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Every sport has had issues with bad manners and professionalism in their communities. Often times we don't realize that this is all around us in everyday life, and that it's not only electronic sports athletes hidden behind their firewall who exhibit bad manners. However there is a major difference on how society and these other traditional sports deal and react to the lack of professionalism; this is where our problem lies within electronic sports.
Recently we saw a very loud transfer deal go south when SK Gaming reportedly signed Fnatic superstar Marcus "Delpan" Larsson. Fnatic denied being even contacted and all of the sudden a giant battle (the war has been on-going) started regarding the terms of the contract, which team had the right to Delpan and what Fnatic did in the past with Rasmus "Gux" Stahl. Fnatic accused SK Gaming of going behind their back instead of trying to legitimately buy Delpan out of a contract, bring up the issue of the validity of such contracts in electronic sports. The community's reaction was luckily very negative to this whole ordeal, but not many have found a good overall solution. There is only one good solution which will end such matters once and for all, and unfortunately it is very harsh. Fnatic should immediately sue SK Gaming for the maximum amount possible. Furthermore, rather than fine Delpan 2,500 EURO, they should fine him the maximum fee they possibly could. In the future, if that fee is 2,500 EURO, they should change their contract to make such a fee 10,000 EURO. In addition to all this, all contracts MUST BE notarized by a qualified lawyer. If such harsh action would be taken, all organizations around the world will know that a change has come and that we can't steal each other's players anymore. This is how this matter is taken care of in every traditional sports league around the world, and until organizations take a hard blow for such negative actions, they will continue with said negative actions.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fMI5h.jpg)
Professionalism isn't an issue limited to two organizations or one game however. It's not just Counter-Strike 1.6, SK Gaming and Fnatic who constantly fight with each other. One of the biggest games to hit the electronic sports scene ever also is plagued by this issue. StarCraft II, although has not struggled as much with contract negotiations yet, definitely has issues with players being bad mannered and often times racist or inappropriate. Although being bad mannered and disrespectful is a great way to gain a mental advantage above your opponent, it is also considered by most leagues whether in traditional or electronic sports, illegal. And again, there is a very notable difference in how we deal with these issues. Bad manners (or BM) in StarCraft II are taken with a shrug and divide the community into those that love a player and those that hate him/her. This includes private and public BM. However there is a major difference in professional sports. Bad manners in traditional sports are very private and hidden. If bad manners or disrespect are noted by an official, there are always fines imposed in traditional sports! The same needs to become true for electronic sports. We cannot afford to allow our players to publicly tell someone to "Fuck off" in chat. Such actions need to be met with consequences. If it happens in private by the side, away from officials, then that is a matter we can't control; however publicly we need to denounce such occurences.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/elBVv.jpg)
The biggest example of such BM is arguably Greg 'EG.IdrA' Fields. For years he had divided the community into lovers and haters. Many of his fans argue that he is gaining a mental edge. Many of his haters just say he is unprofessional and rude. However the final world should come from event organizers such as Major League Gaming and the Electronic Sports League. Such leagues MUST forbid such public disrespect and fine IdrA. A message needs to be sent. EG manager SirScoots has often been quoted on Twitter and elsewhere to be against the word "rape". I personally don't think that the word "rape" is holding electronic sports back in this situation. I think it's the event organizers who refuse to punish individual players in their events who are at fault here. Terrell Owens gets fined for celebrating too much in the National Football League; can you imagine how much he would get fined for telling someone to "Fuck off" in public?!
What needs to change:
Event organizers need to start doing their part and really crack down on what professional gaming is and isn't - especially from professional e-athletes. If, for example, EG.IdrA tells Liquid'HuK to "fuck off", he MUST be fined considerably so that it doesn't happen again. In addition to this, organizations must start to truly take care of matters by legal avenues. Signing contracts isn't enough; contracts must be enforced and notarized. If there is a breach and a settlement can't be made, the situation should go to court immediately. Until we make these changes we will be behind traditional sports for ages to come.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/31Fwl.jpg)
To grant kudo's where they are deserved it should be noted that the Electronic Sports League has fined teams in the past for delaying events. Recently, in the last season of the Intel Extreme Masters, Ukrainian side Natus Vincere was fined 20% from their overall prize winnings for being late to a match. Although this definitely sent a message, it needs to be done consistently rather than to just one team. The rule needs to become an enforced rule on a regular basis, rather than one episode of punishments.
