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[D] Why the future of Pro-SC2 should be Tennis - Page 2

Forum Index > SC2 General
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Sikly
Profile Joined June 2011
United States413 Posts
April 10 2012 01:00 GMT
#21
As others have said, the comparison is a good one except for teams. Teams are huge in sc2, and very few players have managed to do decent without teams. Team environments improve play in sc2 greatly, and many people would say team houses is one of the great differences between Koreans and Foreigners.

Otherwise though, I feel like most of what you said are fair comparisons, and for the most part sc2 players already are the celebrities. Although sponsors support teams, its the players that end up getting the sponsors views. Sponsors supporting teams is also a much safer venture. It is far easier to fall from the top as a sc2 pro compared to a tennis pro(as far as I can tell, it seems I hear about the same tennis pro's all the time in the news). Having teams to support players in their ups and downs helps players maintain their careers and ability to practice far easier, and it makes it far less of a risky investment as a sponsor. The chances of a team like EG not having at least one of their players get some sponsorship views in is pretty low. Compared that to the chances of someone like White-Ra not be seen in a tournament due to bad luck. Hell, I watched a majority of the IPL stream this past weekend and I can't remember seeing one White-Ra game.


khanofmongols
Profile Joined January 2011
542 Posts
April 10 2012 01:01 GMT
#22
I agree and also feel that SC2 really needs "Majors". Right now all the tournaments change each year while in tennis the majors remain the same every year and feel really important since they are so infrequent.
MountainGoat
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United States507 Posts
April 10 2012 01:02 GMT
#23
I think you have some good points but you're really underselling the importance of teams in SC2. A lot of people actually did feel slightly betrayed when Huk switched teams and I know that EG and Liquid have particulary built up fan bases specifically for their teams beyond just rooting for individual personalities. SC2 has a lot of similarities to tennis but some of the most exciting events are like GSTL where the teams are important. We might have things to learn from the tennis world but SC2 is a unique thing that shouldn't be modeled after something from the past completely.
Ryusei-R1
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
United States2106 Posts
April 10 2012 01:02 GMT
#24
Djokovic is god.

that is all.
Jaedong plz
m0ck
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
4194 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-04-10 01:08:58
April 10 2012 01:06 GMT
#25
Teams are necessary as a way of pooling sponsorship-money and providing a framework when the money is tight. But as we've seen with grubby, if the interest is big enough, you don't need a team. When the money and attention grows large, teams become irrelevant to the player. Remember, in tennis, every young player starts out in the local club. From there they may go to larger clubs or be part of a school-team. They get to experience the same kind of team spirit and communal practice.

It's much later in their lives, and at a point where there's a good chance of success, that the players transfer to the 'adult' world of handlers without team affiliation. Small money = teams, big money = managers.

*Oh, and it's a natural transition for the player to have a representative who takes care of the interest of the player. As it stands, the SC2 teams really hold all the cards when dealing with players - except for the very best, who can pick and choose their team.
Jarree
Profile Joined January 2012
Finland1004 Posts
April 10 2012 01:06 GMT
#26
No teams? Davis cup = team league.
Gl!tch
Profile Joined December 2010
United States573 Posts
April 10 2012 01:06 GMT
#27
Interesting. I definetly agree that players need more care taken with prep time. An interview a few hours beforehand and then they can warm up without interuption untill the post-game interview.

I really think teams are having more traction in SCII though. This may be because of the huge importance of teams in the sport at the moment, as a player cant live off of prize winnings alone (unlike tennis where millions of dollars are made and a player could go without sponsorships if they wanted too.)
“I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” ― Banksy
turdburgler
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
England6749 Posts
April 10 2012 01:07 GMT
#28
On April 10 2012 10:06 Jarree wrote:
No teams? Davis cup = team league.


davis cup is the wcg of tennis

aka no one cares
AlexanderDebois
Profile Joined October 2011
Kyrgyzstan38 Posts
April 10 2012 01:17 GMT
#29
Wait, teams don't matter? Have you ever visited the BW section of the forums, watched, or even heard of Proleague? I would argue even though there are celebrities in the BW scene (Flash, Bisu, etc) fans rally around the teams just as much as individual players. The proleague format has a certain compelling element to it that solely individual competition never will. It is a format where players who have extremely strong specific match-ups can truly shine and mindgames between the coaches can be as important as the players themselves.
Not to mention it allows a place for players to be recognized and get familair with televised matches before entering individual competition.
Noro
Profile Joined March 2011
Canada991 Posts
April 10 2012 01:19 GMT
#30
Interesting read and ideas. Thanks for posting.
I like how many parallels there are between the two... Very interesting.
Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me.
Mobius_1
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United Kingdom2763 Posts
April 10 2012 01:26 GMT
#31
More than anything else, this thread has tempted me to go to TennisLiquid.net and post "Federer Bonjwa" everywhere.

