Staircase rails, draped in mistletoe, spiraled upward to Arlo SoHo’s second floor in downtown Manhattan. Nestled in a corner, Johanna Faries switched to her game face and leaned forward in a lounge seat, periodically screening an iPhone for incoming messages and calls.
Did the former 12-year NFL executive ever think she would ever sit in the Call of Duty League’s commissioner chair less than two months before its inaugural season? There’s no time to ask in the first few moments. Faries sat knee-deep in planning for the city-based esports league that will feature 12 professional teams in 11 markets over an 11-week regular season.