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BoxeR is BoxeR. Old school players love him because of what he represents. Newcomers are excited by the legacy.
If I just started to play basket, the first thing I would do is watching VODs of Michael Jordan, even if I only know his name and that he used to be the best, without actually knowing much about him.
edit : oh I also know he played for the Chicago Bulls. Right ?!
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Well, to be devil's advocate, I think he is pointing more toward those who support Boxer 'casually' without knowing any of the stuff above posters mentioned (if someone like that actually exists in meaningful amount), and that some of BW pros who crossed over might not be getting all attention they deserve because people's attention do not exist in infinite quantity.
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On August 02 2011 02:23 Mikilatov wrote: To say Boxer hasn't earned respect is the most ludicrous thing I've read today. It's not about his current ability as a player, it's about his history, past and current. Pretty much, Boxer is a living legend of E-SPORTS
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Because watching him surge through MLG was like watching his OSL So1 semi-finals comeback against Pusan.
Because seeing him happy makes us all happy.
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Theres so much wrong here, most of which I won't even touch.
But one thing I'll comment on-- what the hell is wrong with people new to the scene hearing hype about this living legend, then, being inspired to learn more about him, becoming fans even though they weren't "around" or "in the scene" or "there when it happened" at the time?
Its out of control elitist hipsterism with a dash of ignorance, and a not-so-subtle pinch of better-than-thou-because-I-KNOW-things-that-I-think-some-of-you-guys-don't.
I didn't follow broodwar. I got 'into' the competitive gaming scene recently. But I first knew about BoxeR from a bunch of korean exchange student friends I had back in 2001. We would play broodwar on the student residence LAN every single day. Does that make it okay for me to be a rabid boxer fan in whatever criteria exists in your mind?
Anyways, re: Nada/July its not like him being popular detracts from others' popularity.
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My favorite player in BW is Bisu.
My favorite player in SC2 is HuK or MC.
My favorite professional ever is Boxer.
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I may be new to the esports community but after i watched that Korean documentary on just boxers exploits in sc2 he gained a lot of respect from me.
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On August 02 2011 02:23 Mikilatov wrote: To say Boxer hasn't earned respect is the most ludicrous thing I've read today. It's not about his current ability as a player, it's about his history, past and current.
This.
You talk about people overlooking NaDa's achievements, and then you completely overlook BoxeR's history. And I'm not even talking about his ability to micro.
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You should be informed before you write a blog. Seriously, oh, you must known so much since Nada had gained so many rewards. If you truly followed e-Sports since at least 2004, you would realize that Boxer was an iconic figure that led to one of the first sponsored teams in Korea and has done more since including creating a Starcraft team in the Korean Air Force.
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On August 02 2011 02:23 Mikilatov wrote: To say Boxer hasn't earned respect is the most ludicrous thing I've read today. It's not about his current ability as a player, it's about his history, past and current.
Exactly. This blog comes from someone with no understanding of charisma or what makes a player great in any sport. Accomplishments are important, check. Boxer has 'em. On top of that is he's not a dick like Idra or someone, he doesn't whine, he's this cheerful, outgoing, lovable figure.
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In terms of achievements as a player, the guy is right. Nada is too much overlooked compared to BoxeR.
But BoxeR is a LOT more than just a player. He is an e-sports figure and there is no denial for that.
Thing is, BoxeR actually has a bandwagon among sc2 players, they see him as the destined killer of Brood War and think that SC2 will take over BW because of him. This attitude is disgusting and I hate that. As a person who watches and plays both games, I want both games to exist together.
And another thing, up until the MLG, he was no longer good enough as a player. It's not because of his age or anything of that sort, he was just not the old BoxeR anymore. During the BW days, there were people more mechanically skilled than BoxeR, yes. But he never got outsmarted, out-game sensed or outplayed by anyone (which has never happened to Nestea, who shines with his game sense and strategies rather than mechanical skills, he even has a nickname: Detective Zerg). In Sc2, until this MLG, we saw that. In code a, he just got outsmarted, out-game sensed and outplayed by a newcomer. But, it was quite different in the MLG and I hope he goes like that.
On August 02 2011 02:58 See.Blue wrote:Show nested quote +On August 02 2011 02:23 Mikilatov wrote: To say Boxer hasn't earned respect is the most ludicrous thing I've read today. It's not about his current ability as a player, it's about his history, past and current. Exactly. This blog comes from someone with no understanding of charisma or what makes a player great in any sport. Accomplishments are important, check. Boxer has 'em. On top of that is he's not a dick like Idra or someone, he doesn't whine, he's this cheerful, outgoing, lovable figure. 1- There is no understanding of charisma. You just feel it, or you don't feel it, that's it. Respect and feeling the charisma is 2 different things, I respect boxer, but I don't "feel his charisma". 2- After 1.1.1 patch notes came out, he said that he might switch into random if Terran got nerfed a little more. Also, the only reason he played Terran in BW was guess what: A nerf to reavers. He started his BW career as a Protoss, he switched to Terran after reavers got nerfed. I don't say that he is a whiner or anything like that. But you can't outright say that "he doesn't whine".
