dc, you prolly the only person i'd actually even explain this to on this site...
so here's the preface: if it was literally my job to pick the players for a team to win this league......id have done the exact same thing.
once the league was even announced, LAST YEAR, in 2k17, people were paying even more attention to these pro am leagues and tournies than before....and for good reason...they showcased the top players.
like any other comp game, professional gaming or whatever....the top players are obvious from leaderboards and "matchmaking" (2k doesnt have private matchmaking, but people "get around" that to host these tournies or leagues)
so the community already had a pretty good idea of the top, lets be generous and say, 100-150 players were already.
this is before any real concrete info from the league came or anything.
had it been any other game, these pro am teams would have traveled to actual in-person tournaments and won 50k cash monthly/quarterly whatever...and became their own private, professional teams/franchises.....leagues would have had to "sign" them to play in the leagues....(now, the teams pay entry fees and can win money payouts on the other side)
but 2k doesn't have private matchmaking.
2k typically had hosted a tournament for 250k (50k each)
winners/losers of those 250k games were commonly accepted as top players, etc. etc.
this is where ALOT of the "clout" or "top teams/players" originally came from...teams who dominated these tournies (and outside ones)
anyway, fast forward to this year. again, with exception, top players/teams were obvious from leaderboards. in league of legends if you and your boys rank top 5 in the world, yall can literally just enter tournaments and play for cash. yall can stream and people will just shower you with cash to keep it funky lol
2k isn't like that....which has pros and cons.
they went the official route. this is a completely new concept. the NBA is sponsoring actual esports teams.
this is the first real true e sport......
NOW (sorry for the length) this is when they start dropping legit concrete info about the league.
the managers were announced (nobody with REAL ties to the community, btw.)
they spent all this time talking about social media grooming and branding....and how they wanted an equal playing ground to determine the best players in which they would draft these teams from.....
they replied over and over to the community's concerns that it was all predetermined based on the consensus of "top players"
(and the problem the community had with that is that the "top players" circle is small, and tight nit. most of the 'top teams" were started by former "role players" on other top teams.....one team breaks up, 4 "top teams" sprout from it, etc. as a "random" it's hard to get into this circle because, basically, you either have to get a co-sign/shot at playing OR you have to show out against them with inferior talent...or i mean like your boys...but these are legit, consensus top players and have been for 5-6 years...so.....)
they promised this wasn't the case.
at the time i'm like "man if im in charge idgaf i'm taking top talent" but in the back of my mind i'm like "why would they be pushing so hard to convince the community they are trying to find the top skilled players, regardless, without all the extra stuff, i.e. top team teammates, cheesy moves/builds, etc. if that's not the case?"
so i played. i qualified for three positions.
i didn't have insane numbers all like that...i almost averaged a triple double through the first qualifying games with the PF....
(you werent allowed to pick any build you wanted, they had preset builds with different combinations of badges, in the name of balanced gameplay, much like most comp games do)
so i wasn't even sweating it off top. i didn't have numbers that jumped off the page. i did play against the #1 pick, tho, and was prolly POTG in the game...i played against several 'top players" and against a couple of people who got drafted...and held my own.
my chances came down to them actually being real about searching for top talent and actually seeing me shine in those games, while scouting "top players"
so i wasn't even tripping.
THEN THE CONTROVERSY HAPPENED...
(they set a random deadline to submit your app after loafing for like 2 months in even posting the app. it was posted and had a deadline like 3 days later. madd people missed it logging in last minute and it crashed...so they EXTENDED the deadline LOL)
(while the combine was going on. they released a rigid schedule of like sunday, weds and sat for like 4 hours each for the combine window to be open, meaning you had to play your games during those times or you wouldnt qualify. i personally saw managers tell people "oh well. sacrifice" when they said "aw man why so restrictive? i have work/school/family/etc." BUT THEN THEY FIND OUT EU SERVERS ARE HAVING ISSUES SO THEY LITERALLY OPEN ALL THE WINDOWS BASICALLY AROUND THE CLOCK 7 DAYS A WEEK NOT EVEN 4 DAYS LATER LMAOOO)
so this dude, styles, who is nasty. def a top 17 PG in 2k.....he didn't get in. he like missed the deadline to submit an app or something dumb....
