We’ve previously covered Team YP, the YouPorn-sponsored eSports organization. While Team YP has been able to participate in various tournaments under their controversial (Editor’s Note: not to us) sponsor, they’re now banned from all ESL (Electronic Sports League) held events.
The reasoning (via Venture Beat) for the ban is actually due to the main sponsor, YouPorn. This comes from a new rule which effectively prohibits sponsors that are “widely known for pornographic[…]or other adult/mature themes and products”.
YouPorn has done everything to distance the team from the website, even abbreviating the team’s name to Team YP. They’ve even gone as far as censoring the team’s logo on their shirt during the 2015 Capcom Cup Finals since they were prohibited from wearing a shirt that displayed the YouPorn logo.
Despite their efforts to make the brand safe for work, it wasn’t enough as they are still banned from all ESL held events.
A spokesperson for Team YP had this to say:
I am disappointed that Team YP’s growth is being stunted by this decision, not to mention the effect that this will have on our roster of players […] While for some, our participation in esports has been controversial, stopping our players from competing because they are sponsored by us, in spite of Team YP operating as a completely safe for work brand, clearly separated from any adult content, seems unfair to say the least.
The ban currently affects the organisation’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Starcraft 2 and Evolve teams from competing.
Minuteworld92
April 23, 2016 at 7:18 pmyep. very slow news day.
sanic
April 23, 2016 at 7:19 pmPeople play evolve still? And some do it competitively?!
Towershield
April 23, 2016 at 7:20 pmApparently. Now there’s even less.
Dewey Defeats Truman
April 23, 2016 at 7:21 pm“This comes from a new rule which effectively prohibits sponsors that are
“widely known for pornographic[…]or other adult/mature themes and
products”.”
That sounds pretty explicitly targeted against these guys. I think esports are dumb shit but they shouldn’t be getting blacklisted over such a dumb reason.
Choppinfoot
April 23, 2016 at 7:21 pmThat’s a pretty disgusting decision on the part of ESL.
deadeye
April 23, 2016 at 7:22 pmSurprising…pretty much no one. Kinda hard to make the brand safe for work. Even with the abbreviation, the connection is there.
Considering eSports is becoming more and more popular, there are kids watching, and that’s just a barrel of trouble that no one wants.
Nonscpo
April 23, 2016 at 7:25 pmWell this is dumb!
Izu-3
April 23, 2016 at 7:27 pmIt’s dumb, but really I can sort of understand. It’s rather hard to advertise something on TV if one of the teams is from a porn company.
Narmy
April 23, 2016 at 7:32 pmIt’s about time we get past this stigma that sex=bad while violence=good.
Master Bating
April 23, 2016 at 7:40 pmAlways is on the weekends
Tomorrow and most Sundays pretty much nothing until noon.
orbo
April 23, 2016 at 7:45 pmIt sucks for them, but I get it.
You can put the distance of sun between you and them, but at the end of the day you’re still affiliated with a porn site which makes you radioactive to most networks and their advertisers, and the audience won’t take you seriously either.
Offendatron_5000
April 23, 2016 at 7:45 pmYouporn should buy a legitimate company that has nothing to do with porn and find a way to link back to their home site… Make a loophole for yourself.
XERW
April 23, 2016 at 7:55 pmPuritanism in our ESL… and I thought they’re better than this *sigh*
Uncle Slick
April 23, 2016 at 8:16 pmYou can smoke pot at these events, but not sponsor a porn site.
What.
Arbitrary
April 23, 2016 at 8:23 pmAnd nothing of value was lost.
Arbitrary
April 23, 2016 at 8:24 pm“Surprising…pretty much no one. Kinda hard to make the brand safe for work. Even with the abbreviation, the connection is there.”
Indeed.
I mean – really. What the hell was anyone thinking?
“Yes because kids watching people getting shot in the head, eaten by monsters or other graphic violence is fine and dandy but oh no these people playing the games are tangentially named after a company that makes money off of porn and we all know sex is the devil right? Wouldn’t want kids to know about sex, heavens no! They might at some point in their life maybe even dare to try it! Quick show more blood so the 15 year olds these games and coverage is targeted at don’t think about sex!”
I think we should stigmatize both equally.
No, really. Sex is unsympathetic, selfish and primitive – which is exactly what violence also is. Let’s teach people to NOT embrace all our unpleasant caveman-shit.
xmrsunshine
April 23, 2016 at 8:24 pmYes because kids watching people getting shot in the head, eaten by monsters or other graphic violence is fine and dandy but oh no these people playing the games are tangentially named after a company that makes money off of porn and we all know sex is the devil right? Wouldn’t want kids to know about sex, heavens no! They might at some point in their life maybe even dare to try it! Quick show more blood so the 15 year olds these games and coverage is targeted at don’t think about sex!
