Davante Adams is in Miami, gearing up to put on the show of a lifetime.
No, no; Adams won’t be taking the field wearing the Green and Gold on Sunday in Super Bowl LIV. But he will be gaming in a different way on Friday at In The Know Bowl 2020, a Call of Duty Pro-Am that pairs NFL players alongside esports pros.
The single-elimination 2v2 “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” tournament is hosted by Misfits Gaming Group’s Florida Mutineers and will be broadcast by Call of Duty commentators MerK and Maven. In The Know is Verizon Media’s mobile video publishing platform.
Packers players have long loved their gaming pursuits, analog, PC, console, or otherwise…when they have time for them. Take Blake Martinez and his DOTA 2 exploits or the entire 2015 offensive line and “Settlers of Catan.” For Adams, it was all “Madden”, all the time until he picked up “Call of Duty: WWII” when a buddy got him into it in 2017. In 2018, Adams admitted to Men’s Health that he tries to get as much sleep as possible, but his love of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” sometimes makes it challenging.
Since then, Adams has been a little busy developing into a premier NFL receiver, getting married, and welcoming his first child. But he’s been quietly playing Call of Duty in his rare downtime. Some Packers teammates play, as well; as Adams told The Spun in October, though, perhaps only Equanimeous St. Brown rivals his own prowess.
We’ll see if Adams has been getting enough reps in to take on esports pros and his competitors across the NFL at In The Know Bowl 2020.
For the Pro-Am, Adams was initially paired with Atlanta FaZe Call of Duty pro Hannah ‘NoisyButters’ Bryan, but she had to pull out of the tournament due to flu, she announced Thursday. Adams’ new teammate has yet to be announced.
The full Call of Duty Pro-Am roster is as follows:
Davante Adams and TBA
Ronnie Stanley and Cody ‘Clix’ Conrod
Keenan Allen and Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson
Todd Gurley and Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez
Leonard Williams and Tom ‘OGRE2’ Ryan
Dwayne Haskins and Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon
Landon Collins and Caesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno
Leonard Fournette and Bradley ‘Frosty’ Bergstrom
“We’re honored to work with Verizon ITK to show audiences around the world how thrilling and accessible esports can be, even for fans who don’t consider themselves ‘gamers.’ Competition is competition whether it’s on the field or online, and the Florida Mutineers are ready to lead their NFL teammates to glory through their shared goal: dominate in Call of Duty,” said Ben Spoont, CEO and Co-Founder of Misfits Gaming Group.
“Bringing NFL titans and esports stars together not only converges fan bases and interests, but truly represents the exciting state of sports for young audiences. The players are extremely excited by this opportunity and we’re eager to help create this cultural moment,” said Joanna Lambert, Head of Consumer, Verizon Media.
Packers fans can see Adams show off his gaming prowess at In The Know Bowl 2020 on Friday, January 31, at 5pm ET. The event will be streamed on In the Know’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as the Florida Mutineers’ YouTube channel.