|
Recently, i wanted to write about Energy Drinks, sponsorship, and their role in esports for my weekly column on Rakakaworld. For a few reasons, mainly that i couldn't make up my mind and the site being on hiatus, i decided i couldn't do the subject justice on my own. Instead, i figure i'd start a discussion here about people's thoughts - assuming you have any.
I don't want to name any brands, but i feel like energy drink sponsorship is a negative thing for esports. Obviously it's a good thing for the teams sponsored, but with energy drinks being so detrimental to health i can't say i like the idea of them advertising to the esports audience. Why us in particular? Well, the largest part of esports audience has a pretty huge overlap with who energy drinks are targetted and aimed at (obviously). I realise Formula One has a Red Bull team, but... well, frankly, this isn't an F1 forum.
However, F1 is the place where a precedent for disallowing certain sponsorship was set. Cigarette ads used to be plastered all over F1 cars when i was growing up until they were eventually banned.
Obviously, there is no governing body to make such a decision in esports. As much as i dislike the idea of esports being used as a marketing tool by energy drinks companies, it is clearly here to stay for the forseeable future. On top of that, it is probably a necessary evil. As much as the growth of SC2 has helped, there is still very little money in esports and every penny helps, even if it is earned by convincing kids to drink addictive chemicals.
What do you think? Good? Bad? Don't really care? As for me, i guess i'll just continue to not buy them for myself and hope something better comes along for esports.
Poll: How do you feel about energy drinks sponsoring esports?I don't care, why did you even make this thread? (373) 61% It's fine, every penny is needed (172) 28% I don't like it but there are bigger issues (51) 8% I think it should be stopped somehow (8) 1% Other, please explain (8) 1% 612 total votes Your vote: How do you feel about energy drinks sponsoring esports? (Vote): It's fine, every penny is needed
(Vote): I don't like it but there are bigger issues
(Vote): I think it should be stopped somehow
(Vote): I don't care, why did you even make this thread?
(Vote): Other, please explain
|
It is very hard to find a company or a sector that doesn't have something wrong with it. It's just not feasible to be limited to 100% ethical/clean/healthy companies.
|
I think it's the perfect product tie-in for progaming, actually.
It's not like playing video games for hours on end every day is particularly good for your health either.
|
Do you have a problem with McDonalds or Coke sponsoring... well, anything?
Companies and corporations and brands are going to sponsor whatever they can, to help advertise. That's life.
It's up to the individual teams who are being asked to promote a given business to decide if that logo is worth posting on their uniforms or vehicles or signs.
I don't see a reason to interfere.
|
I think for the growth of E-sports its what we need because energy drinks have such a rediculously big market. I also think that once people know whats going on with e-sports we should keep looking for sponsors like energy drinks and doritos because everyone knows about them and its like having a giant figs sticker on the windshield of a nascar car. I mean its good publicity.
|
I wish I could vote twice in this poll, because until eSports become established to the point where we can be picky and disallow certain sponsorship's or endorsements based on moral or health reasons, we do need every penny.
But I really don't care, and just because your team is sponsored by an energy drink doesn't mean you replace that energy drink with water. Being forced to drink some energy drink at events a couple of times a year isn't going to kill you.
Energy drinks have an age limit on them in Sweden (18, just like regular beer and cigarettes) so there are at least some regulations in place to prevent kids from getting hooked.
|
Energy drinks and gaming go a long way back and it's only natural for energy drink companys to want to sponsor esports. I don't see a big issue with this.
|
It doesn't really matter if they are allowed to sponsor or not. As long as a company is willing to spend money on sponsorship and advertisements why would it be detrimental to the scene? They aren't going to spend money on it if they can not see any benifeit from it. If you do not like them sponsoring e-sports then don't watch if an energy drink has its name in there somewhere.
+ Show Spoiler +F1 didn't set the precedence in banning tobacco sponsorship/advertising, it was W.H.O. This was the dumbest thing ever done for sports, tobacco companies pumped in so much revenue for these teams and leagues it was not even funny.
|
Depends on what drinks really. Stuff like Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar are liquid poison.
Pocari Sweat on the other hand :D
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/343/MSL_br/MSL_winter_2010/Group_Stage/flash_ssak_1.jpg)
|
Walshy and Enable in Halo are / were sponsored my Red Bull.
Walshy was sponsored for a very long time not sure if he now tho anymore and Enable was picked up last season I think,
Redbull even invited them to LAN at one of their offices or something. - http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Event/halo-3-lan-dave-walsh-021242908255019
Walshy -
+ Show Spoiler +
Energy drinks are the perfect sponsors for video games anyway, as far as I'm aware we drink a lot of the stuff. Not gonna lie after watching MLG I really want to try some NOX.
|
On June 14 2011 01:01 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
Do you have a problem with McDonalds or Coke sponsoring... well, anything?
Companies and corporations and brands are going to sponsor whatever they can, to help advertise. That's life.
