:Professional Esports Association

File:Professional Esports Association red logo with subtitle.png

The Professional Esports Association was founded in September 2016, with Team SoloMid (TSM), Cloud9, Team Liquid, Counter Logic Gaming, Immortals, NRG Esports, and compLexity Gaming as founding members.{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Colin |date=September 8, 2016 |title=New CS:GO league will offer share of profits plus benefits to players |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/8/12851988/pea-csgo-league |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101221706/https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/8/12851988/pea-csgo-league |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |access-date=January 1, 2022 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{cite web |last=Cocke |first=Taylor |date=September 8, 2016 |title=North American esports orgs form PEA, a new team-owned esports league |url=https://esports.yahoo.com/north-american-esports-orgs-form-pea-a-new-team-owned-league-for-csgo-182524249.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921180511/https://esports.yahoo.com/north-american-esports-orgs-form-pea-a-new-team-owned-league-for-csgo-182524249.html |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |website=Yahoo Sports |publisher=}} The announcement followed the founding of the World Esports Association (WESA), which included many European esports teams, by ESL. In its founding announcement, the PEA described itself as an "Owner-Operated league aiming to be the NBA of eSport" by instituting an equal 50-percent profit share between owners and players, while also providing insurance and retirement benefits for players.{{cite web |last=Cortez |first=Doug |date=September 8, 2016 |title=Professional esports Association unveiled, announces CS:GO league |url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17496388/professional-esports-association-unveiled-announces-csgo-league |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911025235/http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17496388/professional-esports-association-unveiled-announces-csgo-league |archive-date=September 11, 2016 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |work=ESPN}} It also promised players "a strong voice in every major league decision", through player representation in a Rules and a Grievances Committee.{{cite web |date=September 8, 2016 |title=Owner-operated PEA wants to improve player pay in esports |url=http://mashable.com/2016/09/08/pea-esports-organization/#PrYdsxN0Msq4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909004436/http://mashable.com/2016/09/08/pea-esports-organization/#PrYdsxN0Msq4 |archive-date=September 9, 2016 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |publisher=mashable.com}} The league's founding commissioner was Jason Katz, who was previously the COO of Azubu, an esports streaming website.{{Cite news|last=Cooke|first=Sam|date=September 9, 2016|title=The Professional eSports Association promises fair pay for players|url=https://www.esportsinsider.com/2016/09/professional-esports-association-promises-fair-pay-players/|access-date=January 3, 2022|newspaper=Esportsinsider|language=en-GB|archive-date=January 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103222700/https://www.esportsinsider.com/2016/09/professional-esports-association-promises-fair-pay-players/|url-status=live}} Katz also served as the vice president of global marketing for the Championship Gaming Series, a televised esports league that folded in 2008.{{Cite web |title=Championship Gaming Series Announces All-Star Executive Team |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/championship-gaming-series-announces-all-star-executive-team |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |date=January 16, 2008 |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112002125/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/championship-gaming-series-announces-all-star-executive-team |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Leslie |first=Callum |date=2017-02-18 |title=Controversial commissioner Jason Katz leaves the PEA |url=https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/jason-katz-pea-commissioner-4788 |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Dot Esports |language= |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093006/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/jason-katz-pea-commissioner-4788 |url-status=live }}{{Cite journal|last1=Witkowski|first1=Emma|last2=Manning|first2=James|date=2018-11-18|title=Player power: Networked careers in esports and high-performance game livestreaming practices|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354856518809667|journal=Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies|volume=25|issue=5–6|pages=953–969|doi=10.1177/1354856518809667|s2cid=150333431|issn=1354-8565|url-access=subscription|via=SAGE Publishing|access-date=January 12, 2022|archive-date=January 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110002551/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354856518809667|url-status=live}}

The PEA's first planned competition was a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) league, originally scheduled to begin in January 2017 with a minimum $1 million prize pool in its first year.{{Cite web|last=Sen|first=Dylan|date=2016-09-08|title=Professional eSports Association is Established|url=https://dotesports.com/general/news/professional-esports-association-is-established-10233|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-08|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108235900/https://dotesports.com/general/news/professional-esports-association-is-established-10233}} The inaugural season was to be held over ten weeks, with two matches per week and a $500,000 prize pool.

In December 2016, shortly after the league's inception, 25 of its 35 member players signed an open letter expressing frustration towards the league ownership's lack of communication and its decision to disallow PEA players from competing in the ESL Pro League.{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=December 22, 2016 |title=Pro CS:GO players issue open letter, challenge integrity of their ownership |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/22/14057332/pea-professional-esports-association-cs-go-players-letter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231002904/https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/22/14057332/pea-professional-esports-association-cs-go-players-letter |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Beck|first=Kellen|date=January 6, 2017|title=Professional Esports Association suspends its 'CS:GO' league|url=https://mashable.com/article/pea-suspends-csgo|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=Mashable|language=en|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231001401/https://mashable.com/article/pea-suspends-csgo|url-status=live}} According to the letter written by player representative Scott "SirScoots" Smith, the players were told that the owners had the contractual right to determine where they play, which "came as a shock", given previous indications by the league and its owners granting that decision to the players. The letter also alleged that players were being disenfranchised by the ownership, as players were only allotted three of seven votes on the PEA Rules Committee, while the rest belonged to the team owners and the league itself. According to Smith, the players were told by league commissioner Jason Katz that the uneven structure was designed to avoid stalemates, and that the two votes belonging to the PEA should be considered "unbiased".

