Backstreet Boys Launch Backstreet Gamers Esports Team
The Backstreet Boys have entered esports with Backstreet Gamers (BSG), a celebrity-owned team in the Global Gaming League (GGL), according to a GGL press release dated October 29, 2026.
Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson join the league as celebrity team owners. The group also unveiled the team's logo and mascot.
BSG will compete against other celebrity-led teams in the GGL, including squads led by T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Howie Mandel, Flavor Flav and GilliedaKing and Wallo26. Teams play across multiple video game titles, and live matches mix gameplay with music and celebrity appearances.
The league was founded by chief executive Clinton Sparks with T-Pain and Priceline co-founder Jeff Hoffman. Its model combines celebrity ownership, live competition and global media distribution, with a pathway for emerging players to reach the professional league.
The Search For Players
The announcement came as GGL launched DRFT SZN on GGL PRIMES, its 24/7 online competition platform. Players can enter online tournaments there, build a reputation and pursue a place on a celebrity-owned team.
The Backstreet Boys are scouting their inaugural roster and have said they are especially keen to recruit women gamers. AJ McLean said in the release that anyone with the skill, drive and confidence to compete should show what they can do, and that selected players would help build the team from day one.
Carter said in the release that the group loves gaming and a little trash talk, and wants players who are ready to put Backstreet Gamers on the map. He added that the team gives the band another way to connect with its fans.
Casino Games Hub
Why GGL Says It Matters
Sparks told The Esports Radar in an interview that the point of celebrity owners is to bring audiences into gaming who were not paying attention before. He said the league's social channels had received hundreds of messages from Backstreet Boys fans, some of them gamers and others considering getting started.
On the money side, Sparks said the group's contribution is its identity and involvement rather than a conventional financial investment. Under the GGL structure, celebrity owners bring their names, likenesses and audiences while the league provides the infrastructure to run the team. Merchandise and sponsorship revenue sit within a revenue-sharing arrangement, whether a brand is introduced by the league or by the owners.
The release puts the wider gaming audience at $200 billion a year in revenue and 3.6 billion users, and presents the Backstreet Boys' fan base as a built-in community for the team.
What To Watch
The next step is the roster. Backstreet Gamers has a name, a logo and owners, but no named players yet, so the first signings from GGL PRIMES will show how quickly the team can compete.
Readers following eSports and its betting markets can keep up in the Gambling.com news hub or compare eSports operators on our betting sites page.
