When reading the rcg news I suspected that this is going to come next, but was secretly hoping it will not happen. I'm very sad to hear these news and a bit afraid it's going to have a big impact in the "pro" foreign scene (as esport.fund has been the biggest financial supporter of sc bw as far as I know).
Would love to know the reasons behind the decisions but of course I understand if it's not for the public.
As ax said before: huge huge thanks for all the support esport.fund has given foreign bw!
I still really do hope it is not the end of an "era"! (As the comment only mentioned 2022 and nothing specific for after but one's mind tends to draw "conclusions")

(If I misunderstand the situation then sorry and please disregard my comment.)

pebble444

Italy2503 Posts

November 03 2021 19:22 GMT

#65

I think this is a great opportunity for the community to “take the baton” and continue this wonderful journey;
Think about this: rus Brian and esports.fund poured iirc something like tens of thousands of euros or dollars into broodwar; created a stable and reliable supplier of cash payout for players; which then allowed player to play for a living;
When it started to happen, and when it was and is still happening, it was so flawless and natural that it just felt right, and gratitude was the response; seems like it’s time to come up with new solutions again; our community is so strong that I am sure something is gonna give

ox.tQ

797 Posts

November 03 2021 19:52 GMT

#66

Well said szinkler and pebble. When I came back 'online' last year, I could not believe esportfund and Rus_Brain had spent over $100,000 on the foreign community. I figured there was some sort of 'catch' or detail behind the scenes that I was ignorant of, until I applied for and received two SC grants myself. Then I realized just how lucky we are to have such generous people as part of our community.

And there are many others who spend countless of hours worth of thankless efforts organizing and contributing in-kind to the foreign scene, not to mention all those wonderful stream viewers who tune into various streams to cheer players on and show an interest in the game after all these years, as well as those who donate and subscribe once in a while or frequently.

I've seen a lot of wonderful things in the short time that I have been active, and that is why I have stuck around until now.

Here is to you all, and esport.fund and Rus_Brain in particular

As I have always said to myself, count your blessings about certain things in life, because once they are gone, you will miss them and appreciate their value much more

Edit: I should have also acknowledged the wonderful and indispensable TLnet and staff, whose shoulders this game and community stand on. Thank you all very much for providing this welcoming and comforting space for us to call our home.

kogeT

Poland2042 Posts

November 04 2021 08:07 GMT

#67

Maybe an end of an era, maybe a start of something even greater.

kogeT

Poland2042 Posts

November 04 2021 08:13 GMT

#68

On November 04 2021 04:22 pebble444 wrote:
I think this is a great opportunity for the community to “take the baton” and continue this wonderful journey;
Think about this: rus Brian and esports.fund poured iirc something like tens of thousands of euros or dollars into broodwar; created a stable and reliable supplier of cash payout for players; which then allowed player to play for a living;
When it started to happen, and when it was and is still happening, it was so flawless and natural that it just felt right, and gratitude was the response; seems like it’s time to come up with new solutions again; our community is so strong that I am sure something is gonna give

Maybe we just need Zzzero or someone to run a Starcraft Community fund ("SC Fund" :-)) that would used to sponsor BSL and other events as finance allows.

M3t4PhYzX

Poland4264 Posts

November 04 2021 13:10 GMT

#69

RIP. . .

GeckoXp

Germany2016 Posts

November 04 2021 18:41 GMT

#70

On November 04 2021 17:13 kogeT wrote:

Show nested quote +

Maybe we just need Zzzero or someone to run a Starcraft Community fund ("SC Fund" :-)) that would used to sponsor BSL and other events as finance allows.

What you are suggesting should basically already be possible via esport.fund. I think if you want donations only be appliable to BW there's room to negotiate with Brain.

TeamThinkQuick

200 Posts

November 10 2021 21:12 GMT

#71

I have seen a handful number of people shoulder most of the expenses for some events.

There are hundreds of people out there who normally don't contribute in kind with their time/efforts or financially but love and care about the foreign competitive scene. If they could therefore pitch in $1 to $5 even, that would create a pool of funds for an event at least. I don't think that's unreasonable.

The issue comes down to the 'unproductive' but caring masses of SC lovers contributing financially in order to keep the community alive in the medium to long term.

Financially supporting Shield Battery is connected to this issue in my opinion.

TeamThinkQuick

200 Posts

November 10 2021 21:29 GMT

#72

One alternative solution, which doesn't involve reliance on community donations, is to use Trovo.

1) The platform offers Trovo streamers the opportunity to apply (through a form) for monetary funds for an event, with expected decent viewership (e.g., $200 for a 3 hour minimum event with at least 200 viewers). The streamer would pay out of pocket first and Trovo would reimburse the person at least one month after the conclusion of the event. You would need to establish a reputation on Trovo first with proven viewership numbers in order to be able to successfully request more funds for longer running events (e.g., $1000 for 1.5 month event, etc.).

2) There is a Trovo streaming program which pays streamers monthly for meeting performance requirements. This could be used by streamers/casters and players.

But I don't see the above solutions very feasible because in my experience many Twitch users will not tune into a Trovo stream, even if it meant "supporting the scene" or whatever. Trovo is a real opportunity for the community but I don't see the preconditions necessary in order for the community to be able to make proper use of it.

The root of the problem, therefore, goes back to what I pointed to above, namely how much the community masses are willing to do in order to sustain and possibly grow the scene?

Rus_Brain

Russian Federation1894 Posts

January 03 2022 09:04 GMT

#73

Those donations via Matcherino
[image loading]

Rus_Brain

Russian Federation1894 Posts

January 03 2022 21:01 GMT

#74

We have closed the 2021 Financial Statement.

Although I, as the Fund Trustee, have added no extra assets from my pocket to spend in 2022, my team and I still believe this will not be fair for the community to just shut the doors.

The remaining balance is $442.06
Unallocated public donations during 2021: +$1,409.43 (will be spent and booked in 2022)
Investment income during 2021: +$2,150.42 (will be spent and booked in 2022)
Current balance to spend during 2022: $4,001.91
Prefunded tournaments still ongoing: $32,050.00

[image loading]

Rus_Brain

Russian Federation1894 Posts

January 03 2022 21:04 GMT

#75

You may wish to donate to the Fund.

My team and I will continue to pick the tournaments and the amount to spend according to our collective judgment.