But teams are evolutions of clans as competitive gaming became progaming, it helps new players rise up through the ranks, through scouting, being signed, and practice and coaching with the team. I feel the team structure is good for ESPORTS, as without it, a lot of players would find it harder to compete and also travel abroad to attend tournaments, not to mention it seems that teamless players tend to perform worse than those with teams, so I doubt teams will want to just disband.
Starleague Forever. RIP KT Violet~
Meteora.GB
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Canada2479 Posts
April 10 2012 01:30 GMT
#32
Reasonable points, though teams still are quite centric to the scene, despite how less prevalent the team leagues are compare to BW's Proleague. One of the reasons why Incredible Miracle has such a big fanbase is because of the combined championships of their two players MVP and Nestea. Its the players that make the teams popular. In an ideal world, we'd want the two to coexist, individuality yet still team centric.
Ace1123
Profile Joined September 2011
Philippines1187 Posts
April 10 2012 01:32 GMT
#33
Good Idea, We should defenitely adapt this kind of system
ForGG, Mvp, MMA, MarineKing, BoxeR,
danson
Profile Joined April 2010
United States689 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-04-10 01:43:17
April 10 2012 01:39 GMT
#34
On April 10 2012 09:14 paintfive wrote:
The future of PRO SC2 will be PRO SC1


get out


i like the post,

and official ATP-style point system would be amazing but it would require some sort of governing organization to decide point values for various tournaments, and getting collaborating with the koreans on this could be a problem.

not sure i TOTALLY agree with your arguement that all sponsors should be individual, because while tennis has davis cup, which isnt that big of a deal, sc2 has (slightly) more emphasis on team leagues, and sc1 has even more.
ePdeLay
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Australia220 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-04-10 01:41:31
April 10 2012 01:40 GMT
#35
yer but unlike starcraft, you can't win cheaply in tennis
aka_star
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United Kingdom1546 Posts
April 10 2012 01:41 GMT
#36
I like your argument, thumbs up. From observing the IPL this weekend and I know it could be better and perhaps some of your ideas would make it less 'eye rolling at times'
FlashDave.999 aka Star
Corsica
Profile Joined February 2011
Ukraine1854 Posts
April 10 2012 01:43 GMT
#37
On April 10 2012 09:36 Daniel C wrote:
Interesting, well written post.

Poster above: in F1, its not 1v1, right?



in F1 its free for all :D

or AT vs AT vs AT vs AT vs AT vs AT vs AT vs AT :D
divito
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Canada1213 Posts
April 10 2012 01:45 GMT
#38
I've been making the PGA/ATP argument for eSports for a long time. It just works a lot better as a model, and you've outlined plenty of the proper reasons and valid points. Unfortunately I've just never had the time to put it down in such a way. Top marks for putting it all together and sharing it for everyone! :D
Skype: divito7
J_Slim
Profile Joined May 2011
United States199 Posts
April 10 2012 01:51 GMT
#39
Interesting post. Only thing I question is you suggesting sponsors sponsor players, not teams. Being on a team helps the player get the publicity needed to gain fans.

Also, tennis can be considered a team sport. Think back to high school tennis matches. Two school teams played each other with their top 6 or so players playing 1v1 matches. Whichever school won more matches, won the meet. Similar to how some team competitions in SC operate.

Legalize it!
Babru
Profile Joined September 2010
196 Posts
April 10 2012 02:01 GMT
#40
When it comes to SC2 i must admit that in this very moment i almost couldnt care less about what team a player plays for. However when it comes to BW Proleague in Korea obviously the teams are rock solid, have history and they most definitely matter. If you saw the epic proleague finals a few days ago KT vs SKT you know what im talking about. So we already know that the team aspect can flourish within 1v1 RTS competition given the right circumstances.

If SC2 would ever reach such a point I think the streched out league format is great for team vs team and the single event format is great for individual vs individual. A streched out league format for 1v1 could also work if done right, however i must admit that NASL is not at the top of my sc2 following priorities today (neither is the GSTL though).

Even when its a team vs team league the hype will still mostly be for certain individuals. Its exciting to follow individuals in a streched out teamleague and see what record they gonna get etc, but its also fun to have your team that you cheer for (look at the crazy fan girls in korea who belong to team fan clubs etc). So in my perfect sc2 world we have a big teamleague (fittingly it could be one that takes place in korea and one for outside of korea since we all cant play on the same server due to lag reasons) that stretches over a longer time (a CW could be a 5 x bo5 1v1s for example) and eventually reaches playoffs and then a big finale, and then we have these big individual events that spans over a number of days that takes place consistantly once a month (or perhaps more like once a 1 and ½ month).

Obviously its a huge challange to get the SC2 scene to such a place though, BW certainly wouldnt have reached its point with all these great and solid teams if the players and teams hadnt created what become KeSPA. Surely it could be done without such an organization but i dont see that happening in the near future when it comes to SC2.

However, the well functioning SC2 ladder is actually something that gives less incentives to form prohouses and limiting your practise partners (which would be the main factor in forming serious and loyal teams) like what has happend in the BW scene, but over time if SC2 becomes serious enough it might still reach that point.
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