Together with the GGL Academy, which is scheduled to debut in 2025, and a massive Las Vegas compound that was officially unveiled in December 2024, the Global Gaming League seeks to change the culture of gaming entertainment.
The Global Gaming League (GGL) is the world’s first-of-its-kind multi-title gaming entertainment league set to revolutionize the industry; composed of high-profile celebrity team owners whose four-player teams of skilled and casual gamers, popular personalities, and influencers compete live in-person gaming tournaments in Las Vegas. Teams play both new video games (Call of Duty, Rocket League, etc) and retro video games (Pac-man, Donkey Kong), and everything in between, such as Street Fighter, Golden Tee Golf, Mario Kart, and Tetris, to name a few. Founded by renowned disruptor and entertainment mogul Clinton Sparks, The GGL is a gaming entertainment league where gaming, fashion, music, sports, celebrity, and culture converge, bringing the video game lifestyle and culture to the masses while providing an unparalleled live, in-person and virtual interactive and engaging sporting entertainment experience for all ages.
The league will be officially launching with a select group of focused teams led by globally recognized celebrity names across different realms of talent in 2025, following their recent headquarters introduction, which unveiled their 43,000 sq ft. Las Vegas campus. Artists such as multiple Grammy and BET award-winning artists T-Pain and Jermaine Dupri, along with personalities like Bryce Hall and Flavor Flav, have already signed on as team owners, with notable actors, global music artists and DJs, sports figures, and internationally renowned personalities representing a vast array of industries set to be announced.
“The GGL will make gaming a household name like the WWE did for wrestling and UFC did for mixed martial arts. It’s the fastest-growing form of entertainment in the world, and we all game, yet it’s completely disconnected from mainstream pop culture and the streets. This is what The Global Gaming League is going to change.” adds T-Pain.
“The GGL is here to disrupt the over $200 billion dollar gaming industry by converging gaming, music, fashion, sports, celebrity, and culture while authentically integrating and elevating gaming into mainstream and pop culture,” adds CEO, Grammy-nominated producer and League Founder, Clinton Sparks. “Gaming is the fastest growing form of entertainment in the world and generates more revenue than the movie and music industries combined with almost 500 billion projected revenue by 2028, and has true global appeal. We created a model that will connect cultures, build international bridges, uplift underserved communities, and close age gaps.”
Further, Sparks adds, “We’re all familiar with massive established leagues like the NBA and MLS, as well as even newly formed leagues like the LIV Golf League and Major League PickleBall. These leagues allow aspiring athletes and professional hopefuls an opportunity, something for fans to watch, as well as products to be sold. However, none of these produce the revenue that the gaming industry generates, yet, there is no league for the billions of casual gamers around the world to aspire to become a part of, build a career in, make money, elevate their notoriety, or compete in. And, there certainly isn’t anything in this massive industry that connects to culture, has mainstream relevancy, or provides entertainment to the non-endemic gaming community. That is where GGL comes in.”
Unlike the many leagues tied to sport (NFL, NBA, MLB), who are focused on playing one sport, with one season, and representing one region. The GGL comprises all sports (meaning all game genres) and is year round, establishing it as the only true global sport that is played in every region around the world from Asia, India, to Europe and The Middle East, to both South and North America.
Further notes Sparks, “The GGL will engage and introduce communities and cultures that are not aware of the viable careers, opportunities, and possibilities that gaming provides. Much like sports and music have been looked at as a path to a better life, especially for those of us from less privileged communities, gaming is a third vertical that almost no one is talking about publicly or even knows about, generating hundreds of billions of dollars.”
The Global Gaming League, founded by Clinton Sparks, along with partners T-Pain and Jeff Hoffman, states, “Esports, which is the current form of organized gaming, is reserved for the hardcore, endemic gamer who grinds 8-15 hours a day hoping to be drafted to an esports organization that hopefully gets selected to be in a closed league that costs millions of dollars to participate in. Our goal is to create accessibility and appeal to the masses, provide opportunities and possibilities that do not currently exist for gamers, and to remove the stigma around gaming being a ‘waste of time,’ or ‘only for young kids.”
“There are billions of gamers around the world, some of the biggest celebrities on the planet are gamers, there is massive interest from major brands wanting to be connected to gaming, game publishers are looking to expand their IP and grow their audience, investors are seeking meaningful ways to invest in gaming, and gamers want to be legitimized as true athletes for their skill. This was the motivation to create The GGL. During my time building Faze Clan and XSET, I recognized all of these needs and realized my unique position, with my background and experience, could fulfill these needs and solve these problems.” Adds CEO, Clinton Sparks
The league also provides opportunity to casual gamers around the world, and those in underserved communities by giving them the chance to join the league via the GGLs global nomination submission process, where gamers from Tokyo, Thailand, Toronto, to Nigeria, Boston and Brazil or anywhere else can log onto globalgamingleague.com and submit themselves or someone they choose to be considered to join one of the celebrity owned teams.