After the letter's release, TSM player Sean "sgares" Gares published a conversation between him and TSM owner Andy Dinh in which Dinh expressed his intention to replace Gares over his lack of communication with Dinh before the letter was published.{{Cite web|last=Nordmark|first=Sam|date=2016-12-23|title=Seangares cut from TSM's CS:GO team for apparently "misleading" and "manipulating" his fellow players|url=https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/seangares-cut-from-tsm-csgo-team-for-involvement-pea-letter-2-2-2-4177|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US|archive-date=January 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110005812/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/seangares-cut-from-tsm-csgo-team-for-involvement-pea-letter-2-2-2-4177}}{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Jacob |date=December 23, 2016 |title=PEA: 'We're going to give this decision to [the players]' |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/18339214/pea-releases-statement-regarding-epl-pea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102213424/https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/18339214/pea-releases-statement-regarding-epl-pea |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=ESPN |language=en}} In a subsequent statement, Dinh accused Gares of "mis[leading] and manipulat[ing]" other TSM players into signing a letter they "had not read and did not understand".{{Cite web |last=Kozanitis |first=James |date=December 23, 2016 |title=TSM Founder Says Sean Gares Manipulated His Players - His Players Disagree |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/features/13339-tsm-founder-says-sean-gares-manipulated-his-players-his-players-disagree |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102214928/https://www.gamerevolution.com/features/13339-tsm-founder-says-sean-gares-manipulated-his-players-his-players-disagree |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=GameRevolution}} Gares denied the accusations of manipulation, saying he spoke with Dinh about the players' concerns before the letter's publication. The other four players on TSM also denied being manipulated by Gares,{{Cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Ferguson|date=December 23, 2016|title=Team SoloMid Fractures Over PEA Debate, TSM Owner Dinh Fires Player, Team Reacts|url=https://archive.esportsobserver.com/team-solomid-fractures-pea-debate-tsm-owner-dinh-fires-player-team-reacts/|url-status=live|access-date=January 5, 2022|website=The Esports Observer|language=en-US|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231021427/https://archive.esportsobserver.com/team-solomid-fractures-pea-debate-tsm-owner-dinh-fires-player-team-reacts/}} saying in a statement that "some of us may have had more information than others or been more involved in this endeavor, but we all understood what we were doing when we gave the okay to put our names on the letter". TSM's CS:GO roster ultimately disbanded in January 2017, with the organization citing its deteriorating relationship with its remaining players and the latter's desire to continue playing with Gares.{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Jacob |date=January 14, 2017 |title=Misfits sign ex-TSM CS:GO team |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/18474564/misfits-sign-former-team-solomid-counter-strike-team |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103214510/https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/18474564/misfits-sign-former-team-solomid-counter-strike-team |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |access-date=January 3, 2022 |website=ESPN |language=}}{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2017 |title=TSM CSGO Announcement |url=https://tsm.gg/news/csgo-announcement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224150544/https://tsm.gg/news/csgo-announcement |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |access-date=January 3, 2022 |website=Team SoloMid}} A day after the split, Gares and the rest of the former TSM CS:GO roster were signed by Misfits Gaming.

The PEA responded with its own letter, stating that while it was not an exclusive league, it disputed the financial viability of players participating in both leagues due to the PEA's revenue-sharing model and "issues with over-saturation".{{Cite web|last=Leslie|first=Callum|date=2016-12-23|title=Immortals owner claims PEA league never planned to be exclusive in open letter response|url=https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/immortals-ceo-noah-whinston-responds-pea-league-controversy-players-rights-2-2-2-4180|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-05|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105051201/https://dotesports.com/counter-strike/news/immortals-ceo-noah-whinston-responds-pea-league-controversy-players-rights-2-2-2-4180}}{{Cite web |last=Whinston |first=Noah |date=December 23, 2016 |title=An Open Letter to SirScoots, the Counter-Strike Players Contracted to PEA Organizations, and the… |url=https://medium.com/@nwhinston/an-open-letter-to-sirscoots-the-counter-strike-players-contracted-to-pea-organizations-and-the-5e80446b61c4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231001401/https://medium.com/@nwhinston/an-open-letter-to-sirscoots-the-counter-strike-players-contracted-to-pea-organizations-and-the-5e80446b61c4 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=Medium |language=en}} According to the association, it had attempted a deal with WESA to resolve the oversaturation issue, but was declined. WESA in turn said it had "politely declined" an offer from the PEA that amounted to "terminating the [North American] division of the ESL Pro League".

