Call of Duty League Loses the U.S. Army As a Sponsor

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The U.S. Army appears to have pulled its sponsorship from the Call of Duty esports league, the Call of Duty League. It is the most recent addition to a string of sponsors distancing themselves from the Call of Duty League, the Overwatch League, and other Activision Blizzard affiliates.

The Call of Duty League uses a similar model as its Overwatch League counterpart, which inaugurated two years prior to the CDL in 2018. The Overwatch League experienced an exodus of sponsors recently, ever since the State of California sued the Activision Blizzard for alleged sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination. Big names like Coca-Cola, State Farm, Kellogg's, and IBM backed out of their partnerships with the esports league over the last few weeks. It looks like others are now doing the same with the Call of Duty League.

According to CharlieIntel, the U.S. Army is the latest sponsor to seemingly end its partnership with the Call of Duty League. The U.S. Army started serving as a sponsor for the CDL during its debut season in 2020, placing its name on all schedule-related assets on the Call of Duty League website. Now, the U.S. Army's logo has vanished from the site. The U.S. Army did not disclose whether it dropped the Call of Duty League or whether its disappearance is because of the ongoing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, but it seems likely, considering the number of other sponsorships the company has lost in the midst of the suit.

The U.S. Army is not alone in its apparent gesture. Ahead of Call of Duty esports' major yearly event, the Call of Duty League Championships, other affiliates and sponsors appear to be pulling out, such as longtime sponsor ASTRO Gaming (via CharlieIntel). ASTRO produced broadcast segments for the Call of Duty League, such as ASTRO Gaming Listen In. However, its logo has disappeared from the CDL's website, much like that of the U.S. Army.

It’s not clear what effect the loss of the U.S. Army as a sponsor will have on the Call of Duty's esports league, but the absence of specific sponsors has already caused noticeable changes. For example, CharlieIntel reported ASTRO Gaming used to provide an MVP award during the championship. However, the name of the award has been changed to "Call of Duty Championship MVP" since ASTRO ended its partnership with the league. The sudden loss of sponsors will be, at the very least, glaringly obvious during the upcoming championships.

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