It's up to the individual teams who are being asked to promote a given business to decide if that logo is worth posting on their uniforms or vehicles or signs.
I don't see a reason to interfere.
Well, yeah i do have a problem with those companies, but that's another issue, albeit a related one. Esports is closer to my heart than most other sports (and i'm kind of a sports buff, so that means something) and the energy drink link is much appropriate than fast-food as things are. I remember when Complexity were sponsored by Subway for like 10 mins a few years ago and i wasn't especially thrilled by that either, it just wasn't on my mind quite as much as this is.
But honestly, i even voted for "bigger issues" myself, so yeah...
|
This health stuff is becoming fucking insane. Now advertising drinks is bad if they contain caffeine and sugar? Give me a break.
I'd love teams being sponsored by Tobacco, Alcohol or Firearms companies 
|
I do quite enjoy Rockstar Recovery... they at least aren't AS bad for you as regular rockstars lol. But I think energy drinks sponsoring teams and things is great. Nerds drink lots of energy drinks, so having those companies give back and sponsor teams and tournaments I think is a great thing.
|
This really takes the cake in the 'ESPORTS INTEGRITY' realm. So stupid. Soda is bad for you as well, and people drink that in much larger quantities. If soda was banned, do you have any idea how large the obesity rates would drop world wide?
as much as I hate cigarettes, the unilateral ban of tobbaccy ads in F1 and other sports and advertising mediums is incredibly dumb. Let individual teams, magazines, etc decide.
|
On June 14 2011 01:12 ZiegFeld wrote:Depends on what drinks really. Stuff like Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar are liquid poison. Pocari Sweat on the other hand :D
Flash must have steroids in his drink.
|
Aren't soft drinks more damaging to health than energy drinks? Energy drinks might have more sugar/caffeine measured liter by liter, but I've probably consumed 100-1000x more coke than redbull.
|
On June 14 2011 01:04 SolHeiM wrote:
I wish I could vote twice in this poll, because until eSports become established to the point where we can be picky and disallow certain sponsorship's or endorsements based on moral or health reasons, we do need every penny.
But I really don't care, and just because your team is sponsored by an energy drink doesn't mean you replace that energy drink with water. Being forced to drink some energy drink at events a couple of times a year isn't going to kill you.
Energy drinks have an age limit on them in Sweden (18, just like regular beer and cigarettes) so there are at least some regulations in place to prevent kids from getting hooked.
The last part interests me. I'm generally not in favour of arbitrary government-set age limits on anything. But the article i was reading about energy drinks before i wrote this did suggest that kids are at risk of addiction and/or withdrawl. Me, i wouldn't touch those things with a bargepole any more, but the damage was already done when i was at uni. I guess, like any other drug, it's about information. The same article said that the US (the main consumers of energy drinks) also has the least amount of information on cans, which is worrying.
|
Red Bull has its own F1 team now...
While we're at it we should also bring an end to Dr. Pepper, Hot Pockets and Doritos sponsoring MLG... ESPORTS is going to become extinct if don't start to get sponsorshiüs by huge salad-companies.
|
On June 14 2011 01:17 Hawk wrote:
This really takes the cake in the 'ESPORTS INTEGRITY' realm. So stupid. Soda is bad for you as well, and people drink that in much larger quantities. If soda was banned, do you have any idea how large the obesity rates would drop world wide?
as much as I hate cigarettes, the unilateral ban of tobbaccy ads in F1 and other sports and advertising mediums is incredibly dumb. Let individual teams, magazines, etc decide.
I guess that's kinda the point. It's up to the individual to see adverts for stuff like energy drinks and cigarettes and just say "lol, no thanks." I just wondered what other people thought about it. I guess you could easily make the argument that clothing companies like Nike getting involved would be far worse for 'ESPORTS INTERGRITY.'
|
On June 14 2011 01:14 Zechs wrote:Show nested quote +On June 14 2011 01:01 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
Do you have a problem with McDonalds or Coke sponsoring... well, anything?
Companies and corporations and brands are going to sponsor whatever they can, to help advertise. That's life.
It's up to the individual teams who are being asked to promote a given business to decide if that logo is worth posting on their uniforms or vehicles or signs.
I don't see a reason to interfere. Well, yeah i do have a problem with those companies, but that's another issue, albeit a related one. Esports is closer to my heart than most other sports (and i'm kind of a sports buff, so that means something) and the energy drink link is much appropriate than fast-food as things are. I remember when Complexity were sponsored by Subway for like 10 mins a few years ago and i wasn't especially thrilled by that either, it just wasn't on my mind quite as much as this is. But honestly, i even voted for "bigger issues" myself, so yeah...
I get the idea you don't even know why you made this thread, and you are just sprouting off some thoughts that occurred to you. On one hand you mention the appropriateness of energy drink sponsoring esports because of possible links, and on the other hand you mention fast food advertising being a problem but it isn't an issue?
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://media.mlgpro.com/site/images/features/ogwalsh_1.jpg)
