never won a tournament final and broke up in the summer of 2017. But Sinatraa had begun to take the spotlight and found his way on the US team for the 2017 Overwatch World Cup, as well as becoming Mr. 150K when he signed with San Francisco.
Growing Pains
In the 2017 OWWC, Sinatraa did not have the best showing. Especially in the finals, South Korea’s Jong-Ryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park consistently got the better of him in the Tracer duel. In the World Cup the following year, Sinatraa struggled as well. After their embarrassing loss to the United Kingdom, many people questioned whether or not he had the skill to compete in the OWL, let alone make that kind of salary.
In the inaugural OWL season, he was ineligible to play until he turned 18, which was on March 18, 2018. This meant he was stuck on the sideline along with Super for essentially the first half of the season. He admitted the pressure of the fans and his salary got to him, but once he got in the rotation he had a decent showing. The Shock had built for the long run, so their emphasis was on improvement and setting up for future success. Little did anyone expect the sharp turnaround between seasons. The 2018 OWL season saw the dominance of the 3-3 GOATS meta. This unfortunately left many DPS players out to dry as they were either benched or forced to play unfamiliar roles. However, Sinatraa was able to make the switch to Zarya, propelling the team from a somewhat shaky start to cruising altitude.
Reaching the Pinnacle
In the Stage 1 playoffs, Sinatraa’s Zarya helped them finish as runner-ups in a 7-map series. Going into Stage 2 he found his groove in a big way as the team cruised to a 28-0-0 map differential and Stage Finals victory. Throughout the season, he led the league in damage done per 10 minutes, and won the award of League MVP after the first two stages. The Shock would go on to cruise through Stages 3 and 4, but not quite as dominant as Stage 2. In the playoffs, the Shock were stunned by a first-round loss to Atlanta on a heartbreaking ‘C9’. The team took this loss to heart and came roaring back, not losing a map against any opponent. They beat the Titans in the Grand Finals in a one-sided stomp, with Sinatraa’s Doomfist and Hyo-bin “Choihyobin” Choi’s Sigma leading the way.
Following this championship, Sinatraa also joined the US 2019 World Cup team once again. This time, unlike the prior years, was a standout year. The team swept through the group stage, not losing a map even against rival South Korea. They beat South Korea once more in the semifinals which they won 3-1, then beat China 3-0 in the finals. Sinatraa received World Cup MVP for his performance, and Team USA finally won gold after three years in a row of Korean victories.
2019 was a career year for Sinatraa. Winning Stage 2, the Grand Finals, the World Cup and being named MVP of the OWL and World Cup is a feat unlikely to be repeated. The only awards left to win are Finals MVP and The Dennis Hawelka Award for contributions to the community. With his skill and reformed nature, it is fair to guess that Sinatraa may be up for either of those in the years to come.
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Featured image courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
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