The letter also reaffirmed the league's "contractual right to decide where their players compete" but offered to arrange a meeting for players to decide whether to compete in the ESL Pro League or the PEA league in the upcoming season.{{Cite web |last=Beck |first=Kellen |date=December 24, 2016 |title='CS:GO' pro kicked off team after complaining about players' rights |url=https://mashable.com/article/sean-gares-counter-strike-global-offensive-fired |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231001404/https://mashable.com/article/sean-gares-counter-strike-global-offensive-fired |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=Mashable |language=en}}

In January 2017, PEA member players voted to compete in the ESL Pro League rather than the upcoming inaugural PEA season. This prompted the PEA to suspend its CS:GO league, with the organization also citing "[in]sufficient financial support in the ecosystem,{{Spaces}}... to profitably operate a third prominent online league, due to the oversaturation of the marketplace and the recent upward spiral in operating costs".{{Cite web |last=Beck |first=Kellen |date=January 5, 2017 |title='CS:GO' players vote to ditch Professional Esports Association's first season |url=https://mashable.com/article/pea-players-vote-esl |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231001402/https://mashable.com/article/pea-players-vote-esl |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=Mashable |language=}}{{Cite web |last=Robichaud |first=Andrew |date=January 6, 2017 |title=PEA suspends plans for CS:GO league in 2017 |url=https://www.tsn.ca/pea-suspends-plans-for-cs-go-league-in-2017-1.645078/pea-suspends-plans-for-cs-go-league-in-2017-1.645078 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231011126/https://www.tsn.ca/pea-suspends-plans-for-cs-go-league-in-2017-1.645078/pea-suspends-plans-for-cs-go-league-in-2017-1.645078 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=The Sports Network |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=January 6, 2017 |title=CS:GO league suspended after player revolt |url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/6/14190192/pea-csgo-league-suspended-sirscoots |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231054435/https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/6/14190192/pea-csgo-league-suspended-sirscoots |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=Polygon |language=}} On February 17, 2017, the PEA announced Katz's departure from his position as part of a "reorganisation of its management structure", in which its Board of Governors would take over management duties in the interim.{{Cite web|last=Bishop|first=Sam|date=February 20, 2017|title=Jason Katz parts ways with Professional Esports Organisation|url=https://www.gamereactor.eu/jason-katz-parts-ways-with-professional-esports-organisation/|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2022|website=Gamereactor UK|language=en|archive-date=January 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103222700/https://www.gamereactor.eu/jason-katz-parts-ways-with-professional-esports-organisation/}}

After suspending its CS:GO league, the PEA added Team Dignitas and Misfits Gaming to its membership in May 2017.{{Cite web|date=May 25, 2017|title=Team Dignitas, Misfits join Professional Esports Association|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/19461114/team-dignitas-misfits-join-professional-esports-association|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231012913/https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/19461114/team-dignitas-misfits-join-professional-esports-association|url-status=live}} It also announced its intention to change its focus from operating esports leagues to "[contributing] towards a productive and profitable North American esports ecosystem".{{Cite web|date=May 26, 2017|title=PEA Welcomes Team Dignitas and Misfits, Refocuses on Player Welfare|url=https://archive.esportsobserver.com/pea-team-dignitas-misfits/|url-status=live|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=The Esports Observer|language=en-US|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231012914/https://archive.esportsobserver.com/pea-team-dignitas-misfits/}} The PEA was reportedly still active in early 2018;{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-02-27 |title=PEA Spokesperson Says Org Is Still Active In Esports, No Current Plans For A CS:GO League |url=http://www.chatsports.com/rumors-humor/a/source/pea-spokesperson-says-org-is-still-active-in-esports-no-current-plans-for-a-csgo-league-14330739 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-01-10 |website=Chat Esports |publisher=SportsGrid |language=en |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110001429/https://www.chatsports.com/rumors-humor/a/source/pea-spokesperson-says-org-is-still-active-in-esports-no-current-plans-for-a-csgo-league-14330739 }} in an interview, PEA spokesperson and NRG Esports co-owner Andy Miller stated that the group was still active behind-the-scenes and "focusing on bringing our marketing and fanbase, which is mainly North American, to brands and publishers".{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjYskTnedE|title=What happened to PEA's CS:GO League?|date=February 27, 2018|last=Te|first=Zorine|publisher=Esports Network (SportsGrid)|time=5:15|via=YouTube|access-date=January 10, 2022|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110073322/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjYskTnedE|url-status=live}} Miller also said that while the PEA no longer had any plans to launch their own esports league, they were in discussions with "a number of publishers about helping them launch their esports leagues".

As of July 2019, the association had nine member organizations.{{Cite web|title=Professional Esports Association|url=http://www.proesports.org/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703034908/http://www.proesports.org/|archive-date=2019-07-03}}

• Cloud9
• Complexity Gaming
• Counter Logic Gaming
• Dignitas
• Immortals
• Misfits Gaming
• NRG Esports
• Team Liquid
• Team SoloMid

{{reflist}}

• {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703034908/http://www.proesports.org/|date=July 3, 2019|title=Official website}}

{{Esports}}

Category:2017 establishments in the United States

Category:Counter-Strike competitions

Category:Esports in the United States