My name is Angelica Sirotin, and I am the Co-CEO of Alpine Esports, a professional Rocket League organization based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before I dive into the details pertaining to what my organization does, as well as my personal role, it merits to explain the tale of how I became involved with esports in the first place. Alpine may have been founded in 2019, but our story goes way back.
Growing up in the early 2000s enabled me to absorb every detail of the new era of digital computer games. On the weekends, I and my younger brother, Jonathan, would wake up in the early morning, and escape from our bedrooms to the “computer” room upstairs. Without hesitation, we would boot up our mammoth Dell computer, hop onto our favorite gaming sites, and play for hours until we could register the climbing of footsteps by our parents.
Jonathan and I had an interesting gaming arrangement. He almost never gamed. In fact, he preferred to carefully spectate as I participated in the action. This dynamic lasted for years, until one day, Jonathan discovered Rocket League. From then on, our roles had reversed, and now I was the proud sister watching my brother (a semi-professional player), compete at a live event at the convention center in Minneapolis.
Traditional sports never succeeded to pique my interest. However, while spectating my brother’s tournament, I found myself massively entertained. Then all of a sudden, it hit me: esports is an incredible business opportunity. As an entrepreneur, it was simply impossible to neglect the implications of this industry on a global scale. Therefore, putting our two passions together (esports and business), we soon unleashed Alpine into the wild.
As an organization, we strive to translate our passion for esports into an actionable social impact cause by building a strong local gaming community through tournaments, events, educational seminars, and more. At the present moment, we hold weekly online tournaments for our community, as well as live events on a monthly/bi-monthly basis.
Within the organization, my brother and I take on specific roles to maximize our abilities and our operational efficiency. As the “business” brain of Alpine, my role is to focus on strategic brand growth/marketing campaigns, oversee sponsorship/partnership deals, foster and maintain investor relations, and conduct business intelligence. On the other side of the coin, my brother is in charge of vital processes, such as maintaining our gaming communication channels, organizing events, and serving as a direct conduit to the Rocket League community.
Esports is a largely male-dominated field, with females making up just 25% of the overall fanbase. Therefore, it is one of my goals to serve as an inspiration for more women to become involved in the industry, and that only opportunity awaits. It’s safe to say that I am beyond excited for what is to come with regards to the future of Alpine, and the billion dollar esports realm at large.
