# Chris DeAppolonio

> Chris DeAppolonio is the CEO of Evil Geniuses, North America's oldest esports organization. A sports-business lifer who wrote his 2008 NYU master's thesis on the coming rise of professional gaming, he spent a decade in traditional sports marketing before crossing into esports as a team president and innovation chief. He now runs EG on a data-first, 'Moneyball' philosophy, pairing proprietary analytics and AI with player development to scout undervalued talent and chase championships.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Evil Geniuses
- **Organizations:** Evil Geniuses, Houston Outlaws, Infinite Esports & Entertainment, Genesco Sports Enterprises, Jack Morton Worldwide
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** M.S. in Sports Business, New York University, B.A. in History, Lafayette College
- **Known for:** Leads Evil Geniuses, the oldest North American esports organization (founded 1999) with 180+ championships., EG's data and analytics tools contributed to winning the 2023 VALORANT Champions (VCT) world title., Helped build the LCS team that won the 2022 LCS Spring Finals Championship.

## Career timeline

- **2006-2008** — Earned an M.S. in Sports Business at NYU; wrote his master's thesis 'Playing with the Big Boys: The Rise of Professional Gaming.'
- **2008-2018** — Spent roughly a decade in traditional sports marketing, directing strategy for blue-chip clients at agencies including Jack Morton Worldwide and Genesco Sports Enterprises, with early stops at MLB and the New York Rangers.
- **2018-2019** — Served as EVP of Partnerships at Infinite Esports & Entertainment, parent of the Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming.
- **2019** — Named President of the Overwatch League's Houston Outlaws, leading business and competitive operations.
- **2020** — Joined Evil Geniuses as Chief Innovation Officer.
- **2023** — Appointed Interim CEO of Evil Geniuses in September after Nicole LaPointe Jameson stepped down, while retaining the Chief Innovation Officer role.
- **2024** — Named permanent CEO of Evil Geniuses.

## Achievements

- Leads Evil Geniuses, the oldest North American esports organization (founded 1999) with 180+ championships.
- EG's data and analytics tools contributed to winning the 2023 VALORANT Champions (VCT) world title.
- Helped build the LCS team that won the 2022 LCS Spring Finals Championship.
- Pioneered the use of proprietary data science and AI to scout undervalued League of Legends talent in North America.
- Built leading talent development programs within EG.

## Latest updates

- **2024** — Named permanent CEO of Evil Geniuses after serving as interim chief executive.
- **2025-04** — Featured in NYU's alumni newsletter discussing leading Evil Geniuses and the rapid evolution of esports.

## Links

- Website: https://evilgeniuses.gg
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdeappolonio/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/deapps

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chris-deappolonio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25