Scump explains why he thinks some pro players “don’t respect” OpTic Gaming
OpTic Gaming’s longest serving player, Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, was asked during a recent live stream why some professional players “don’t respect” the OpTic organization, and he gave two possible reasons.
OpTic has the largest fan base of any organization in Call of Duty esports, thanks largely to their focus on content creation when other org’s somewhat neglected it, and of course being the winningest organization.
They may have struggled throughout the WWII season, failing to win a single event and going through a tumultuous roster change, which saw the roster of over 2 years finally split, but still remain among the favorites heading into Black Ops 4.
They have added two young players in Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, with the return of Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow completing the five man roster.
But, there is a perception among fans that some professional players hold a feeling of discontent towards the organization, or more specifically the fanbase, who can be passionate to say the least.
In response to the question of why some pros “don’t respect” OpTic, Scump replied “Jealousy, mostly”, before adding “and the fans piss them off, or that’s what people say. But it’s all good.”
Certain portions of OpTic’s fanbase have been called out in the past by both other pros and even the OpTic organization itself, for somewhat toxic behavior, including booing other teams as they walk out on stage to face OpTic.
And when OpTic lose or are eliminated from a tournament, there is certainly a section of fans who will lather abuse on the players, perhaps taking their criticizm to extremes.
But, the majority of fans, the same with any team, are simply passionate and care about both supporting and defending their favored players.
As for Scump’s assertion of ‘jealousy’, it is undeniable that some players will be envious of OpTic’s larger fanbase, but generally having such a large and passionate contingent of fans only benefits Call of Duty esports overall.