Home » Why We are Thankful for the Overwatch League Broadcast Team

Why We are Thankful for the Overwatch League Broadcast Team

Publish Date: November 25, 2020

Ah, Thanksgiving – the time to give thanks to things that mean the most to people. At Thanksgiving dinner, families usually go around the table and say something nice to one another. It’s a simple holiday tradition that can really do wonders to making family members feel appreciated. Sometimes that little bit of goodness is lost among mounds of food and hours of American Football.

For many of us, there is a second family that people spend plenty of time with this year. When a lot of things couldn’t happen this year, the Overwatch League managed to find a way to still be there. And in the spirit of giving thanks, it’s incredibly important to give a special nod to the people that gave it their all every weekend. The casters and analysts for the Overwatch League deserve a huge thanks from all the fans of the league.

Thanks for Always Rolling with the Punches

With a season as uncertain and unpredictable as this, it could be hard to find a groove in anything you do. Most people are able to handle the stress of an unstable workflow in the comfort of their impromptu work offices. The OWL desk, however, had to constantly find a way to excel at their job on the fly and while on camera. Not to mention most had to wake up at unusual times of the morning and still be asked to provide insightful analysis and top-tier color commentary.

Courtesy of Carlton Beener and the Overwatch League

The amount of effort and dedication the entire cast of OWL talent put into the season is truly remarkable. They battled broadcasting from home, adapted to an ever-changing schedule and even managed to have every member of the cast stay healthy. No matter the hurdle, the team found a way to always provide enjoyable and unforgettable content. So we say thank you to the casters and the desk for consistently giving the viewers something great, even when the odds were against them.

Thanks for Sharing Your Family With The Viewers

If there is one good thing to take away from this extremely rough year, is that the audience was given the chance to meet some very special guests once in a while. The frequent visits of the OWL team’s pets were easily some of the most memorable moments of the 2020 season. It’s hard to focus on the job when a cat is walking across the keyboard, but the OWL talent made it something special. They could have easily made extra efforts to have their furry friends stay in the other room, but really everyone enjoyed the surprise appearances.

In fact, if it wasn’t for one talented cat, who knows how long Mei would remain unbanned at the start of the season. While there was some debate about whether a pet should be handling matters of a multi-million dollar league, realistically all bets are off when the cast and crew are fighting to make quality broadcasts. Surely enough, fans got to witness more pets make predictions and surprise cameos mid-show. There is no doubt that these family members have earned their own special thanks. Looking back at it now, the season would not be the same if it weren’t for the pets of the OWL talent.

Thanks for Going the Extra Mile

The entire cast of the Overwatch League broadcast team didn’t need to do as much as they did, but they did it anyway. After the broadcast is done, it can be easy to call it a day and prep for the next week. Except, the OWL team always kept working to keep the fans engaged. The PlatChat podcast is an awesome bit of side content that added extra info and detail to various happenings in the scene. Soe made an entire baking tutorial to help during downtimes in the broadcast. And let’s not forget how they managed to produce comms check each and every week despite everything happening around them.

Everyone in the broadcast team deserve a massive round of applause. Not just the desk talent and casters, but the observers, admins, and officials who all worked tirelessly to make the season simply happen. The team behind the scenes have earned several extra helpings of stuffing this season. They don’t get a lot of the limelight like the rest of the OWL talent, but they are what keeps the league alive.

Thanks for Giving Us the Overwatch League

The last set of thanks should be the biggest of all. Without the extraordinary team behind the league, there wouldn’t be a league at all this year. We are all thankful for the amazing work of the leadership team for getting the pieces in motion and helping each team get a chance to play. It certainly wasn’t easy, but all of the fans are grateful for the extra hours and dedication that made OWL 2020 happen.