The Washington Post reports that Overwatch League sponsors Coca-Cola, State Farm and State Farm have re-evaluated their support for the competition following a lawsuit by Activision Blizzard, a games publisher, over a culture of sexual harassment. T-Mobile, another sponsor of the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, made the statements earlier in the week.Coca-Cola stated to the Washington Post in a statement that it was aware of Activision Blizzard's allegations and that it was [taking] a moment to reconsider future plans. A spokesperson for the company wouldn't confirm whether the company would end its sponsorship of the league.State Farm stated that it is reviewing its relationship with the Overwatch League and asked that advertisements not be shown during matches.State Farm asked that there be no ad running on the weekends matchesThese partnerships are a significant source of revenue for Activision Blizzards, which also owns broadcasting rights and pay franchise fees. Logos and advertisements for these brands are often prominently displayed during broadcasts. Sometimes, branded Coca-Cola cups can be seen alongside commentators. Coca-Cola and State Farm are just two of seven brands that appear on the Overwatch Leagues' partners page. The Verge did not receive a response from any of the other listed companies.These statements are made after viewers noticed that T-Mobile's branding had disappeared from Call of Duty League and Overwatch League broadcasts earlier in the week. T-Mobile's branding is no longer on the Overwatch League list of sponsors and has been absent from tweets about it. The New York Subliners team was seen wearing duct tape on their jerseys over T-Mobile's logo during a Call of Duty League match. T-Mobile didn't respond to our request for comment.In the wake of a lawsuit filed by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging widespread harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard, sponsors are reviewing their support. Employees protested the lawsuit and demanded that forced arbitration be stopped in employee contracts.Two top-ranking employees left the company following the allegations against J. Allen Brack, the president of Blizzard, and Jesse Meschuk, the head of global human resource for the company. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick promised to swiftly investigate the claims and has promised to do so. Employees criticized Kotick's inaction on key issues.
