Ahead of the Call of Duty League Major V Tournament later this month Bell—one of Canada’s largest internet service providers—announced that it has insured the most important appendages of the top players on Call of Duty League team the Toronto Ultra. The announcement was initially made on social media by the team.
The company has insured Ultra players Tobias ‘Cleanx’ Juul Jonsson, Charlie ‘Hicksy’ Hicks, Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven, Joseph ‘Joee’ Pinnington, and Thomas ‘Scrap’ Ernst for up to $1M USD, in the event of any accidents or other calamites.
While the news might be seen as a “joke,” a “gimmick,” or even a “publicity stunt” (and it certainly is in some regards), it is not unheard of for professionals in other fields (sports, acting, dancing, singing, etc.) to insure certain body parts for millions of dollars. Lloyd’s of London is notorious for providing policies in the six- and seven-figure range to actors and singers, as detailed in this 2019 article.
Bell is a key partner of Ultra parent company OverActive Media, which also operates Overwatch League team Toronto Defiant and MAD Lions. Bell initially signed on a partner in 2019, and then extended that partnership for multiple years in 2022.
OverActive Media’s other partners include EPOS, electric vehicle manufacturer SEAT, financial services company Imagin, Red Bull, TD Bank, and NFT company Zilliqa.
