At least one S. Florida team is ready to return in virtual competition

There will be professional sports once again in South Florida this weekend.

No, there won’t be a game at AmericanAirlines Arena, Marlins Park or the BB&T Center. In fact, the actual game won’t exactly even take place in the Miami metropolitan area or any singular place in the United States.

The Overwatch League returns to action Saturday after a two-week break because of the COVID-19 outbreak and the Florida Mayhem, a team based out of Boca Raton, is set to face the Washington Justice in an online match, which will be streamed live on YouTube.

The exact logistics of how the match will be held are still being sorted out, but, barring another unforeseen disruption, a real live Florida team will be back in competitive action, albeit in esports.

“That’s kind of the void that we’re looking to fill,” said Ben Spoont, CEO of Misfits Gaming, which owns and operates the Mayhem. “Obviously, this is very trying times for a lot of people and a lot of industries. We as an industry in gaming can do our part to fill a void, to provide entertainment in the safety and comfort of people’s homes. It’s pretty cool what we have the opportunity to do.”

For a certain — quite large — portion of the population, esports has just been a part of normal life. Last year, the League of Legends World Championship peaked with 3.9 million concurrent viewers for a semifinal match. The 2019 Overwatch League Grand Finals averaged about 1.12 million viewers throughout the broadcast.

For the rest of the population, esports has mostly been an opaque, impenetrable world for the casual fan to enter. The most