Fighting a fight you just can’t win and refusing to accept the obvious defeat is never a good strategy to adapt, but the new CS:GO professional league FLASHPOINT is proof that stubbornness can go a long way.
FLASHPOINT – losing from the start
We knew this was going to be an uphill battle as soon as the first details surrounding FLASHPOINT came along. Not because the project was bad altogether, but because it counted on something ever so difficult – knocking out a much more established competitor.
The ESL Pro League has been a thing for five years and ten seasons, always bringing the best teams, always amassing the largest crowds. And here steps in FLASHPOINT, waving promises of big cash grabs to players that might or might not come true, and nothing much more than that, hoping it’s enough to kill ESL with a single bullet.
Gentlemen, let me tell you, promises don’t get you far in business. And this sticky situation is as much business as CS:GO has ever seen. Duncan “Thorin” Shields, FLASHPOINT’s creative director, went on endless rants against ESL for the past month, claiming that they’re treating players unfairly, are offering much worse terms to teams, etc. Then he went on to criticize those same players and teams for biding their time and trying to make the best decision for themselves on which league they’re going to join.
Hold on a minute, Duncan. First, you claim the opposition is essentially subpar, then you try to guilt shame organizations for taking care of their own damn selves, and when they finally make a decision which, surprise, surprise, doesn’t go your way, you once again blame the world and its mother for your own shortcomings.
That’s exactly what’s been happening following the Louvre agreement announcement and the reveal of all participants in the new ESL Pro League Season. More rants, more complaints, more whining, more crying, no arguments. So, FLASHPOINT supposedly offers better monetary terms. If that’s the case, if your league is so great, and your intentions so pure, and ESL is the devil, how come almost every top team chose ESL ahead of you?
Because a $2 million entry fee, huge fines for entering a slump, and empty promises are not enough. Because coming out of nowhere with claims you can’t back is not enough. Because expecting to destroy tradition with a fistful of imaginary cash is not enough. Because Twitter rants are not enough.
And FLASHPOINT just don’t get it.
