*By Brandon Brathwaite*
Chris Park, the new CEO of esports organization Gen.G, knows that in the grand scheme of gaming, the field of esports is still quite young.
"We're figuring this all out together," he told Cheddar Sports.
For Park, figuring it out will involve creating a "gold standard" for the industry and pushing for more legitimacy across leagues. And he would know ー Park has previously worked for both Major League Baseball and Facebook ($FB).
"Fundamentally, it starts with being a consummately professional world class organization in everything that we do," he said.
Gen.G has been that and more. In 18 months, the organization has won five world championships, expanded to five different games, and belongs to prestigious leagues like the League of Legends Champions Korea and the Overwatch League.
In Park's view, being a "gold standard" esports organization is not simply a matter of size or credentials ー it starts with the fans.
"We want to be the most fan-responsive community we can be," he said.
"There's so many things that we can lean into as a company. We're going to have to pick the right focus and that's the part where I have to come in and make sure we stay on the straight-and-narrow."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018.
The College Football Playoff hasn't even kicked off, but Under Armour is already a winner. For the first time since the final four-structured championship began in 2014, a non-Nike brand is sponsoring one of the teams that made the playoffs.
DreamHack Winter 2018 recap and ESL Season 8 Finals preview, Ninja's new mouse partnership with Finalmouse, and Panda wins Tekken World Tour finals. We rate the Overwatch Expansions teams' logos and colors and get cozy at a Hearthstone Fireside event for the release of Rastakhan's Rumble. Featuring Andrew Coonrad of Logitech G on the Logitech G Pro Wireless mouse.
The reveal of Esports Mystery, Blizzard's new plan for Hearthstone esports, and a new mystery - Ninja's plans for Smash. Featuring top 40 Fortnite Winter Royale qualifier Lamar, FGC journalist Steve 'AceKingOffsuit' Jurek, and Logitech G's Vincent Borel.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 3, 2018.
Overwatch League expansion rosters start to settle with rumors of Runaway sighted in Vancouver; LeTigress clues us in on Valve's plans for Artifact esports. Featuring two-time COD world champion JKap and Pokemon national champion and commentator Aaron 'Cybertron' Zheng.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Nov. 30, 2018.
For NFL player Ahman Green, 2003 was a year for the record books: He set the Green Bay Packers franchise record for rushing yards and touchdowns, and became the first and only player in NFL history to record at least 1,850 rushing yards, average 5.0 yards per carry, score 20 touchdowns, and catch 50 passes in a single season.
