The eSports Partners Comment Debacle
Last year Alex wrote a post on the Texas Startup Blog announcing that a Texas based startup called eSports Partners (evidently backed by Jerry Jones) raised $5MM (the post is likely removed from here, but Google has a cache here). The text of the post is below:
According to Todd Anders from GuideCap, Coppell based eSports Partners raised a $5,000,000 senior credit facility from Compass Bank (GuideCap arranged the financing). Never heard of eSports? Todd explained, “The company is very low profile and wants to keep it that way.”
Run by CEO Michael McKay, eSports is a merchandise service provider offering solutions for NFL and collegiate markets. The company reported revenues of $31.5MM with 250 employees.
Their solutions include ecommerce (site design, content development and management), retail consulting (store locations, build out, merchandising and management), game day operations (venues to sell team merchandise), catalogs (creation and order fullfullment) and several other related services.
eSports’ clients (gathered from a quick Google search) include the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, University of Arkansas Razorbacks, Miami Doplhins, University of Tennessee, Miami Hurricanes, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Indianpolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Texas A&M University.
He never took much notice, but evidently the post received a few negative comments and as a result the company requested that Alex remove the negative comments and provide the identities of the people who made negative comments. After talking it over with a couple of lawyers he was assured that he would prevail, but only after $20,000+ in legal costs. Alex contacted the company and their lawyers and suggested that he was willing to remove the post and the comments, but he wasn’t willing to provide the identities unless ordered to by a court. The company demanded that he backup the database and retain it in the event that the company can secure a court order for the release of the identities.
Do you think Alex is doing the right thing? Should he remove the post? What obligation does he have to stand up to companies who receive a few negative comments? We would love your comments (positive or negative). Letter below:
HOLY Crap! What happened to free speech and the right to publish opinions? Former employees can’t voice grievances to whomever they wish anonymously? Ridiculous.
The letter makes Alex out to have the same online influence as the publisher of Star or the National Enquirer. On some level, perhaps that is a compliment!? Does this mean I have to start taking Alex seriouslyl!? (Obviously they have never met him! j/k) Who knew he was such a powerful media mogul.
Does this set a whole new standard for blog etiquette? Do I need a journalism degree now? A legal department for my WordPress!? So much pressure. No wonder movie starlets get into politics. All of a sudden, with a bigger audience and popularity comes a huge social responsibility, assumed authority and legal ramifications.
I don’t have an answer, but anyone has the right to comment — even companies. We all live in the same world which means we affect and react to all the same things. Sometimes we can drive people to write graffiti. Big Business makes it seem like its possible to have a “cone of silence” (NDAs, intellectual property, non-competes, etc…), but the truth in their business practices will come out on its own.
On their part, what a horrible approach. “respectfully demand”? What about their responsibility and image? Blunt force that just begs for further rebellion! Screw them. Have a million small time bloggers run the same comments. I mean, what are they going to do? Send legal notices to all bloggers that post their thoughts? Support Big brother for tracking all the comments one person makes? Is this another derivative of being “Dooced”?
What if they tried picking up the phone to call Alex instead of the Legal Dept? Did they consider providing their side of the story… or acting like decent professional people to address the situation? This letter of response tells me that whatever their ex-employees were complaining about was probably just! Doesn’t sound like they have a middle ground (unless I am missing part of the story).
HOLY Crap! What happened to free speech and the right to publish opinions? Former employees can’t voice grievances to whomever they wish anonymously? Ridiculous.
The letter makes Alex out to have the same online influence as the publisher of Star or the National Enquirer. On some level, perhaps that is a compliment!? Does this mean I have to start taking Alex seriouslyl!? (Obviously they have never met him! j/k) Who knew he was such a powerful media mogul.
Does this set a whole new standard for blog etiquette? Do I need a journalism degree now? A legal department for my WordPress!? So much pressure. No wonder movie starlets get into politics. All of a sudden, with a bigger audience and popularity comes a huge social responsibility, assumed authority and legal ramifications.
I don’t have an answer, but anyone has the right to comment — even companies. We all live in the same world which means we affect and react to all the same things. Sometimes we can drive people to write graffiti. Big Business makes it seem like its possible to have a “cone of silence” (NDAs, intellectual property, non-competes, etc…), but the truth in their business practices will come out on its own.
On their part, what a horrible approach. “respectfully demand”? What about their responsibility and image? Blunt force that just begs for further rebellion! Screw them. Have a million small time bloggers run the same comments. I mean, what are they going to do? Send legal notices to all bloggers that post their thoughts? Support Big brother for tracking all the comments one person makes? Is this another derivative of being “Dooced”?