so the manager of the cavs hits him in his DMs like "no way im going to let you get snubbed" THEN he messages the league chat, the commissioner of the league and the manager of the selection process like "he needs to be added"
this is after ALL the emails have gone out.
the problem is, they spent 6 months promising they didn't have ANY say over who gets into the pool.
supposedly take 2 (2k games) and the actual NBA came up with criteria to pick 250 out of the 72k people who qualified for the actual combine (not sure the number of people who played enough combine games to qualify)
but here is an actual screen shot of this being a complete lie.
then, once this is brought up, that styles, along with like 3-5 other people, got these exceptions made.....
the community, obviously most of them hurt they werent selected, turned...and was like "why are yall lying?"
and instead of manning up and just being like "look, this is how esports work....we didnt have a structure in place due to the nature of our sponsorship with the NBA to facilitate a league like any other in existence..."
instead they just went silent.
people are arguing "lol you thought you were gonna make it? it was rigged from the start. they just told you that you had a shot for marketing..."
but if that's the case how is it lol that people are mad? they literally promised for 5-6 months that it wasn't the case...lol
they went silent on the whole issue.....for like a week, then came back with a weakass reply about how like the times didn't match up and the dude on the cavs was over-stating his power and authority in the issue.....etc. etc. etc.
he's not fired, btw.
then it leaks that another manager typed the N word on twitter...he was suspended, then rehired like 4 weeks later lmao
this is after disqualifying many (cough black cough) players for being "unmarketable" or "toxic language" whatever whatever....
basically, they have a major problem with transparency.
they say and promise one thing then do something completely contrary....and don't even answer or acknowledge that it's contrary lol
they basically want to buy a community that was already thriving but stifled by lack of private matchmaking. (which was purposeful?)
they wanna legitimize an "unofficial" community of players....which is cool.
but don't pretend its something else entirely.
i initially thought it was just an advertising ploy by the NBA. they spend millions on advertising.....why not spend a fraction of that on this new form of marketing?
the NBA is treating it moreso as an actual league.
i'm kinda rambling at this point
but that was the unbiased, true beef the community had.
i don't think it was rigged, i think people wanna keep their jobs and take the best players...
these are mostly players who proved it.
they definitely have some "unknowns" thrown in.....but that's not to say there isn't some sort of other connection somewhere...
i mean, bruh, they had people (myself included) submit 2 minute sound clips on soundcloud with the application....and literally didn't listen to them. LOL
i said "nobody does what i do or plays how i play..." that's all. some people like rehearsed lmaooo that's just like an example of the overall way they came in...
almost on some gentrification sh
that being said
i still play 2k
imma play 2k19
and my team is going to try to get on and stay on the leaderboard all year...(or i'll sacrifice and try to join one, which is what i HAVENT been trying to do)
and hopefully i can get noticed for the next draft or next round or whatever they're doing.
i hear more teams will sign up for the next season...plus people will surely be cut or replaced...some people will quit, etc.
they make 32-35k base salary for 6 months of work (so 64-70 in actuality) then they get bonuses from tournies (monthly) and the playoffs/season (1 million)
then i guess they can sign whatever endorsements/sponsorships they want (as long as its PR friendly)
in addition to self-merchandising and promotion...(on top of food housing medical transportation, etc. etc. etc.)
it's pretty sweet, man. prolly the best spot to be in as a professional video game player (with NBA backing)
most of these dudes be on some struggle. think about like extreme sports and how people struggle financially
you got a team of 5 people....yall responsible for everything...getting to the tourny...living....
on a salary of whatever you win and split and whatever sponsorship money you split.
that's harsh.
it's "easier" to get into the tournies, sure....you either hit leaderboards and enter OR you win local tournies and get invited to regional and then national stuff....
but you're basically funding yourself anytime you don't win.
i met a professional magic the gathering player recently. mog said he placed 14th in the world tourny in my city. was super salty. at the time i'm like "bro, that's tight, 14th?" but now, it's like, bro, he prolly LOST money coming out to that tourny....
sorry for the length but i actually respect you DC and wanted to give you the full scope of the situation.
also appreciate your support/wishes.
