*By Zane Bhansali*
Epic Games' release of the Boombox item the day of the 100,000 tournament WSOE 3 fits into a well-established pattern. For pro players like Ghost Gaming's Justin "Kayuun" Ha, that pattern is highly concerning.
"I just don't think Epic is serious about creating a competitive environment for their tournaments," says Kayuun. In his opinion, the chaos that Epic's item releases create is carefully planned to advertise the newest changes to their game to their casual player base.
"As a competitive player, it's very, very frustrating," says Kayuun. "Every tournament it feels like they're trying to take control away from their players to perform the best they can."
Despite his struggles with Epic's patching strategy, Kayuun maintains that he enjoys playing the game. Epic's woes come matched against incredible highs ー the gaming giant recently reported a $3 billion profit in 2018.
You don't hear sports and mental health mentioned together often, but that's changing, thanks to a new essay from NBA All-Star Kevin Love. Chat Sports' James Yoder joins Cheddar to discuss how the revelations might change the way we talk about sports.
Athleisure is a competitive industry dominated by giants such as Nike, Lululemon, and Under Armour, but Rhone is betting that it can keep up. Nate Checketts, CEO & Co-Founder of Rhone, a line of men's activewear, was with us to share the company's plan to be a winner in the space.
Pizza Hut is resurrecting its Pie Tops sneakers to celebrate March Madness. Chief Marketing Officer Zipporah Allen joins Cheddar to discuss the kicks' new-and-improved features.
For years, online gaming has been a boys' club. Now women like Emmalee Garrido and Carolyn Noquez are trying to change that.
Emmalee Garrido and Carolyn Noquez have had to work hard to achieve their status as professional gamers, juggling full-time jobs and staying physically healthy for competition.
Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, discusses the Big East Tournament's return to Madison Square Garden. The tournament is in its 36th year at MSG.
Commissioner Val Ackerman told Cheddar that, while she doesn't support pay-for-play for college athletes, top prospects should be allowed to go pro right after high school.
President Trump doubles down on tariffs, saying a trade war doesn't hurt us. Blackberry is suing Facebook. Amazon Prime's former Vice President is heading to Airbnb. Plus, we take a look at the business of marijuana on Cheddar's Cannabiz.
This Changes Things: Advice for the executives and leaders of tomorrow, brought to you by American Express OPEN. On Between Bells: The Bachelor finale and big changes at ESPN. With Popular Science, Us Weekly, and more.
In a time when TV ratings are dropping for a number of different sports, eSports is on the rise. Millions of people tune in to watch gamers compete online to the tune of millions of dollars. That economic potential is grabbing the attention of VC firms like Accel.
