Trashed room at Wynncore

Who?

 

Pete Townsend?

 

Yes.

 

Steve Howe?

 

Well played.

 

In the old Vegas, they would have taken care of the disrespectful patron in a variety of ways to show him the error of his ways... and collect for damages.

 

Pete Townsend is a disgrace, and not for trashing his room.

 

That type of conduct definitely isn't limited to esports players. And as @Headache 21 pointed out, there's enough of a trend of it with NFL players that it's justified the creation of a website to track how many arrests there are of them, and in what categories.

So I'll make no bones about it... I do think I misspoke, and I thank you for bringing attention to that.

I think the distinction I had meant to draw attention to is that there are several factors that incline the average professional player in "real" sports to behave well. The obvious one is the money... there are countless pro athletes making in the millions of dollars every year, compared to only a handful of esports players. Other than that, a large percentage of professional athletes went to college (with it being an integral part of recruiting to the major leagues), whereas many esports stars are teenagers. Additionally, with pro sports teams being accountable to many parties from a business perspective (fans buying tickets, sponsors advertising, the league which can impose penalties for misbehaviour), a whole lot of effort goes into making rules about behaviour both in and out of the game... whereas esports teams don't have nearly as much on the line when it comes to what their players do.

Obviously, the data indicates that NFL players (and pro athletes in general) don't have the cleanest noses out there, so perhaps that group is a poor example to show contrast with respect to good behaviour. I'm just saying that pro athletes (and their teams) have way more to lose when it comes to stepping out of line, which is why I'd be surprised to hear of NFL players doing something like trashing a hotel room as something that appears to be nothing more than a stunt.

 

Read about this a few days ago. Completely disgusting to treat someone's property like that.

If I owned the Wynn, I would have had to think very hard and long about having the boys take him out back and bash his gaming hand in.

No matter how much money that moron paid, I'd never want him back on property. Somethings are more important than money.

 

Sounds like extra money may have been paid to stay on good terms. A buddy of mine did ~1200 worth of damage a few years back and paid for it as soon as the cost came in. He got a lifetime ban, with appeal after 5 years.

 

This story reminds me of the 1998 USA Olympic Hockey Team in Nagano.

 

Some of those factors exist for eSports players too.

Like it or not they can face league suspensions, can be removed from their team for behavior, and the various teams are accountable to their sponsors, fans, etc. [For example, Boxer getting banned from KesPA for match fixing, IdrA being released from EG after taking a shot at the Starcraft II community, as much as I hate it the recent Blitzchung and caster suspensions for his pro HK statement after winning in a tournament, and the subsequent departure of Mitsubishi as a sponsor.]

As/for the college thing, what's the actual relevance when pro bound athletes have been known to not go to class and still pass? How about leagues that allow players to declare before college is completed or allow them to declare eligible straight out of high school?

I am a bit surprised that in 2019 people are still arguing about what format the people who play games for a living takes, on a site dedicated to a place where we try to gain money from playing games...or do you look down on Video Poker players since they're not playing on a table with cards and chips?

 

Oh for sure, I have no doubt that these forms of discipline happen in esports. I'm just saying that you can't exactly compare an esports team to an NFL team in terms of who has more at stake when it comes to their players being on their best behaviour. Did the Faze guy who trashed the Wynn room get disciplined for it at all?

As for the college thing... the relevance is that in order to get into college, you need to have a certain level of intellect and maturity. Sure, some may skip classes, and others may just skip college and go straight in from high school. But those are the minority of situations. What I'm getting at is that it's much easier for an arrogant hotshot to "make it" in esports, whereas most pro athletes will need to have the discipline and the maturity to get into college and do well there if they want to get into the big leagues.

 

I think it's because there's a stereotype that esports players are "punk kids" who are cut from the same cloth as the clout-chasers that you see doing ridiculous things on Instagram/Snapchat/Tiktok for likes/views/attention.

That stereotype has, in part, been redeemed by the notion that esports is soon to be a top-tier entertainment category (I was working on an esports sponsorship project earlier this year... it's really no exaggeration IMO).

But now with a headline like this coming out about how the Wynn room trasher seemingly did this just because he could afford it, it comes off as a flagrant act of boasting wealth, power, and being "untouchable", which only goes on to make that stereotype re-emerge... making that stereotype the focus rather than the act itself.

 

I can't hate on the kid. Money talks....and Wynn ensured they have a big spender coming back... rockstars used to do this all the time. The Hangover idolized this behavior. Vegas is about being an absolute degenerate where money can cover up your sins...unless they come back to kill you (it's happened).

 

Some people are just idiots that do stupid stuff... We hear much more about it today, because things are broadcasted so widely and 'news' is so much more accessible.

Lucky for those of us that did our dumb shit before smartphones