Making an E-Sports Team...

[KiwiB1rd]

So a friend of mine met a guy in London who manages an E-Sports team, got really excited and now wants to quit his job and start a professional team. I have already told him he needs a group of talented gamers and a lot of money to support and promote them, but this failed to deter him.

So.... Does anyone have experience or advice in managing/owning a sports team (doesnt have to be E-Sports) which might help him get a better idea of how easy/hard this will be.

A few points:
-He's a casual gamer
-Wants to play a few games such as DOTA, LoL, etc.
-As far as I know, he doesnt have a backup source of income.

 

[maynard]

Send your buddy to the Esports Marketing Blog for a business-oriented view of the scene

Christian Kresse is a good resource if you have questions.I had a conversation with him about the potential for monetizing Star Citizen-based tournament play.

Which I think could be Yuuge

 

[BUTUZ]

So what top level gamers does he have? Does he have a twitch / YouTube channel that can reach millions?

If he thinks it's a case of playing a few games here and there, flying around the world staying in posh hotels, getting all your pc parts for free and becoming millionaires - I don't think it's quite that easy!

Make sure he does a LOT of research before jumping in or he could be homeless in a years time. Have you got a spare room??

 

[Montoya]

If he thinks it's a case of playing a few games here and there, flying around the world staying in posh hotels, getting all your pc parts for free and becoming millionaires

Sign me up!

When do I get my monies?

 

[BUTUZ]

OK. Take your clothes off more and I'll start paying you.

 

[DirectorGunner]

WARNING... SUPER OPINIONATED POST INCOMING... (don't read me lol)
Not having prospects lined up when quitting is either an incredibly confident move or an inexperienced move.... I've done the later before... not fun. Managing a pro team that's profitable is one hell of an uphill battle. What you see on TV is imho bullshit. It isn't like NFL or NBA where you have a profitable franchise except for very very very very few pro esports teams in the world. And it seems to me usually only non-USA teams make the most from product merchandising (south Korea, some EU countries)... You need a team that builds a huge fan base that supports by purchasing product, the manager getting valuable sponsorship deals, and the team winning tournaments. It's not a business I would rush into... he really ought to do LOTS of research and build up a pro team foundation (sponsorship leads, branding, prospective team members, etc) during his free time before quitting his job imo. Sorry to be any kind of a buzz kill.

Excitement tends to kill common sense/clear thinking.

 

[KiwiB1rd]

So what top level gamers does he have? Does he have a twitch / YouTube channel that can reach millions?

None and Nope

Excitement tends to kill common sense/clear thinking.

^So true

 

[BUTUZ]

None and Nope


^So true

In that case it sounds like a REALLY bad idea. Get the spare room ready for him! :(

 

[KiwiB1rd]

In that case it sounds like a REALLY bad idea. Get the spare room ready for him! :(

I got a 6ft beanbag he can stay on

 

[Dygon]

Well, he can try to start an E-sports team, but chances are slim to non-existent that he'll ever make it. It's kinda like football (european) you've got millions of people who play it in the world, but only a couple 100's who actually play pro. Same with gaming, only the chances of becoming an E-sports professional are even slimmer.

Anyway, if that doesn't work out for him, he can still play homeless simulator for like...the rest of his life.