ATLANTA -- Prized prospect Dansby Swanson, who made his major league debut for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, will get his first taste of a division rivalry when he faces the Washington Nationals in a four-game series that begins Thursday at Turner Field.The National League East-leading Nationals (70-49) will open a four-game series against the last-place Braves (44-76). Washington will send rookie right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (1-1, 5.74) against Atlanta rookie right-hander Rob Whalen (1-1, 7.31) in a rematch of the Sunday game that Washington won 8-7.Im excited about watching him play, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. Better to get him out there than have him sitting around. We want him to play. We made the trade, we got him up and we want to see him play.Swanson was recalled after the Braves traded veteran Erick Aybar to Detroit for utilityman Mike Aviles and a minor league catcher on Tuesday. The spot on the 40-man roster opened up after the club designated Aviles for assignment. Swanson was in the lineup Wednesday night.This is what Ive been working for since I was a little kid, Swanson said. I think Im ready for it and time will tell.Swanson went 2-for-4 in his major league debut on Wednesday while hitting eighth. He did not have a chance in the field.Swanson, 22, was the No. 1 player chosen in the 2015 draft but was traded less than a year later by Arizona in a trade that sent right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks. Swanson, who grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, was an All-America at Vanderbilt.Swanson split the 2016 season between High-A Carolina and Double-A Mississippi, hitting a combined .275 with nine homers in 105 games. He becomes the first No. 1 pick to debut in the season following his selection since Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who was drafted in 2009 and debuted in 2010.The Nationals are eager to get another look at Lopez, who will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and make his third major league start. Lopez last pitched on Saturday, which allows him to start on full rest.Lopez struggled in his first two starts. He allowed six runs on 10 hits, but struck out nine, in 4 2/3 innings against the Dodgers, and gave up three runs, but with five walks, in four innings against the Giants. But he bounced back to limit the Braves to one run in seven innings of work on Aug. 13.The Nationals hope Lopez can hang onto that spot in the rotation until Joe Ross is able to return from his bout with right shoulder inflammation.Id rather settle on one guy, but that depends on the person, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. If one guys steps up, that would make our decision a lot easier.Atlanta is giving Whalen another shot. The rookie, acquired last year from the Mets along with right-hander John Gant, was tagged for six runs in five innings of his most recent start against Washington. Pacific Color Hydro Flask . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Hydro Flask 24 Oz White .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. http://www.cheaphydroflaskstore.com/purple-hydro-flask.html . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. White 40 Oz Hydro Flask . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Cobalt . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Video games and sports: Its a marriage that is somehow equal parts unlikely and inevitable. Im not talking about Madden, FIFA or NBA 2K. These games are certainly popular, but theyve never gained significant traction within the competitive gaming industry, more commonly known as esports.Instead, major players, owners and even teams from the world of traditional sports are expanding their business endeavors into games that dont resemble traditional sports, such as League of Legends, Overwatch and Counter-Strike. Put simply, people throughout the sports world are starting to bet big on the potential for video games to match or surpass their traditional sports counterparts in viewership and revenue generation. The question is: Could sports investment help alleviate the problems of monetization, dispute resolutions and sponsorships?Whats happened?Monday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers announced the acquisition of esports teams Dignitas and Apex, making them the first North American professional sports team to own an esports team. Twenty-four hours later, Team Liquid announced that Peter Guber, co-owner of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Dodgers, and Ted Leonsis, majority owner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, acquired a controlling interest in the esports organization.These acquisitions represent perhaps the watershed moment in a wave of interest and resulting investment from key figures throughout the sports world that are looking to capitalize on the relatively nascent, but incredibly popular esports industry.Former NBA player Rick Fox founded his own team, Echo Fox, while current Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko purchased the Renegades. Sacramento Kings minority partners Andy Miller, Mark Mastrov and Shaquille ONeal, along with Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins, all own a stake in NRG. Steve Kaplan, a co-owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, is an owner of Immortals. And all of this is just within the past year.European sports teams are following suit. German soccer team FC Schalke 04 bought a spot in the European League of Legends Championship Series. Football clubs Manchester City, West Ham and Wolfsburg have also signed individual players to represent their brands.The teams business isnt the only part of the esports industry attracting interest. Turner Broadcasting has now produced and broadcasted esports events in multiple different titles, while Heroes of the Storms college tournament, Heroes of the Dorm, has been on television for the past two years. Meanwhile, one of the largest talent agencies in the world, WME-IMG, acquired Global eSports Management and established an entire esports vertical.And thats not even everyone. The band Linkin Park, actor Ashton Kutcher, Nets point guard Jeremy Lin ... they all haave some vested interest in esports somewhere.ddddddddddddHow can sports help esports?The esports industry is already massive, and is growing quickly. Far more importantly, people from traditional sports are in a unique position to help springboard that growth and level up the business practices of the industry.Esports is at a major crossroads. While competitive gaming has been around since the advent of video games themselves, its never been a particularly successful stand-alone industry. Instead, esports have long been viewed as a great way to market games.Now were on the cusp of something much bigger. Esports have the potential to become full-fledged spectator sports that create global superstars and generate revenue in keeping with their popularity.In order to make this transition, the esports industry has a lot to learn. Esports shouldnt simply copy the infrastructure that has been built around traditional sports, but it shouldnt reinvent the wheel either. As Ive written about in the past, esports lack the type of dispute resolution mechanisms that are common throughout traditional sports. This is just one area where esports could benefit from integrating concepts that have been debated and developed in traditional sports for decades.Perhaps the biggest potential for growth lies in monetization. Having 36 million viewers for the League of Legends World Finals is amazing, as is selling out Madison Square Garden or the Staples Center. But popularity has to start translating to revenue.Traditional sports figures bring with them experience in selling sponsorships, merchandise, media rights and much more, not to mention connections to key decision-makers in each area. Sports can also help create ties to local fan bases and revenue streams, which is a major untapped resource in the esports industry because teams have historically not been connected to a particular city or even geographic region.I firmly believe that by 2060, the most popular video game in the world will rival soccer in competitive infrastructure, popularity and monetization. In order to get there, we need some help. The Sixers, Peter Guber, Shaq and wide array of other people and organizations from traditional sports that are already involved with esports, not to mention those who are eager to follow in their footsteps, are exactly what we need to level up the esports ecosystem and help it reach its extraordinary potential.Editors note: Bryce Blum practices at IME Law, where he represents a variety of esports teams, including many referenced in this article. Bryce represents Team Liquid and worked on the Sixers acquisition of Dignitas and Apex. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '