The Shanghai Dragons Are The Most Compelling Sports Story Currently Happening

The mantra worst to first is pipe dream rarely realized. Famously the 1969 Mets won the World Series after finishing no better than second to last since entering the league in 1962. However in the fifty years since this feat was accomplished it has rarely been duplicated. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the team secured their last place spot by going winless (0-40) in what was one of the worst season long performances by a professional franchise ever. All that lead up to history being made on Sunday when the Shanghai Dragons became Overwatch League Stage 3 champions.  

Courtesy of Robert Paul-Blizzard Entertainment

The path from league laughing stalk to esports immortality involved a lot of tough decisions and resilience. In season 1 the Dragons looked to form a roster using only player from China. An experiment that worked out extremely poorly and caused a midseason shake up that continued into the offseason. The only day one player from the inaugural season roster that remains with the team is Weida “Diya” Lu. The first big move was signing South Korean Flex/Tank Seyeon “Geguri” Kim in February 2018. In October of 2018 the squad added South Korea players Minseong “Diem” Bae, Jinhyeok “DDing” Yang, Seonghyeon “Luffy” Yang, Kyungwoo “CoMa” Son and Junhwan “GuardiaN” Jo. Days before season 1 was set to begin they traded for Boston Uprising Tank Youngjin “Gamsu” Noh. Finally in June of 2019 they added Lee “Envy” Kang-Jae from the Toronto Defiant. 

With this revamped roster the team entered Stage 1 of the four stages that make up the Overwatch League as a dark horse playoff contender. They would secure their first win over Gamsu’s former team the Boston Uprising on February 23rd, 2019. Eventually finishing the stage with a record of 3-4 just missing out on the final playoff spot. The Dragons were no longer a team to be taken lightly. 

This continued into Stage 2 when Shanghai would finally break through and make the playoffs as the 8th seed with a record of 4-3. They would lose 3-1 to the eventual Stage champions the San Francisco shock, but they proved that Stage 1 was no fluke. 

Stage 3 marked the turning point from dark horse to serious contender. They topped the Los Angeles Valiant twice, as well as the LA Gladiators, Guangzhou Charge and Philadelphia Fusion finishing with a 5-2 record securing the 8th seed once again. Being the lowest ranked seed headed into the playoffs presented the Dragons with a murders row of a postseason opponents. First up they would face off with the only team to win multiple Stage playoffs in the New York Excelsior, they won 3-1. Then they would have to top the Stage 1 champions the Vancouver Titans who they easily handled 4-1. Finally a rematch against reigning champions and the team that eliminated Shanghai in Stage 2 the San Francisco Shock. 

The Dragons looked like world beaters as they jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead in the best of 7 series. Then it looked as if the clock had struck midnight as the Shock found their footing with some nice adjustments and managed to tie the game at 3-3. With momentum and history on their side it appeared the evening was set to end in heartbreak for the upstart Dragons. The game would end on Dorado as the Dragons held on to win 2-1. DDing was named MVP after posting ridiculous stats while playing Pharah. 

Courtesy of Overwatch League 

The Shanghai Dragons winning the Stage 3 championship is everything that makes sports great. The idea that through hard work, savvy roster moves and clutch performances a ragtag group of underdogs can scale the mountain and become champions keeps fans and players invested. To date six different teams have won stage championships in seven stages, evidence of parity unheard of in other major sports. That’s story the Overwatch League is telling so far, and that’s why the Shanghai Dragons going from worst to first is the best current story in sports. 

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