Although an article, this is also a plea to event organizers and organizations like to modify some rules and regulations to help the growth of electronic sports. A fine on a to player might be negative in the short term, however in the long term it will build a more professional world for all of electronic sports. We're all in this together, and it is in the best interest of all of us for event organizers and organizations which support teams to encourage positive action.+ Show Spoiler +
Poll: BM in e-sports?Pro (308) 71% Against (128) 29% 436 total votes Your vote: BM in e-sports? (Vote): Pro
(Vote): Against
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I'm trying to find where you explain WHY they MUST fine people for BM
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I'll be sure to include the why's in my next article - I thought it was implied.
The overall image of e-sports goes down when players swear in public chat. MLG allows certain age groups under legal age to watch the game in public and then you have IdrA who is supported by companies like Intel saying Fuck Off. You don't see Intel, say fuck off. Also, you don't see professional athletes say this (and once they do they are fined, heavily).
We can't afford it because e-sports already has a negative image in public view since it's a "virtual sport". Just look at how many people laugh at the fact of playing games on a computer for a living. The swearing doesn't help us gain fans.
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Out of context screenshot. Huk wasn't supposed to be talking in the middle of the game.
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On July 08 2011 00:23 Dararr wrote:
I'm trying to find where you explain WHY they MUST fine people for BM
as long as there are rules stating that you may receive a penalty / fine for X, you must comply. failure to do so will lead to _________. honestly i think the level of professionalism in the foreign scene has not matured yet. take a look at korea. progamers are NOT allowed to chat in game. only a 'gl hf' and 'gg' is allowed at the start or end of the game. other than that, they can chat all they want in the lobby because it will not be televised. hopefully one day, such rules will be applied to any streamed tournaments in the foreign scene  that way, no more BM issues or fines etc.
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Then it's gonna be like the NFL and you'll get fined for dancing...
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I think you're being very bias in this.
You say that the decision is up to MLG yet you say we MUST crack down on it?
You're not giving MLG or ESL the decision, you're TELLING THEM what they're 'supposed' to do.
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On July 08 2011 00:29 rackdude wrote:
Then it's gonna be like the NFL and you'll get fined for dancing...
The NFL is the only example where this rule goes overboard. The rest of the leagues do fine. Look at soccer. Players have extensive celebrations and so what. They only get fined when they really do something dumb like pretend to snort cocaine on the sideline...
To the comment right above. That's the point - it's my opinion. Whether they make use of it or not is up to them. I'm not going to be two-sided about an opinion......
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players aren't allowed to chat in game, I got in trouble for chatting with HuK at MLG Dallas when we were playing a seeding match and bnet was lagging really hard.
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I am really afraid of a situation where every league absolutely forbids any chat in game and BM on stage. For me the great enjoyment out of a tournament like MLG is watching the players interact outside of the game itself (outside of trying to win).
I would prefer what we have now to a place where you get disqualified/fined for chatting ingame.
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On July 08 2011 00:30 mki wrote:Show nested quote +On July 08 2011 00:29 rackdude wrote:
Then it's gonna be like the NFL and you'll get fined for dancing... The NFL is the only example where this rule goes overboard. The rest of the leagues do fine. Look at soccer. Players have extensive celebrations and so what. They only get fined when they really do something dumb like pretend to snort cocaine on the sideline... To the comment right above. That's the point - it's my opinion. Whether they make use of it or not is up to them. I'm not going to be two-sided about an opinion......
In soccer you can also tell a player of the opposing team to fuck off without getting a penalty (wordplay), so what's your point? A lot this professionalism talk is nonsense and will only make sc2 boring.
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Everyone knows that the NFL is a joke when it comes to fining people. Even they can a flag or a penalty for spiking the baller or celebrating with more than just yourself. MMA should be fined for doing a kamehameha after winning or fine MC for doing the throat slit. We don't want to go down that path
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On July 08 2011 00:33 dre2k wrote:Show nested quote +On July 08 2011 00:30 mki wrote:On July 08 2011 00:29 rackdude wrote:
Then it's gonna be like the NFL and you'll get fined for dancing... The NFL is the only example where this rule goes overboard. The rest of the leagues do fine. Look at soccer. Players have extensive celebrations and so what. They only get fined when they really do something dumb like pretend to snort cocaine on the sideline... To the comment right above. That's the point - it's my opinion. Whether they make use of it or not is up to them. I'm not going to be two-sided about an opinion...... In soccer you can also tell a player of the opposing team to fuck off without getting a penalty (wordplay), so what's your point? A lot this professionalism talk is nonsense and will only make sc2 boring.