Arbitrary
April 23, 2016 at 8:24 pmExactly.
Arbitrary
April 23, 2016 at 8:24 pmPorn-people, apparently.
Mea K
April 23, 2016 at 8:28 pm1) CS:GO and EVOLVE are both rated M, StarCraft 2 is rated T. I believe ESRB ratings are bullshit to begin with, but technically kids should not even be watching these events so “think of the children” thankfully does not apply.
2) A kid is watching an ESL event and sees one of the players wearing a shirt that says “Team YP”. So what? What’s the damage? That they might look it up and indirectly find an adult site? This is like banning certain music videos because a minor could pick up a bad word and google it.
Arbitrary
April 23, 2016 at 8:28 pmWe should accept that both are frankly unsympathetic.
Mea K
April 23, 2016 at 8:32 pmIs sex still unsympathetic and selfish if I’m a submissive pleaser, mom?
AJ_Lethal
April 23, 2016 at 8:33 pmYouLewd?
Lepito
April 23, 2016 at 8:36 pm>The ban currently affects the organisation’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Starcraft 2 and Evolve teams from competing.
>Evolve
wtf people still play that shitty game?
Offendatron_5000
April 23, 2016 at 8:39 pmYouLube. Personal lubricant for traversing through tiny spaces in your house.
AJ_Lethal
April 23, 2016 at 8:42 pmbrilliant
Minuteworld92
April 23, 2016 at 8:49 pm>No, really. Sex is unsympathetic, selfish and primitive
wut.
Audie Bakerson
April 23, 2016 at 9:08 pmSo to promote their business and get themselves taken seriously, they limit the number of players and sponsers?
This is why nobody outside of the censorship hell that is South Korea takes “esports” seriously.
Trepie
April 23, 2016 at 9:24 pmYouPorn really needs to sponsor a Smite team instead. Hirez seems based most of the time.
Pillbugable
April 23, 2016 at 10:12 pmSex is unsympathetic?
I’m pretty sure just about everyone can relate to it.
AnarKreig
April 23, 2016 at 10:16 pmOn the flipside, nobody cares about ESL.
Zanthos
April 23, 2016 at 10:20 pmWell except for feminists and parental basement dwellers…. XD
Ubrokemygrill?
April 23, 2016 at 10:24 pmHow dare we use themes of violence and sex(things that drive the evolution of mankind) in games. I guess since you were born from an unsympathetic act noone would give a shit if you died right? You are an unsympathetic product after all.
Zanthos
April 23, 2016 at 10:25 pmPretty sure sex is the way our species continue so I for one am all for keeping the “unpleasant caveman-shit.” And I, sex > violence any day of the week and the only people that would share your opinion on sex clearly have never made that sweet sweet love ;D
kunuri
April 23, 2016 at 10:38 pmThe decision to make that rule, which I also feel clearly targets this specific sponsor, honestly feels so petty. It’s clear that YouPorn is treating this as more than just some joke, and to undermine the contributions of a real and serious sponsor, and the entire team they sponsor, just has no sense to it at all. They aren’t helping anyone by doing this, frankly.
Eldhin Hellknight
April 23, 2016 at 11:01 pmE-sport organizations still suck looks like
Sylveria Shini
April 23, 2016 at 11:13 pmThey could just set up some shell company, but seeing that this ruling seems pretty directed at them specifically, I imagine the ESL and anyone else run by regressive dickweeds would just make up a new rule to prevent them from going that way.
Sylveria Shini
April 23, 2016 at 11:14 pmEven us basement dwellers can sympathize with sex. Just ask my harem of waifu pillows.
DragonBlood87
April 23, 2016 at 11:35 pmThe thing is, from the wording, it could potentially be used against damn near any sponsor. Heck, many of the eSports *games* fail that adult/mature themes test. Just because it’s only being used to blacklist one specific sponsor right now doesn’t mean this rule is harmless or small in scope.
Cats736
April 24, 2016 at 1:23 amPatented and trademarked!
Didney Worl
April 24, 2016 at 1:45 amIt sucks for them, but I have to take the ESL’s side on this one. Even though Team YP tried to separate themselves from YouPorn, it really couldn’t be done. It’s like when porn star Tiffany Six retired from porn to become a middle school teacher. Even though she went back to using her real name to distance herself from her porn star days, it was only a matter of time until her past caught up to her. And as soon as the school board found out about her former career, she was fired immediately. Having someone who worked in sexually explicit films working with children can harm the school’s reputation. The same logic applies here.