EDIT: Typo and 5/5 for the blog.
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Katowice25012 Posts
On August 02 2011 01:38 a176 wrote: Placed in blogs as to not upset rabid Boxer fans and potentially get them banned
Whats awesome is that even in blogs this is going to get a billion pages and spawn some serious arguments.
Based on pure performance in the booth you have a point, compared to other legends like NaDa and July he doesn't have much that differentiates him. Outside the booth is a totally different story.
He started a team from scratch that went on to win back to back GSTLs. He picked up a handful of dudes no one had ever heard of and molded them into a strong, cohesive unit. He told a slumping MMA to go and win Columbus and he did. He brought his men to fight in Anaheim and 3 of them placed Top 4.
His celebrity during his prime playing years reached a critical mass point that July and NaDa, for better or worse, never did. Maybe it's because he was the first to truly dominate, maybe it's because of his skills with the media and fans, I have no idea. I didn't come into SC until long after his peak. That point of fame carried over to SC2, and now when people speak of him in hushed tones it lets anyone new know that this man has something special others don't, even among those with golden mice or 87 month KeSPA streaks.
Just watch him on the stage, he is a man of confidence and swagger. He holds himself completely differently than any other progamer - as he should - and that is something people take away and remember. Him being the legend isn't tied to performance, fame and reverence are about qualities that can't be quantified.
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Katowice25012 Posts
On August 02 2011 02:56 kineSiS- wrote: You should be informed before you write a blog. Seriously, oh, you must known so much since Nada had gained so many rewards. If you truly followed e-Sports since at least 2004, you would realize that Boxer was an iconic figure that led to one of the first sponsored teams in Korea and has done more since including creating a Starcraft team in the Korean Air Force.
I can personally confirm a176 has been following BW since the dawn of time.
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Didn't boxer join the Korean's equivalent of the Air Force for a while? Or am I thinking of someone else...
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Being a fan of a player has nothing to do with player skill, I mean, look at all the fans of those foreigners that got mad during MLG
Jokinggg. Sorta.
We're not fans based on results, man.
EDIT for poster above me: All Koreans have mandatory military service, BoxeR went into the military, and he was popular enough that created a military SC:BW team called Air Force ACE for him to play in while he was in the military. However, without good enough practice partners and not enough time to train, BoxeR kind of faded skill-wise in comparison to other players at that time.
MORE EDITS: There's a mandatory comparison to Michael Jordan here, somewhere. He was a great, and he may not be one anymore (though, whatever, he's pretty damn awesome) but you'll still cheer for him because of his legacy. He was THE original SC all-star.
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On August 02 2011 03:21 Horuku wrote: Didn't boxer join the Korean's equivalent of the Air Force for a while? Or am I thinking of someone else...
Every Korean male has mandatory military service. They have a Starcraft team called "Air Force Ace", in which Boxer played for.
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On August 02 2011 03:21 Horuku wrote: Didn't boxer join the Korean's equivalent of the Air Force for a while? Or am I thinking of someone else...
compulsory military service in Korea. Everyone (almost) goes.
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On August 02 2011 03:23 emperorchampion wrote:Show nested quote +On August 02 2011 03:21 Horuku wrote: Didn't boxer join the Korean's equivalent of the Air Force for a while? Or am I thinking of someone else... Every Korean male has mandatory military service. They have a Starcraft team called "Air Force Ace", in which Boxer played for.
"Which BoxeR created" FTFY.
Another one of those "little" things people will remember him for.
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Not going to repeat what basically everyone else said (and they're right), but I will say that Boxer's ability as a SC2 player is quite underrated. The bandwagon of people who expect him to flop in every televised game he plays is actually greater than the bandwagon of his recent fans.
When you think about it, there are a lot of players of lesser ability who have just as many - if not more - fans on TL than Boxer does (such as most foreign players). Starting with a certain NA Zerg player whom Boxer absolutely dominated on the opening day of MLG Anaheim.
If Boxer with his entire history AND his current ability as a player doesn't deserve respect and admiration of the fans, then I don't think you can name more than 20 players who do.
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Blazinghand
United States25546 Posts
You can say what you want about the band wagon, but we're here for a reason; BoxeR isn't just a player, but a legend. His somewhat underwhelming Sc2 performance isn't the reason I'm a fan. I'm a fan because he's The Emperor. BoxeR is a cool dude and an icon of e-sports. I spent hours and hours watching VoDs of his BW play, reading various writeups and bios about him, and what he did for BW, and I'm sure many others have as well.
Bandwagoner. Proudly.
Rated 5/5 for being a courageous blog post
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