• Loading stock data...
Thursday, April 24, 2025

How Players Associations Could Help Improve Esports’ Infrastructure

Photo credit: Pixabay
players-associations-esports-infrastructure

Photo credit: Pixabay

As the esports industry continues its ascent into big business, the players are beginning to realize the importance in the growth.

Multiple esports leagues have started to form players associations, most notably a global Counter-Strike union and League of Legends Players Association. The associations are forming in large part to fight for player rights and establish uniformity in the sport.

“At a 20,000-foot level, most player and team contracts are team-sided in all things,” said Scott Smith, who spearheaded the Counter-Strike association and is a longtime esports figure. “These young athletes sign away all their rights for a paycheck, X-amount to play a game.

“Players are starting to realize there’s money out there and they’re not replaceable. There’s a skill gap in these games.”

Counterstrike players formed its players association internationally, and thus won’t have the same leverage as a legalized labor union like the NFLPA, Smith said. Its main mission, at least currently, is to leverage the players’ voices and form some standardized tournament specifications.

“The business side is growing up,” Smith said. “We all figured out how to make it entertaining like a sport, but behind the scenes, infrastructure is playing catchup.”

READ MORE: The Boom of Implementing Esports Classes in College Has Begun

Unlike the Counter-Strike association, Riot Games brought in Hal Biagas to help lead a union of its League of Legends players. Biagas, the executive director of the NA LCS Players Association, has more than 21 years in sports industry experience, including 12 years working with the NBA Players Association as the assistant general counsel.

While doubts have been cast about the ability for the union to operate independently from the business. Smith, for one, believes associations should be started by angsty players looking for outside help to spark change. Smith pointed to Overwatch selling broadcast rights to Twitch for $90 million, with players getting no cut as a situation that could spur a union.

“It might just take some guys getting burned to get them truly activated,” Scott said.

Biagas seems optimistic Riot’s connection is not an issue.

“[Riot’s move] is very progressive and in some ways altruistic of Riot to suggest and advocate for it,” Biagas said. “It’s an interesting dynamic. I think from Riot’s perspective, they felt for the healthiest ecosystem, all the parties should have, maybe not equality, but there should at least be a level playing field.”

He also said he believes the company might have felt it would be beneficial to be ahead of the curve with the association model, with so many other esports leagues potentially set to follow suit in the future. For now, Biagas will focus on leading the association in growth and player involvement for when issues to present themselves to press the league on with a “unified voice.” A potential early issue will be moving the league’s teams toward a more uniform contract, he said.

For the four major sports leagues in the U.S., it took decades for player associations to form, but the cycle has accelerated in the recent past, with WNBA and MLS associations forming almost immediately in the 1990s.

Smith equated the esports industry MLB in 1900 when players were just excited to get paid to swing a bat.

The historic formation and power of some major sports player associations do provide a good framework, said Robert Rippee, executive director of the hospitality lab at the International Gaming Institute at UNLV.

“They have the ability. To look at plenty of case studies and learn from those and, potentially, do it better and faster,” Rippee said.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

The relative delay of the creation of esports player associations against those two new sports leagues might be in part due to people not considering esports traditional sports, Biagas said.

Also involved is the youth of players, and a six-figure salary to play a video game rather than playing recreationally can be enticing. The youth and ability to play for money also could make selling the appeal of a union more difficult, even if they’re to the benefit of the players.

But selling away their rights poses one of the largest issues Biagas has seen and said it will be an issue he examines more thoroughly in the near future and is high on the list. Those lack of rights can be limiting in individual endorsement and sponsorship deals. Biagas said the youth of the sport and players, as well as inexperienced agents in the space, are the main reasons those rights were initially negotiated away.

“Most of the players rights are controlled by the teams,” he said. “Contracts are very limiting in what players are able to do with their images and other marks.”

From the team side of the players rights deals, Smith, who once owned a team, said he understands the early practice as the teams and leagues needed the control as they needed more revenue streams. Now as the industry as matured and more and more lucrative revenue streams have opened up, it’s less vital to the teams and leagues.

Smith said now he believes teams aren’t activating individual players enough and there’s an avenue to give players their rights back, pay them less and, ultimately, make more money. There are also plenty of verticals teams have no interest in selling, like socks, watches and shoes.

“No one uses them, let a kid try to go out and sell them,” he said. “Not every kid will be an entrepreneur, but there are quite a few who could activate that stuff. Teams wouldn’t lose money, they’d make money.”

READ MORE: Looking Into the Crystal Ball: 3 Esports Predictions for 2019

A major challenge within the esports industry is the vast amount of leagues across the globe and differences among the genres of game and demographics interested in those specific games.

“The issue is we use the term esports like sports. Sports is a huge word,” Smith said. “Counter-Strike and its ecosystem is way different than Rainbow Six and Rocket League and League of Legends.”

The idea of a standardized players associations bridging those gaps seems unlikely, Rippee said, but he believes the idea of the community will string through whenever esports players form associations.

“It’s a sign of maturation in the industry,” Rippee said. “But it’s not the peak. If you look at the history of esports, it began as a community construct, people playing together, and competition formed organically. These associations are an extension of those roots, they want to retain their input, involvement and control within the community.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.

Cooper Flagg’s Timing Is Perfect for the NBA and USA Basketball

The projected No. 1 pick just declared for the draft.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards

ESPN’s WNBA Coverage Mirrors the League’s Stunning Growth

“I don’t think we stand still in our coverage of women’s sports,” says Rowe.
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Mar 13, 2020; Augusta, GA, USA; The front entrance at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Friday morning. The Masters Tournament has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
opinion

What’s It Like to Play Augusta? A Day on the World’s Most..

Inside a round at the most exclusive club in the world.

Featured Today

Dec 9, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) watches as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after making a three point basket to clinch a win against the Toronto Raptors near the end of the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena

Same Owner, New Knicks: New York’s Remarkable Rebound

The franchise’s renaissance didn’t happen overnight.
Masters
April 18, 2025

Why The Masters Quietly Cracked Down on Ticket Resellers

Insiders expect big changes are coming to ticketing at Augusta National.
exclusive
April 16, 2025

Inside Nico Iamaleava’s Ugly Breakup With Tennessee

Iamaleava’s representatives claim to FOS he didn’t push for more NIL money.
Jul 29, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; France center Dominique Malonga (14) and guard Marine Johannes (23) celebrate after defeating Canada during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy
April 13, 2025

‘Has to Change’: The WNBA’s International Player Problem

As more global stars arrive, the “prioritization” rule is causing tension.

FanDuel Retains Sports Betting Crown With $14B in 2024 Revenue

The FanDuel parent company posts big increases in revenue and net income.
DraftKings app
February 14, 2025

Lawsuit Says DraftKings VIP Program ‘Preyed On’ Gambling Addicts

The company’s being sued for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
February 20, 2025

Americans Bet $148 Billion on Sports in 2024, Up 23.6%

Both overall handle and revenue rose by more than 20% last year.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
August 20, 2024

Beloved ‘Backyard Sports’ Brand Says It Will Relaunch After Decade Hiatus

“Backyard Baseball” was a turn-of-the-century computer hit. 
DraftKings
August 2, 2024

DraftKings Announces Consumer Tax Starting Next Year

The company’s stock fell 5% Friday morning.
July 24, 2024

The Perfect Storm Propelling ‘EA Sports College Football’ to Early Success

Growing fandom and a long wait have already reaped dividends for EA.
July 20, 2024

The Road to the Return of ‘EA Sports College Football’

This summer, the biggest development in college sports is virtual.