Cybsled
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That is very true. I'm pretty certain the vast majority of Navi fans are only as such because of Dendi. The team finished virtually last in TI5, but he is such a super star it doesn't really matter to the fans.
Part of the problem is that with Pro-Sports teams, the loyalty is usually regional and sort of gets treated like a religion (ie, you were born in Mass, so you must love the Red Sox and Patriots or you are a heathen!). For people outside that region, usually the loyalty happens because said team had some legendary player(s) in the past. You see this to a degree in TI5: Evil Geniuses may not be the favorite team of many in the USA, but because they are perceived as the "home" team, they will get support as a result.
Team Secret is sort of founded on that idea...players like Puppey know that most of the loyalty is tied to the player instead of the actual team, but the teams profit the most and the players don't get as much as they potentially could. Players like Dendi actually get a set salary from their team in addition to tournament winnings and some really high profile guys can get endorsement deals, but in most cases players live tournament to tournament to support themselves. As more and more money gets pumped into the scene, I do think we may see a transformation that begins to benefit the players more and more.
Part of the problem is that with Pro-Sports teams, the loyalty is usually regional and sort of gets treated like a religion (ie, you were born in Mass, so you must love the Red Sox and Patriots or you are a heathen!). For people outside that region, usually the loyalty happens because said team had some legendary player(s) in the past. You see this to a degree in TI5: Evil Geniuses may not be the favorite team of many in the USA, but because they are perceived as the "home" team, they will get support as a result.
Team Secret is sort of founded on that idea...players like Puppey know that most of the loyalty is tied to the player instead of the actual team, but the teams profit the most and the players don't get as much as they potentially could. Players like Dendi actually get a set salary from their team in addition to tournament winnings and some really high profile guys can get endorsement deals, but in most cases players live tournament to tournament to support themselves. As more and more money gets pumped into the scene, I do think we may see a transformation that begins to benefit the players more and more.
