Origins of the Nexuses

These are the sports teams of Saijo. While they are multi-million dollar athletic organizations, they are benefactors to their own massive fan community-founded crime markets of the same name, referred to as a nexus.

How did sports teams come to have underworld organizations? The fans, who typically engaged in riotous celebrations after a win (or loss), become comfortable with the aggressive celebrations. As the world’s technology progressed, so did the celebrations, and leaders arose from within the fan community. These influencers would eventually cause a widespread increase in revenue across several sectors. The marketability and economic benefit of loyal fan activities. Initial fines and penalties were far below what traditional marketing budgets allowed, so the franchises became the benefactors of these nexuses of fan economics. This emboldened fans further.

While these nexuses did rally around teams, smaller cliques emerged around star players, providing a veritable army available to the players.

Merchandise from each team’s nexus became a bigger economic force as unofficial and bootleg items brought in substantial revenue. Since fan communities were as diverse as the general population itself, a broad swath of skills was brought into each nexus, usually attracting those that connected with the teams’ identity and branding (Iridium, Wraiths, Sentinels, etc).

Each team and their respective nexus was celebrated internationally through events, movies, music, and merchandise, and the business climate of previously frowned-upon criminal activity had become normalized as regular gameday shenanigans, pre-game parties (tailgating) etc.

This is a new normal. Yet, all the organizational drama within the nexuses and teams continued to exist.