TSL's Coach Lee speaks out on PuMa - Page 16

On July 22 2011 17:02 thanhbao86 wrote:


You know in some countries it is illegal to have a contract before 18 right. So yah, it is not illegal but it is the wrong thing to do. For example, ManUtd and Arsenal have stolen players from Spain and Italy all the time in the past, Pique, Macheda and the Fabregas. Don't you think ManUtd and Arsenal should talk to Barca first before stealing their players. Those players Barca had trained them since they were 14 and when they are 17-18 Arsenal and ManUtd come in and take them. Same for this case, Puma was under a moral contract. The right thing to do is to respect that. Its not illegal what EG has done (everyone agrees on this) but it is not the right thing to do because you exploit the laws (soccer example) or the cultural concept (Puma example).
So yah please stop with the no contract crap, everyone realizes that. But you cant take it out of the context of Korean SC2 environment. If you say about a case in NA, i have no problem. However, If you come to Korea and do business there (as EG plans to do), you got to respect their culture and the system they are running. Simple as that. You cant use your western culture mindset to apply there, its two different cultures.
The fact that AG doing this only makes Korea SC2 more self-contained as they have to protect themselves from incidents like this happen again. AG on the other hand states that Korea should be more open about players transfer. They could be open if everyone approaches it on the respectful manner, but if you just come in and steal one of the best of their players and you expect them to be open. What kind of logic is that. EG did a bad move and instead of publicly admitting it they just give a general apologising and then blame other parties.
If EG doesnot understand Korean culture and why Coach Lee upset, they should just not do business there.

On July 22 2011 17:36 aderum wrote:
Did people miss the point where PuMa said to EG that the conversation with coach lee had gone well and that he was allowed to leave? Why would EG contact him when, from what the heard, everyting was fine? I just dont get it..

On July 22 2011 17:41 jorge_the_awesome wrote:


Wait what? Source please.

On July 22 2011 13:25 FLuE wrote:
Whatever unspoken "rules" exist in Korea about how they handle players doesn't have to exist everywhere else in the world. The great thing about eSports is that it doesn't have to be about location or nationality. Players can find ways to play together, practice, travel to events, etc. even if they aren't living in the same country. The teams and coaches in Korea have to understand there is great opportunity outside of Korea right now and it is going to be hard to blame players looking to go after those opportunities.

You are going to see more of this in SC2 because the money for SC2 isn't in Korea. The SC2 scene in Europe and NA is really booming and there is money there especially for the talented but 2nd tier Korean players. Puma can stay in Korea and do OK, or he can join EG and travel the world and be a stud and make money while it is there to be made. Now when I say the money is there it might not always be the big GSL payday, but there are so many more smaller tournaments with more spread prize pools that your chances of coming away with something are much greater.

One thing with eSports, it can be a fickle beast. Games can really decline and potentially die at anytime. Right now SC2 seems to be doing well and there is money being put into it, players who are smart will do all they can to earn it while they can because you never know if that well might dry up. I think it is safe to say we'll enjoy SC2 for a long time with the expansions and all, but that doesn't always mean the money will be there just because the game is. Again, I think SC2 is going to really flourish as an eSport but I don't think it will be in Korea.

I respect that a player like Clide stayed, but it is a decision he might regret. Loyalty is overrated because you are really banking on the other side reciprocating it at some point and that can be risky(it happens in sports all the time, one player remains loyal but gets hurt and then gets cut by the team he was loyal to, etc.)

My last point, from interviews and what I can gather about how Korean players are treated I think this could be a good thing. I think Korean players are often talked about not even as people but borderline indentured servants. They have rigid practice schedules, live in tight quarters, have minimal pay.... and all that and you might never even make it to Code S where you can actually make some money. Puma isn't going through all this just because he feels like it. The offer he got had to be much better than his current situation because if it was just marginally better he probably stays. Now this isn't all the teams and I know some players are very comfortable but you hear in the interview they have players on TSL not even on a salary but a stipend? Seriously, you are surprised that players are leaving your team when he admits they are barely holding on to their sponsors, having money problems? Sounds to me like Puma was smart here and saw what was coming and made sure to take care of himself before this thing folded.

On July 22 2011 18:05 thepuppyassassin wrote:
"Clide and SangHo returned the salaries / stipends that they received to provide some additional financial support for the whole team."

"If I said I was satisfied I would be lying. The difficulty in getting placed in the GSL and the fact that we have no other leagues are some of my concerns."

"Very few professional Korean SC2 players currently “enjoy” playing Starcraft 2 due to the small fan base. "

Music to my ears~~ down with the Korean scene! Your dominance is coming to an end!

On July 22 2011 18:15 Dakkas wrote:


Stop posting here

On July 22 2011 12:53 MrDudeMan wrote:


Yet the korean scene barely survives. Why? Because they have bad business sense, it was a foolish decision for one league to own all the rights to SC2 in korea.

On July 22 2011 18:23 maybenexttime wrote:


How do you know whether his salary doesnt just cover his costs of living (unless he decides to move to the EG house)? I also think TSL would cover travel expenses.

PuMa was a scrub in BW, I do not believe he's some undiscovered talent that shone in SC2. Imo EG won't be able to provide him with proper practice and he'll fade into obscurity.