Didney Worl
April 24, 2016 at 1:51 amSmoking pot isn’t the same as as a guy filming himself giving his girlfriend an Alabama Hot Pocket.
DON’T GOOGLE IT!!
Didney Worl
April 24, 2016 at 1:55 amNOBODY CARES CINDY!!
萌えゲー
April 24, 2016 at 2:06 amExactly. Let’s remind ourselves that the same kids watching these games also worship celebrities with leaked sex tapes and artists that literally sing about porn. We gonna ban all of them too~?
萌えゲー
April 24, 2016 at 2:12 amRight? I swear they are missing coverage on the new Bullet Girl videos.
萌えゲー
April 24, 2016 at 2:14 amShe left porn to teach? Talk about an unpromotion.
Uncle Slick
April 24, 2016 at 2:54 amWon’t google it, but the point is pot is illegal in most places still.
Porn isn’t.
Smug
April 24, 2016 at 4:21 amI believe you need to embrace a good dicking
Galbador
April 24, 2016 at 4:36 amGive it time… I’m sure SJWs will demand this sooner or later.
catazxy
April 24, 2016 at 4:42 amtoo bad
Tubsiwub
April 24, 2016 at 5:07 amWith the amount of effort YouPorn put into distancing themselves from the games and teams, they teams should be allowed to participate… I would normally say, “Porn industries shouldn’t sponsor anything”, in this case I side with them… seriously, they even censored their logo. They obviously aren’t going for the super-promotional content here, they just want to participate and make money from the ESports, not shove their brand name everywhere.
Mr0303
April 24, 2016 at 5:21 amThis is obviously targeted discrimination. YP may have a legal case given how Evolve is 18+ and there is no justification for the decision. I doubt they’ll pursue though.
This case is just another reminder how terrified of sex and intimacy the West has become.
Dom The Elegy
April 24, 2016 at 5:58 amYou’re wasting your time, man.
TeLin特林
April 24, 2016 at 6:48 amFitting name.
Guin
April 24, 2016 at 8:23 amIt was a standup promotion for the student’s boners however.
Guin
April 24, 2016 at 8:28 amOuch, sick burn bro.
Immahnoob
April 24, 2016 at 8:45 am“there are kids watching”
Fuck it, I was thinking of being nicer these days.
Kill yourself.
GamesGoodMeGood
April 24, 2016 at 9:44 amYes they are, they’re helping shit-house feminists push their propaganda.
GamesGoodMeGood
April 24, 2016 at 9:50 amSaw this coming when some specific female costumes were banned in some DOA5LR tournament(s).
We’re heading into some extremely puritan sex-negative times in mainstream video games.
SJWs and feminists are a f***king cancer on video games and society.
GamesGoodMeGood
April 24, 2016 at 9:53 amThey even changed their logos and disassociated themselves from the porn side. It’s pretty unfair.
John Smith.
April 24, 2016 at 9:56 amCan’t say I’m surprised really, a team of players playing sports games on PCs/consoles, all of which is sponsored by a porn site, why it’s just one giant CIS gendered white supremacist patriarchy bullshit trigger that was bound to trigger some winy douchebag of a SJW wanker into making a twitter campaign about it.
GamesGoodMeGood
April 24, 2016 at 10:07 amAlso, porn is a billion-dollar industry, they are rich enough.
Considering the the majority of people who watch porn are males, maybe they should form their own e-sports organisations/companies. I would imagine this would attract the same user-base. And tell SJWs, feminists, puritans and Anita to simply f**k off.
Then when they host a DOA5LR tournament, all female characters are required to be in bikinis. Mandatory.
Oh yeah. XD
Rob Simple
April 24, 2016 at 10:26 amWhat a bunch of fucking puritans.
If they were selling dildos at events I’d get it, but this is just the same shit we had in the UK with premiership football where they banned teams being sponsored by brands of alcohol because ‘MUH IMPRESSIONABLE YOUTH’.
Guess what, idiots, I grew up watching teams being sponsored by Carling and I still wouldn’t drink that pisswater if you offered me it for free.
TylorW
April 24, 2016 at 11:26 amWhy do I have a bad feeling that this might affect other 18+ sponsors too, such as Fakku (though that’s more the FGC, so they might be more open compared to other communities)? Hopefully I’m wrong and this is just going to be a singular event.
