Kroenke Sports Parts Ways with the Sentinels
After two years of ups and downs, the joint-venture between Kroenke Sports and the Sentinels esports team has come to an end.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jacob Wolf, the former partners are splitting following the settlement of a lawsuit by Sentinels against Kroenke over attempts by the latter to buy Echo Fox’s spot in the LCS without consulting the former.
New Management and Sentinel’s Plans
Now in control of both their newly acquired CDL slot and the joint-ventured LA Gladiators Overwatch League team, Kroenke Sports has already looked for new staff members for their organization. Former Washington Wizards player and Echo Fox president Jared Jeffries and Stan Kroenke’s son Stan Kroenke are being considered for high positions in the org.
The group is also keeping the entirety of the LA Gladiator management on staff as well to maintain a smooth transition as the ownership fully transfers to Kroenke.
For their part, the Sentinels are leaving with an active roster of battle royale players under its belt, with the likes of Bugha in Fortnite and their high placing Apex Legends squads still staying with the org.
Speaking on the future of the org with ESPN, Sentinels CEO Robert Moore stated,
“Given what we’ve accomplished with the Sentinels brand and the Sentinels management team, we currently have what is a leading position in Fortnite, and our Apex Legends team came in fifth in the big tournament this weekend and third in the X Games. We have raised a significant amount of capital, so we are looking to invest in the Sentinels brand and build the Sentinels brand in the games we’re in and expand into new games. That is going to be the focus.”
The new games he was referring to is currently unknown. One can assume the team wants to get back into the LCS after getting rejected for franchising late in 2017 under their old brand, Phoenix1.
Personal Take
The separation of these two comes as little surprise after Sentinel’s lawsuit prevented Kroenke from acquiring Echo Fox slot in the LCS.
While Sentinels were originally necessary to help the group get used to running an esports org, they’ve become more of a hindrance in the conglomerate’s expansion plans. With Kroenke going into the CDL with just his sports and entertainment company, the writing was on the wall.
This likely isn’t the last we’ll hear of Sentinels, though, so hopefully, we find them in another large non-BR esport soon.
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