Two years ago in July, adult website YouPorn tweeted innocuously about potentially sponsoring competitive League of Legends, Dota 2, and Hearthstone players.

The tweet garnered over 4,000 retweets and drew responses from quite a few notable esports-related individuals. By the end of 2014 YouPorn was in the esports business, having taken on Spanish Dota 2 team Play2Win, who officially rebranded itself Team YP.

Do we have any competitive LoL, DOTA2, or HeartStone players following us? What do you think about YouPorn sponsoring a team? — YouPorn Katie (@YouPorn) July 10, 2014





Roughly a year later, Team YP needed more full-time help because it had expanded into Evolve, Street Fighter V, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, with an eye on League of Legends.

That’s where Claire Fisher came in. Though she’s no longer with YouPorn, the team’s former manager sat down with Yahoo Esports to discuss the org’s controversial ride through esports sponsorship.

Welcome to Team YP

In 2015, Fisher left a job at an ad agency to become the marketing coordinator at Team YP in Montreal. She figured it was a great opportunity to work in esports, which first piqued her interest after watching a League of Legends tournament in a friend’s basement.

In Fisher, Team YP got far more than they imagined. She grew up on video games, was fascinated with esports, and had professional management experience from her former gig. YouPorn considered her the best person to manage its players, so they gave her that job instead.

“I was really surprised. It was a happy accident,” Fisher told Yahoo Esports. “I didn’t anticipate my career going in that direction. I don’t think they realized at first I was meant for this. When they gave it to me, I was honored. Connecting with players was a big responsibility. I was starstruck.”

Around the time Fisher came aboard, Team YP struck deals with two talented Ultra Street Fighter IV players: Valentin “Valmaster” Petit, the best Chun-Li player in Europe, and Anton “Filipinoman” Herrera, the most notable Rose in North America. Despite her initial interest in League of Legends, Fisher grew up on fighting games and she was enamored with the FGC.

“When I was turned onto the FGC, I fell in love with it,” Fisher said. “There’s something different about watching a fighting game. It’s esports with a weird wrestling entertainment vibe with the pop-offs and unique personalities. I’m really into that.”

Valmaster and Filipinoman flourished under Team YP. Valmaster earned enough points on the Capcom Pro Tour in 2015 to qualify for Capcom Cup, where he finished in 17th place. Filipinoman finished out his USFIV career by placing top 4 at SCR 2015 and NEC 16, and he’s been one of the better Chun-Li players in SFV in North America. He recently finished 13th at Evo 2016, playing his way through the loser’s bracket after a first round loss.

“Claire really looks out for her players,” Filipinoman told us. “She was really invested in the fighting game community.”

Fisher saw her players as more than people wearing Team YP jerseys on live streams. She checked up on them, making sure they got what they needed to succeed. But she was also aware of helping these players mature and grow their own brands.

“I never took the players for granted,” Fisher said. “I learned to listen to what they wanted. Some players have extreme conditions with their sponsors. It adds to their stress. They don’t for me. I work for them. I’m there to advise them and push their careers in a certain direction.”

View photos Team YP’s Anton ‘Filipinoman’ Herrera (Michael Martin) More

Courting controversy

Team YP’s esports presence slowly grew, but while that was good for the org, it also brought unwanted attention…and eventually, controversy.

Beginning with ESL, event organizers began forcing Team YP out of its events, leaving a mess for Fisher to unravel. In late November 2015, ESL approached Team YP with the idea of selling its jerseys in ESL’s stores. Team YP leapt at the chance — working with one of the world’s biggest event organizers to sell merchandise was a big deal for the small sponsor.

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