For the past 10 weeks, Turner Sports and WME|IMG have broadcast ELeague, their professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league, on TBS. It has led to the final four, and several hundred people have gathered in Atlanta this weekend to watch the teams face off for a chance at the $390,000 first prize and the inaugural ELeague season trophy.Though the crowd is small in comparison to many esports events, an average of hundreds of thousands have been watching at home.The path that led us to the Season 1 ELeague finals started with WME|IMGs acquisition of management agency Global Esports Management (GEM). That partnership fostered the creation of a televised esports league, with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive being the game of choice. It has been a challenge teaching non-esports broadcasters and businesspeople about this unique industry, but ELeagues general manager, Christina Alejandre, says it has also been quite an amazing journey.I dont mean to sound very Pollyanna, like everythings groovy, but it actually has been very fantastic, she says. The team [at Turner Sports], even though they dont come from a traditional esports background, come from a sports background. We have a select few on my team that have decent esports backgrounds. Everybody is so willing and open to learn about esports and whats right for esports.Alejandres role is the latest in a long career of gaming and interactive media. She has held positions at Viacom and its Nickelodeon and Paramount properties, as well as Warner Bros. and Turbine. But her transition to full-on esports came during six months in 2015-16, when she worked as a consultant for one of the industrys biggest tournament organizers, ESL. She then joined Turner and ELeague in March, a month before the league began.I think there are a lot of people who used to work for small esports companies, and [who are] maybe not used to not necessarily the politics, but the different dynamics involved in working for such a big company, she explains about the transition. [When] I came over to Turner Sports, it was great. I was able to use my knowledge in esports, I was using my knowledge of video games, my knowledge of working for big companies, and really immersed myself into the company. I think it all ended well.She says that when she first joined ELeague, the Turner Sports team was open to feedback and listened to her and her staff. Among that staff was fellow recent Turner hire Richard Lewis, a veteran esports journalist who converted to desk, hosting and editing for Turners esports endeavors.There were some designs that [the Turner Sports team] just didnt understand, [like how players] desks facing each other might impact competitive integrity, because you can see a flashbang in the other teams face. [They would say], Oh we didnt think about that, Alejandre says. In normal productions, they dont have to think about the noise always going outward and not going back to the players because you dont want the players to hear what the casters are saying.They were very open to it all; no one was defensive or like, No, no, no, we have to make this awesome for sports or production. The first priority was competitive integrity.But ELeague, despite great reception overall, went under heavy fire for a ruling involving league teams SK Gaming and Luminosity Gaming. Both organizations, and the Brazilian and Danish players who represented them, were booted from the league after a long dispute over roster changes in which Luminositys players signed with SK. The controversy even involved a petition signed by other teams to prevent what they saw as improper action by the league.Luminosity & SK Gaming are no longer eligible to compete in our first season due to roster changes that do not comply with @EL rules- Min-Sik Ko (@minsikko) July 6, 2016ELeague managed to stay afloat despite the turmoil that surrounded that situation. Alejandre says thats because of the experience of Turner Sports.We treat esports and ELeague as a traditional sport in that sense, she says. We had a clear rule set, we stuck to the rule set, we made a decision.Look, I am a huge fan of the SK Gaming roster and the other team that was affected. I wouldve loved to have them compete, right? But much like any other traditional sport, even if its the top team or top player, they have to adhere to the rules, and if they dont adhere to the rules, there are going to be consequences. I think thats why we didnt fumble, because we stood by the letter of the rules; we didnt make exceptions.Season 1 might not be finished yet, but ELeague is already looking toward a bigger and better future. It recently announced a new venture in Overwatch, in partnership with FACEIT. After the Overwatch Open finishes in September, there will be a second season of ELeague. The second season will be shorter than Season 1 due to feedback on the first seasons length, as reported by the Daily Dot. Alejandre says the main goal is to improve for the future.Were constantly trying to get better, innovate and evolve, she says. So if I say, No, everything was perfect, everything was fine, thatd be a load of bull. You know it, and I know it.One of the lessons we learned is that the season was too long; were looking to shorten next season. Thats one of the more key learnings. Then other things are just smaller tweaks and fixes as we go and [keep] constantly evolving. Nick Bosa Super Bowl Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Kyle Juszczyk Super Bowl Jersey . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. https://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Robbie-Gould-Jersey/ . JOHNS, N. Deion Sanders Super Bowl Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Raheem Mostert Super Bowl Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. England coach Wayne Bennett insists Mal Meninga is wrong to think hes trying to undermine him and warned his critics he isnt going to change.In a remarkable press conference in Londons docklands, the veteran coach said he and Australia coach Meninga, who savaged him in a recent newspaper column, spoke this week and maintained hes done nothing wrong.He hasnt said anything to me, Bennett said.I saw him yesterday, spent a bit of time with him.Its a matter of perception. I didnt do that (undermine him). If thats what he believes then thats his prerogative.Bennett has come under fire in England for some taciturn post-match TV interviews and been accused of failing to promote the growth of the game.But the Brisbane coach said he couldnt care less about the criticism and claimed his job is not to be a marketer for the RFL.I started coaching in 1977 and they started bagging me then and nothings changed in 2016, he said.Ill tell you about promoting rugby league. You can talk to any marketing department. They dont want you to be goofing it off and talking it up when your team is getting beat every week because they wont sell aa ticket.dddddddddddd.My job is to get the best out of those players and give you the best entertainment I possibly can, Bennett said.What you say away from the game is immaterial.That has been my philosophy all my coaching life and I am not interested in cheap talk. I am not interested in getting out there thinking I can promote the game by something that I say.I know if the team ... play well and everyone enjoys what theyre doing, there wont be any shortage of fans or people interested.Bennett said after almost 40 years of coaching hes become immune to any barbs aimed at him and avoids reading about and watching the game to ensure he has a clear mind about his job.I dont read anything you (the media) write any more, he said.I havent for over a decade now. I watch television shows but when some rugby league comes on I turn it off.I see lots of guys doing interviews and they are wasting their time and space.It doesnt make any sense. They are just playing the game and I cant play the game. ' ' '