What if they tried picking up the phone to call Alex instead of the Legal Dept? Did they consider providing their side of the story… or acting like decent professional people to address the situation? This letter of response tells me that whatever their ex-employees were complaining about was probably just! Doesn’t sound like they have a middle ground (unless I am missing part of the story).
I hope that Levi McCathern II gonna eat his own sh*t.
We all are sick and tired of such dumb behavior and such corporations.
The single language they understand is money.
They have to lose their money for each stupid claim and act they do.
If thousand of people say their “no”, the most brilliant lawyers cannot help them to survive.
I hope that salary of the dump person is directly related to the success of his own decisions / missteps. He has to think before dictate his orders to independend media.
Digg this story everywhere!
I hope that Levi McCathern II gonna eat his own sh*t.
We all are sick and tired of such dumb behavior and such corporations.
The single language they understand is money.
They have to lose their money for each stupid claim and act they do.
If thousand of people say their “no”, the most brilliant lawyers cannot help them to survive.
I hope that salary of the dump person is directly related to the success of his own decisions / missteps. He has to think before dictate his orders to independend media.
Digg this story everywhere!
[...] eight months ago we wrote a post titled, “The eSports Partners Comment Debacle.“ The post detailed how I had written a short post indicating that eSports had raised money [...]
[...] eight months ago we wrote a post titled, “The eSports Partners Comment Debacle.“ The post detailed how I had written a short post indicating that eSports had raised money [...]
I would love to know what right eSports Partners has to censor other peoples views & comments of their company. I actually made the mistake of working for them some time back and it was a nightmare.
I would love to know what right eSports Partners has to censor other peoples views & comments of their company. I actually made the mistake of working for them some time back and it was a nightmare.
I worked for them as well and this is the same type of nonsense Michael and Rochelle dole out daily. He’s a tyrant of leader (if one can call him a leader) and someone with very little character as a person.
I wouldn’t worry much about his threats. He couldn’t pay his bills back when I worked for them – to the point the power was turned off. His lawyers would be wise to ignore any request he makes for action, for fear of doing the work without being paid a cent.
I worked for them as well and this is the same type of nonsense Michael and Rochelle dole out daily. He’s a tyrant of leader (if one can call him a leader) and someone with very little character as a person.
I wouldn’t worry much about his threats. He couldn’t pay his bills back when I worked for them – to the point the power was turned off. His lawyers would be wise to ignore any request he makes for action, for fear of doing the work without being paid a cent.
While I was there for 2 months, 4 others were let go. 2 days before thanksgiving 5 were no longer working there. One week later and there are 3 less working there. Micro-management from the CEO will do that. I also heard they just lost the Colts as a client to http://www.maingateinc.com/news.php. That’s gotta hurt!!!
While I was there for 2 months, 4 others were let go. 2 days before thanksgiving 5 were no longer working there. One week later and there are 3 less working there. Micro-management from the CEO will do that. I also heard they just lost the Colts as a client to http://www.maingateinc.com/news.php. That’s gotta hurt!!!
The man has to be a descendent of Adolf Hitler. He tries with all his might to rule with an iron fist. How can one man be so neglagent?!?! Yes he’s running this company, running it straight into the ground. I give it a year. They can’t pay vendors, they low-ball all employees. Is motto is “Under promise, over deliver”! What a load!!! I’m glad I’m off “The Airplane” that is eSports.
The man has to be a descendent of Adolf Hitler. He tries with all his might to rule with an iron fist. How can one man be so neglagent?!?! Yes he’s running this company, running it straight into the ground. I give it a year. They can’t pay vendors, they low-ball all employees. Is motto is “Under promise, over deliver”! What a load!!! I’m glad I’m off “The Airplane” that is eSports.
The HR Dept. of this company is ridiculous. In the 3 months I have worked with them, they don’t pay for the accurate hours, they lie ridiculously about when to expect checks. On more than one occasion I have seen them issue checks with less hours then employees have worked. Even on a corporate level they have trouble providing health insurance. They recently lost their payroll person and have delayed their commission checks by over a week to people during Christmas time. I am hardly a disgruntled employee, this isn’t my living expenses or disgruntled wouldn’t be the word for it. I have no contract that silences me for any reason and I wish they would send some legal crap to me because it is they who are in the wrong. It is sad that someone in their payroll department can’t deduce 5% of a total and then deduct FICA/SS/MED from it. There is really no excuse but it does imply they are not professionals by any stretch of the imagination.