If you tell a player to "fuck off" and a referee hears it they have the right to notify FIFA and fine you. That's an actual rule. Also, they can call a foul if they so see fit. (An indirect foul)
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On July 08 2011 00:34 RipxDark wrote:
Everyone knows that the NFL is a joke when it comes to fining people. Even they can a flag or a penalty for spiking the baller or celebrating with more than just yourself. MMA should be fined for doing a kamehameha after winning or fine MC for doing the throat slit. We don't want to go down that path
WHy does everyone only compare NFL, the ONLY league where this does not work as well.
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I despise actions of trying to excert your own sense of "morality" (e.g. profanity) on others and try to call if professionalism. I want the players to be themselves and I don't care for people forcing this form of "professionalism". A sport or competition can be professional while at the same time maintaining some real humanity and emotions, just look football (european football that is). The bickering between Wenger and Dalgish (sp?) included a lot of profanity. I guess the limit is when the players direct insults at the audience (Rooney swearing at the camera, though it was later explained he was just pissed at the camera guy). Personally, I don't want to see the SC2 scene be devoid of emotions and if things like the BM between Huk and Idra is how they show their emotions for example, that's a great thing.
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Why does e-sports have to copy from anything else? It can't and never will be football or soccer or baseball, why can we just embrace the culture it does have and enjoy that?
On July 08 2011 00:35 mki wrote:
WHy does everyone only compare NFL, the ONLY league where this does not work as well.
Because thats the end game.
One example I have is take a look at Nascar, for the past couple years they have simply backed off from trying to control the drivers ontrack actions, post race is where they limit what people get away with. I think that model would fit far better in e-sports, if people want to show emotion during a game its fine.
And if the f-word gets you upset I would not ever be near the field of any sporting event, you will hear far worse.
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On July 08 2011 00:35 mki wrote:Show nested quote +On July 08 2011 00:34 RipxDark wrote:
Everyone knows that the NFL is a joke when it comes to fining people. Even they can a flag or a penalty for spiking the baller or celebrating with more than just yourself. MMA should be fined for doing a kamehameha after winning or fine MC for doing the throat slit. We don't want to go down that path WHy does everyone only compare NFL, the ONLY league where this does not work as well.
Because that is the only other sport that I watch.
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There is a reason why professional sportmen don't act like 12 year old BM children when they are national TV. I dont want esport to go the way of WWE in terms of sportmanship and attitude/culture, even then it's all scripted(if that can be some sort of justification). BM will only make people look down on the players for lack of maturity, also who would respect or sponsor assholes? Having a personality is fine, but do it outside in game chat where not everyone can see you act like a douche. There is a difference between being a professional and being whatever you are online between your friends or random games where you smurf.
Also behind the back player deals and transfer are still a big issue even in football today, it's a shame that this is happen here as well but not surprising at all. Only legislation or an unified esport league administration can do something about this.
edit: its not about copying professional sport, it's about how to act in actual society as a paid professional worker, and necessary to get esport more popular and accepted. Otherwise it will forever be a niche industry that is laughed at for having kids doing kids things playing video games for a living.
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On July 08 2011 00:36 Stiluz wrote:
I despise actions of trying to excert your own sense of "morality" (e.g. profanity) on others and try to call if professionalism. I want the players to be themselves and I don't care for people forcing this form of "professionalism". A sport or competition can be professional while at the same time maintaining some real humanity and emotions, just look football (european football that is). The bickering between Wenger and Dalgish (sp?) included a lot of profanity. I guess the limit is when the players direct insults at the audience (Rooney swearing at the camera, though it was later explained he was just pissed at the camera guy). Personally, I don't want to see the SC2 scene be devoid of emotions and if things like the BM between Huk and Idra is how they show their emotions for example, that's a great thing.
I stated in my article that such emotions outside of the game can be used, just as they are used outside of games in sports. However when its under competition control it should be discouraged. Emotions are always good and I agree however at least for the overall appearance to the GENERAL public such BM should be discouraged. If players want to swear at each other outside of the event hall in front of fans go for it.
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I don't know whats more unprofessional: a little swear word, telling the opponent to play and not talk, or bragging about a win (5 minutes ago) in your face...
probably both.
But: we are all happy for that (including MLG) as this creates drama
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EPT
