High School Dropout Becomes the Highest-Paid Pro Gamer, Still Needs Mom to Sign Contract
By Kyle Encina
American “Overwatch” pro player Jay Won had to drop out of high school to pursue his esports career, but he was too young to sign the high-paying contract himself.
The 17-year-old, who goes by the in-game name “Sinatraa”, earned himself an enormous $150,000 contract with NRG sports.
However, Won needed his mother to sign the contract since he was still considered a minor, according to Mashable. Won’s contract is triple the amount of the $50,000 minimum annual salary that pro players receive, which makes him the highest-paid in pro gaming.
With a higher-than-average annual salary it’s no wonder “Sinatraa” decided to drop out of “real high school” to pursue esports full-time. Despite nabbing one of the highest-paying contracts in esports, the “Overwatch” pro still isn’t completely disregarding his education as he revealed that he’s still taking online courses along with his career.
top this @Risexretzi best pulse na pic.twitter.com/FXI96CrwWX
— Jay Won (@sinatraaOW) June 8, 2017
According to ESPN, Won’s path to professional gaming started at an early age, stemming from his love of first-person shooter games. Sinatraa started playing “Halo 3”, then moved on to “Call of Duty” and “Counter-Strike”, until he eventually ended up with the popular competitive shooter “Overwatch.”
Since the “Overwatch” pro competed in tournaments at a very young age, he needed parental supervision in order to attend events. Fortunately for Won, his parents are supportive of him, telling him to always pursue his passion.
“They always let me play video games and were never super strict about things. So they wanted me to pursue my passion, no matter what,” he added.
Won only fantasized about becoming a professional gamer when he was a child, but it is now turning out to be a reality.
Won’s next competition is in November, and he and the North American “Overwatch” World Cup team will go up against South Korea at BlizzCon in California.
Featured Image via Twitter / sinatraaOW
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