All the World's A Stage ? Part 2

[Russ Pitts]

With the recent announcement that Pizza Hut will be sponsoring the Cyberathlete Professional League, the road to legitimacy for the struggling sport of professional gaming seems to be paved with irony.

From the official press release at the CPL website [http://www.thecpl.com/league/]:

The Pizza Hut sponsorship further validates what we?ve been doing for the last nine years, to make this a professional worldwide sport. We are excited to be the first organization to cater to the gaming community with pizza delivery options.

I had no idea that becoming the first anything with pizza delivery options was a worthwhile goal, but then I'm not in the business of founding professional sports leagues, so what would I know?

The consolation prize in all of this is that as bad as it may look to have a "professional" gaming league sponsored by the grease kings of America, some of the original sponsors of other sports were much, much worse. NASCAR, I'm looking at you. If that sport was able to overcome the stereotypes of its competitors as tobacco-chewing, Winston-smoking, Budweiser-drinking, bootlegging, Deep South hicks, then perhaps there may be hope for gamers after all. Or not.

 

[Russ Pitts]

Original Comment by: Phillip Scuderi
http://www.gamerswithjobs.com
Really Russ, I must confess to not knowing what you mean. I can't tell you how glad I am that my sport of choice is now represented through effective, name-brand, pizza-delivery options. Speaking as a true sportsman, I now feel validated, both emotionally and gastronomically. If only every aspect of my life had pizza-delivery options such as these!

Why, I should e-mail the American Philosophical Association pronto. Something tells me they're of a kind to be hard-up for cash. They could arrange to intersperse secret pizza-discount codes among the next editions of the impenetrable prose of the Medievals, or the intangible proclamations of the existentialists. It's not like anyone would mind!

 

[Russ Pitts]

Original Comment by: Mitch
http://www.gamingtrend.com
My wife still finds it amazing that you can order a pizza by typing "/pizza" in Everquest so this is surprising... how?

 

[Russ Pitts]

Original Comment by: Angel Munoz
http://www.thecpl.com
I think sometimes we tend to over-rationalize things. Most people will associate the Pizza Hut brand with a place where American families have gathered for 48 years and not necesarilly just "greasy pizzas."

Having a non-tech company associated with professional videogaming is a huge move forward - for a nascient sport that has been supported almost exclusively by technology companies for 9 years. It's the kind of sponsorships that may polarize people but certianly will get them talking. Being part of the national dialogue is infinitely better than being in obscurity.

But then I'm *in* the business of founding professional sports leagues, so what would I know?

 

[Russ Pitts]

Angel, I'm not going to go so far as to say that your comments are invalid, but seeing as you're president of the CPL, I think you'd probably agree that they are slightly biased.

That said, I see your point that sponsorships from companies outside of the tech field are, in a way, a breakout for the "sport." Still, a sponsorship is one thing, touting the league's newly-aquired "pizza delivery options" is another thing altogether.

Congrats on the big, new deals, though. You guys are obviously working hard, and it seems to be paying off.