Chris DeAppolonio Named President of The Houston Outlaws

Mentioned in this article

The Houston Outlaws this morning named Infinite Esports & Entertainment Executive VP/Partnerships Chris DeAppolonio president of the Overwatch League team. 

The Outlaws had been owned by Infinite, but amid Immortals Gaming Club’s acquisition of Infinite – whose assets include the Outlaws and OpTic Gaming — Immortals is divesting the Outlaws, reportedly to Houston-based businessman Lee Zieben, according to ESPN. 

DeAppolonio joined Infinite in 2018 after previous jobs at Genesco Sports Enterprises and Jack Morton Worldwide, and he will lead the team as it plans to host its first home games next season. 

He said in a statement that having “previously worked on the Outlaws brand and with the players and staff, I have great relationships in place and know we have a very bright future.”

DeAppolonio also offered a more verbose statement on LinkedIn:  

“I am extremely excited to announce my new role as president of the Houston Outlaws.  Moving forward, I will be leading business and team operations for the Outlaws, one of the most popular teams in the Overwatch League.  The brand, players, and staff are near to my heart having worked on partnerships and marketing for the Outlaws over the past 18 months in my previous position.  The future is very bright for our team; we have the best fans in the Overwatch League, an undeniably popular and memorable roster of pro players, and an unmatched ability to provide national and local esports promotional opportunities.”

Adam Stern is a writer for Sports Business Journal, where this article first appeared.