Genesis 4 is this weekend, and a few people have already revealed their new teams in preparation for the big event. But some players haven’t gotten a team yet — nor will they have one after this weekend. Why is that? Long story short, it could be because they just aren’t marketable enough. You’ve probably seen at least one Smash player/personality (e.g., DC, ZeRo, ANTi) say something like this on Twitter — “sponsors are looking for a social media presence,” “make sure you’re streaming regularly,” etc. But very few people explain why that’s the case. I’ll try to fix that, briefly.

These are the basics — 99% of the revenue that eSports teams get come from their sponsors. Many people already know this, but I want to reiterate it. Here’s the thing many people don’t seem to realize — teams don’t bear the burden of promoting sponsors at the top. The players on the teams are required to help promote sponsors as well, especially in larger and more visible eSports titles. You can see the owner of Team Solomid (TSM) — Reginald — talking about this here (in the context of a larger issue):

Jump to 47 minutes and 58 seconds

If you watch the video for about five minutes, one of the big things you’ll notice is this — Reginald is talking about how his team had to sacrifice promotion activities(sponsorship activations, personal streaming, etc.) for increased performance at a time. This reveals an important fact: promotion is separate from how you perform in your game. Coupled with the earlier point that promotion is one of the most valuable things you can do for your team, it’s no wonder why the big teams tend to pick up the players with strong personal brands.

Of course, that doesn’t mean performance isn’t important. After all, it can contribute to a strong personal brand. In fact, it appears that teams favor players with strong performance because A) they’re more visible on a regular basis (as ANTi notes, he gets a few thousand new followers every time he makes top 8) and B) because teams do value pure skill extremely highly (Reginald himself says that he was okay with briefly sacrificing promotion for performance because he believes performance is also important). But just because performance can be both helpful and valuable to a team doesn’t mean it makes up for a lack of ability to promote on its own. A strong combination of the two is a player’s best bet for getting sponsored.

In short, if you’re a fan wondering why your favorite player hasn’t been picked up by a big team yet, consider the activities they’re doing to enhance their personal brands (and the quality of these activities). Do they seem like they can make a sponsor feel like investing in an eSports team is worth it? Can they create a positive association between a sponsor and a potential viewer?

If you’re a player, consider the same things — what makes your personal brand exceptional? How can you improve your personal brand? Look at examples of players with strong brands —NRG Nairo, Liquid Hungrybox, CLG NAKAT, and take notes.