Richard Lewis & Thorin dissect the CSPPA vs BLAST CSGO controversy ELEAGUE \/ BLAST \/ CSPPAFollowing the CSPPA\u2019s dispute over player recordings at CSGO\u2019s BLAST Premier\u2019s Fall Finals, Richard Lewis and Duncan \u2018Thorin\u2019 Shields have scrutinized the organization\u2019s efforts. BLAST Premier\u2019s Fall Finals opening match was delayed, after a Counter-Strike Professional Players\u2019 Association (CSPPA) petition surrounding the use of player voice and video recordings unraveled a slew of issues \u2014 with competitive integrity being at the forefront of the organization\u2019s message. The CSPPA issued a collective statement on behalf of the player representatives competing in the BLAST Premier circuit, which voiced their concerns surrounding the handling of said video and voice recordings. But in the wake of the events that unfolded, a team-collective statement was released, stating that the issues raised had already been resolved on November 23. Ill-timed or unwarranted? Richard & Thorin react Episode 138 of \u2018By the Numbers\u2019 was a CSPPA special. Richard began by discussing the turmoil surrounding the CSPPA\u2019s actions against BLAST. \u201cNow the CSPPA are attacking leagues, and attacking leagues that just so happen to be the league that don\u2019t pay them money! Like a mafia shakedown\u2026\u201d Thorin went on to draw parallels between the players at the helm of the association and their approach to issues with other tournament organizers, referencing the now infamous coaching bug scandal and how, according to Thorin, they didn\u2019t treat the matter in a similar light. \u201cThe fact that they didn\u2019t stand and do strike action against any of these other things (and sometimes didn\u2019t even speak out), actually tells you everything you need to know.\u201d You can watch the full VOD below. BLAST paid the price, but were CSPPA right? While principally, the pair disagree with both the inequality and timing of CSPPA\u2019s intervention, Richard made it clear that he agrees with the sentiment behind the movement. Read More: Valve cancelling 2021 CSGO Major? – \u201cI want to stipulate\u2026 I agree with CSPPA\u2019s stance on this 100%,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a GDPR consideration. If you\u2019re recording motherf**kers \u2014 where\u2019s it being stored? How long is it being stored for?\u201d But while Richard expressed a mutual concern regarding data regulation and safety, he remained skeptical of the implication that players and teams are benefiting from BLAST\u2019s recordings, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t believe for a second that someone has taken a team recording and then sold it to another team\u2026 That is so insane.\u201d The argument continues on Twitter\u2026 While the By The Numbers hosts are among the most vocal critics, they\u2019re far from alone in their concerns about the CSPPA and its actions. A number of \u2018tier 2\u2019 coaches and players have also spoken out about the organization, claiming it fails to communicate or show solidarity with players and teams that aren\u2019t at the very top of the CS:GO mountain. \u201cCSPPA never spoke to any of my players or brax the whole time they knew we were about to get our spot stolen,\u201d said Danny \u2018fRoD\u2019 Montaner, referencing ESL\u2019s decisions to reduce the number of spots in the EPL. \u201c[As far as I know] the other affected teams were not spoken to either from NA.\u201d Jordan \u2018Zellsis\u2019 Montemurro responded: \u201cremember when I had that meeting and I was basically told nothing could be done ever and they have no power whatsoever?\u201d The CSPPA refute these claims, stating that they \u201chave close to 300 members\u201d and \u201cmanagement talk to and assist tier 2 players every day.\u201d We have close to 300 members. Management talk to and assist tier 2 players every day. \u2014 Counter-Strike Professional Players\u2019 Association (@CSPPAgg) December 9, 2020 \u201cOnly thing I can confirm is that every team\/player I\u2019ve talked to below tier 1, and even teams in tier 1, have never been asked to vote on any decisions or elect representatives,\u201d said former pro David \u2018DAVEY\u2019 Stafford. Richard\u2019s call to action: Valve, it\u2019s time to step up Given Counter-Strike\u2019s turbulent year, both in terms being forced into online exclusivity and the numerous player-related scandals, Richard believes Riot\u2019s Valorant poses a very real threat to CS:GO\u2019s global esports presence if Valve don\u2019t act fast. \u201cThey are strategizing the success of Valorant, predicating on the failures of Overwatch and Counter-Strike \u2014 and that is an unequivocal fact,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s a mess, it\u2019s a f**king mess. And unfortunately, for once Valve, you are going to have to come in and clean up the mess\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Richard Lewis & Thorin dissect the CSPPA vs BLAST CSGO controversy ELEAGUE \/ BLAST \/ CSPPAFollowing the CSPPA\u2019s dispute over player recordings at CSGO\u2019s BLAST Premier\u2019s Fall Finals, Richard Lewis and Duncan \u2018Thorin\u2019 Shields have scrutinized the organization\u2019s efforts. BLAST Premier\u2019s Fall Finals opening match was delayed, after a Counter-Strike Professional Players\u2019 Association (CSPPA) petition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38853\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}