Notes GGL Chairman of the Board Jeff Hoffman,“Gaming is much bigger and more valuable than most people know. Schools now have scholarships for gamers, which helps with critical thinking, strategy, and problem-solving, future engineers are gamers, and studies show that gaming helps with depression and focus. We put our kids in football and baseball and hope that after 15 years of dribbling a basketball, they will go pro in that sport, but less than 2% of athletes ever go pro. Gaming is faster, less expensive, and a safer sport that can be played at any age.”
Jeff Hoffman, GGL Chairman of the Board, is an award-winning global entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide keynote speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, producer of a Grammy Award-winning jazz album, and Executive Producer of an Emmy Award-winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, serving as CEO of both public and private companies. Jeff was instrumental in a number of well-known successful startups, such as Priceline.com and Booking.com, uBid.com , and more. Jeff is the Managing Partner of Jeff Hoffman Advisory Services and CEO of World Youth Horizons on the philanthropic front. https://www.jeffhoffman.com/
‘As of 2024, the global gaming market is projected to grow from $286.61 billion in 2024 to $453.74 billion by 2028. Gaming shapes culture and commerce while influencing movies, music, and fashion. The industry has experienced significant growth over the years, with the rise of mobile gaming, esports, and the increasing popularity of streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, which have millions of engaged viewers. The industry is expected to continue its growth trajectory in the coming years, driven by the launch of new gaming consoles, advancements in technology such as virtual and augmented reality, and the increasing demand for immersive gaming experiences. The video game industry is now one of the most valuable and fastest growing entertainment industries in the world.’ (*NJIT.edu)
Clinton Sparks, CEO of the Global Gaming League, is a respected entertainment mogul, author, speaker, entrepreneur, proven visionary, brand builder, and leading-edge innovator in integrating culture, collaboration, and cross-platform marketing. He has an outstanding track record of success and a background in managing multiple products from ideation to market launch. Clinton is also a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum music producer, songwriter, and DJ responsible for over 80 million records sold to date.
Clinton has worked with notable artists and brands, from Samsung to Beyoncé, Pepsi to Eminem, Lady Gaga, Dash Radio, Kanye West, DJ Snake, Rick Ross, and Snoop Dog. Clinton is an expert in culture convergence, and his business and marketing expertise has helped him build multiple multi-million-dollar companies by implementing innovative marketing strategies that continue to shape and shift culture today. As VP of Business Development at Faze Clan, Clinton intersected gaming with other industries, recruited high-profile names like Pitbull, Offset, Troy Carter, and Swae Lee, and helped raise $40 million dollars – resulting in an almost $2 billion IPO.
Clinton continued pushing gaming into the mainstream and advocating it as a career path for underserved communities by co-founding XSET, where he raised millions of dollars and created groundbreaking initiatives. These included building the first-ever gaming lounge in a Las Vegas nightclub, partnering with The Boston Red Sox, and signing hip-hop artist Tee Grizzley to the company as a character inside GTA and NFL star Ezekiel Elliott.
From being integral in the launch of Eminem’s Shade 45 radio on SiriusXM, bringing talents like Kay Slay and Statik Selektah to the channel, to co-founding and building a multi-million-dollar music publishing company, Get Familiar Music, discovering and signing DJ Snake and DJ Tchami, Clinton is a brand builder whose ability to forecast trends and intersect cultures has established him as a recognized expert in culture convergence and business growth.
T-Pain, GGL Board Member and Executive Director of Strategy has not only changed the course of pop, hip-hop, and R&B but has reshaped the fabric of culture itself. He’s sold over 50 million singles, accumulated billions of streams, racked up 10 iconic #1s on the Billboard Hot 100, and captivated the world with his charismatic live performances, earning a reputation as a global phenomenon. Since emerging in 2004, T-Pain’s influence has transcended generations in music and more. He shines as a Twitch phenomenon and uber-popular streamer, head of his own Nappy Boy Entertainment, Nappy Boy Automotive, Nappy Boy Gaming & Nappy Boy Dranks, podcast host, director and editor, expert drift driver, actor, author, and spokesperson. To stay up to date on all things T-Pain, please visit www.tpain.com and www.nappyboy.net, and follow on social media channels @Tpain on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch, and @T-Pain across Facebook, Threads.
All of these relationships and combined industry expertise surely will contribute to the success of The Global Gaming League, which strategically enters the market at a time where the conversation about gaming is more relevant than ever.
Follow the Global Gaming League on social media @globalgamingleague
