Elaborating on CLG Red, concerns, and on the topic of female gamers

George brought a couple comments on our CLG Subreddit to my attention regarding CLG Red, our all female Counter Strike team. It's a great time to elaborate on the team. Official (formal video) content is to follow in the coming months. This post is a primer.



Answering some of the communities questions and assertions:



1) Is CLG Red getting a gaming house?



Yes. We're partially subsidizing a house in Los Angeles near our LCS and CS:GO team houses. Our intention is to create a community with the teams. We want to bring them together in team events, seminars, new content, and more.

We are building an infrastructure for CLG Red that's similar to our other teams. We're committed to their success as a competitive team.



2) Why is CLG making this decision? Does CLG Red compete? Isn't CLG losing a lot of money?



CLG is making this decision because CLG Red is a competitive team of gamers. CLG Red was previously its own successful organization, Ubinited. Buying the team came with a team manager and several mature players. The organization attained its own sponsorship that carried over to support them at CLG.

CLG Red is not only an intelligent group of business-minded women, it's also a great investment from a brand perspective. They do a lot for our sponsors. They are critical to my plans for future content. And most importantly, they're great people. They support the company motto of "we grow great people first, then great players." They're vibrant, energetic, enthusiastic about e-sports, and friendly.

Overall attitude and alignment to the company mission is my primary criteria when selecting teams or individuals to support. I would select CLG Red as a team on this basis alone. It's a bonus that they also perform well from a financial standpoint. You'll see that reflected in their competitive records soon (explained below) as well.



3) Why invest in an all-female team (and addressing assertions to the subject of females in gaming in general:)



What a strange thing that this is a topic. My answer is, why not? I've seen a couple comments that "males are better than females" and some studies cited. I maintain the standpoint that there is no reason a team of women can't be successful. Like all teams, winning is a matter of infrastructure, drive, and hunger. CLG Red possesses these qualities in droves. CLG Red is close to an ESEA qualification on their own. They'll easily reach and surpass that goal with proper support (a gaming house and coaching staff.)

I had a chance to see the Red girls compete at IBP this weekend. They had a harrowing game against Divine Rage where they suffered a narrow defeat. They played with all the intensity, fire, and skill of a team of professional gamers. I've talked to them individually and they're hungry to win. They have all the hunger and drive of our LCS Starter players. They've earned their right to be called professional gamers in every sense of the title.



Bottom line.

If your standpoint is:

* You think a female team doesn't qualify to receive the infrastructure we provide our other teams.

or:

* You want to field the argument that women can't succeed for any reason, physical/mental/societal/otherwise.



Then I invite you to find another e-sports organization to support, because CLG is not for you. We stand beside CLG Red and our decision to support them. We stand for the progress women are making in this industry.



CLG Red hasn't disappointed in their growth as competitors or in their ROI towards our business. It's a pleasure to work with such driven people who are a part of the growth of the whole industry. They're pioneers on the frontier of females in professional gaming. I'm grateful that they want to do that as part of the CLG family.



I'm excited for our supporters to experience CLG Red through our upcoming content plans. I suspect the majority of you will find out what awesome people they are through this medium. I also celebrate the vibrant fanbase of CLG Red that's waiting to see what's in store. It's an exciting time for them as they move into their new gaming house with a total focus on competition. I expect them to shake the foundations of CS:GO in 2016.



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