Still, it’s a shame that they’re being stone-walled like this, given the effort they seem to have brought forth to make an official team. Hopefully this doesn’t deter them moving forward, and I wish them luck.
chaoguy
April 24, 2016 at 12:23 pmI wonder if it’ll lead to banning specific games and character costumes if they are also deemed “pornographic” or explicit.
I get them kicking them because they want ESL to come across as mature- but there’s more they need to do for that. Outright ban on any thuggish behavior, people actually getting asses in chairs at tournaments on not wandering on stage, and trash talk- but don’t make it sound like I’m watching fucking The Wire!
xmrsunshine
April 24, 2016 at 4:25 pmI googled it.
Didney Worl
April 24, 2016 at 4:59 pmHere, I think you’ll be needing this.
Dark Lord Ash
April 24, 2016 at 5:13 pmUnless Youporn is bringing their “wares” to the events I see no reason why the people who they’re sponsoring can’t compete. This should be about the competitors, not the companies who back them.
deadeye
April 25, 2016 at 1:59 amThis isn’t a matter of right or wrong, or how sex shouldn’t be seen as worse than violence.
It’s simply trouble that ESL doesn’t want. Imagine some parent overhearing their kid saying “youporn is my favorite team”. It’s a fucking powderkeg. They’re also desperate to look like a legitimate sports league, and the fact of the matter is that having a sponsor like that could potentially look bad on them.
This is a business decision, not a moral one. Whether or not its a good business decision will remain to be seen.
deadeye
April 25, 2016 at 2:00 amI’ll reply to this one as well.
This isn’t about morals. It’s about business. Having a porn website as a sponsor is potentially bad for business.
atlow
April 25, 2016 at 5:39 amImmature virtue signalling.
Immahnoob
April 25, 2016 at 7:16 am“Imagine some parent overhearing their kid saying “youporn is my favorite team”. It’s a fucking powderkeg.”
Yeah, I’m imagining it, I don’t see the business issue.
“They’re also desperate to look like a legitimate sports league”
“and the fact of the matter is that having a sponsor like that could potentially look bad on them.”
These do not exclude each other.
“Whether or not its a good business decision will remain to be seen.”
They’ve just lost a sponsor, it’s not a good business decision.
Jaime Osbourn
April 25, 2016 at 12:38 pmPc strikes again. To bad they didn’t ban themselves.
alterku
April 25, 2016 at 1:04 pmMore proof that e sports are silly.
Johnathon
April 25, 2016 at 2:13 pmE sports are cancer, after the street fighter 5 Red Bull tourney it’s all to apparent.
Never thought an event could have been that bad.
Cracka no I don’t want to see your not even true combo that you can’t even seem to do half the time, I want to see what I came on to the stream supplying your boss with ad money for.
Reminder that at Red Bull they pretty much forced players who lost to stay behind to ask them how they lost because “they don’t have the time” between matches but they sure did have the time for that crappy combo exhibition (again nothing in there was a true combo)
Johnathon
April 25, 2016 at 2:16 pm“MY DICK IS SO BIG I SEE FEAR IN WOMENS EYES WHEN I UNZIP MY PANTS”
I’m here to show you how to as well grow an exceptually large benis right now and here my friend, all you have to do is click that link down below and you to will know the secret that doctors and wemon alike don’t want you to find out.
http://adf.ly/mWsdX
scemar
April 25, 2016 at 4:28 pmIsn’t the ESL the same tryhard mainstream sucking company that tried (or did?) try to put anti dopping to ban players over pot use too?
Or over usage of “non e sports” profanities on social media?
Oh they can suck it.
Thanatos2k
April 25, 2016 at 7:40 pmBut let me guess, alcohol companies are allowed to sponsor teams?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/04/25/bud-light-help-crown-esports-all-stars/83481136/
YEP.
Thanatos2k
April 25, 2016 at 7:42 pmMore like they don’t suck enough. If you know what I’m saying.
ShayneLambson
April 26, 2016 at 9:50 amThey don’t have any problems with the products their sponsors are marketing but they seem to have a problem with adult sites. They will loose on a long term because afte YP more sites like Livejasmin and GayReign were convinced to sponsor teams which would make the competition benefit from that financial support.
Laughingman91
April 26, 2016 at 1:09 pmAll of you seem to have missed the point that watching porn is the #1 cause of human trafficking and sex trafficking. “ESL PAYS FOR SEX SLAVES” on your news feeds isn’t gonna look good for ESL when the social justice causes start making waves and the news outlets catch wind of the contention.
The sexual nature of the porn sponsor is what makes it mature. Not the depicted usage of knives to murder people, which is what gives the games 18+ ratings.