What is the name of the Overwatch League team based in New York City?

The Overwatch League team based in New York City was the New York Excelsior, commonly abbreviated as NYXL. The franchise was one of the league’s 12 founding teams and began competing in the inaugural 2018 season.

The team’s name came from New York State’s motto, “Excelsior,” a Latin word meaning “ever upward.” Its flag-inspired logo represented New York City’s diverse communities, skyline, and subway-grid imagery. The franchise was owned by the company originally known as Andbox, which was founded by Sterling.VC and Jeff Wilpon.

NYXL quickly became one of the league’s strongest teams. In 2018, it won the Stage 2 and Stage 3 midseason tournaments, and support player JJoNak became the first Overwatch League regular-season MVP. The team later competed in the league’s Eastern and Western regions as the league’s structure changed.

Readers may encounter the answer in the past tense: the Overwatch League and the New York Excelsior franchise both folded on January 23, 2024. That does not change the team’s historical identity or its New York City connection.