The HR Dept. of this company is ridiculous. In the 3 months I have worked with them, they don’t pay for the accurate hours, they lie ridiculously about when to expect checks. On more than one occasion I have seen them issue checks with less hours then employees have worked. Even on a corporate level they have trouble providing health insurance. They recently lost their payroll person and have delayed their commission checks by over a week to people during Christmas time. I am hardly a disgruntled employee, this isn’t my living expenses or disgruntled wouldn’t be the word for it. I have no contract that silences me for any reason and I wish they would send some legal crap to me because it is they who are in the wrong. It is sad that someone in their payroll department can’t deduce 5% of a total and then deduct FICA/SS/MED from it. There is really no excuse but it does imply they are not professionals by any stretch of the imagination.
I would advise anyone thinking about taking up employment there to turn away and run as fast and far as possible!
I would advise anyone thinking about taking up employment there to turn away and run as fast and far as possible!
I worked for them for several years. I was able to experience things in sports I can never thank them enough for. But the price I paid in the end was like that I would never wish on another.
The concept of the company is the best. Success is a no-brainer if you can follow the needs of the client and respect the customer.
The leadership has been lost. They built thier success on the backs of many who were selfless and team players. People who respected the company, the client, and mostly the customers. Problem is… they (MM & RC) are not team players, they are self-centered. They respect no one, the client, the customer, and mostly employees.
Once you question anything you are out… Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid.
I worked for them for several years. I was able to experience things in sports I can never thank them enough for. But the price I paid in the end was like that I would never wish on another.
The concept of the company is the best. Success is a no-brainer if you can follow the needs of the client and respect the customer.
The leadership has been lost. They built thier success on the backs of many who were selfless and team players. People who respected the company, the client, and mostly the customers. Problem is… they (MM & RC) are not team players, they are self-centered. They respect no one, the client, the customer, and mostly employees.
Once you question anything you are out… Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid.
Hello everybody, my name is Damion, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
and wish to assit as far as possible.
Hello everybody, my name is Damion, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
and wish to assit as far as possible.
C’mon people! Knocking eSports like y’all are is just unfair. Imagine how hard it is to find employees with all of this trash written about the company. If you can’t find employees, they can’t be fired or quit. Without the employees coming in the door to feed this cycle, the turnover may drop dangerously low, perhaps even below 100% per year.
Now, don’t be too alarmed; I’m sure they’re already closing in on 100% for the year, but eSports isn’t simply about meeting expectations.
I like to think of blogs as a bus, and all the comments posted by users are like passengers on that bus. Comments that express bad attitudes might be asked off the bus. You don’t want your comment to be asked off the bus, do you? It’s not even Thanksgiving.
Aside from keeping the internal numbers up, there’s also pressure of signing teams. It appears that they landed the Houston Texans this year; a blockbuster deal with a top-tier team. Meanwhile it appears that things aren’t looking so hot with the Colts or the Cowboys. Now, normally you’d think that losing two teams while only gaining one is movement in the wrong direction, but people, we’re talking about getting the Texans vs the Colts and Cowboys. It’s not always about the number of teams you have.
So, lay off. eSports is doing fine without y’all. The fact that y’all have so much time to post on blogs like this indicates that you’re not being worked hard enough at your current jobs. Why should the world listen to the kind of people who leave the office right at 6.
- Inigo
C’mon people! Knocking eSports like y’all are is just unfair. Imagine how hard it is to find employees with all of this trash written about the company. If you can’t find employees, they can’t be fired or quit. Without the employees coming in the door to feed this cycle, the turnover may drop dangerously low, perhaps even below 100% per year.
Now, don’t be too alarmed; I’m sure they’re already closing in on 100% for the year, but eSports isn’t simply about meeting expectations.
I like to think of blogs as a bus, and all the comments posted by users are like passengers on that bus. Comments that express bad attitudes might be asked off the bus. You don’t want your comment to be asked off the bus, do you? It’s not even Thanksgiving.
Aside from keeping the internal numbers up, there’s also pressure of signing teams. It appears that they landed the Houston Texans this year; a blockbuster deal with a top-tier team. Meanwhile it appears that things aren’t looking so hot with the Colts or the Cowboys. Now, normally you’d think that losing two teams while only gaining one is movement in the wrong direction, but people, we’re talking about getting the Texans vs the Colts and Cowboys. It’s not always about the number of teams you have.
So, lay off. eSports is doing fine without y’all. The fact that y’all have so much time to post on blogs like this indicates that you’re not being worked hard enough at your current jobs. Why should the world listen to the kind of people who leave the office right at 6.
- Inigo
I’m glad I’m off the Esports Partners or esportspartners ‘bus’ so to speak. Esports Partners really don’t care about Esports Partners employees or Esports Partners customers for that matter. If you are considering utilizing Esports Partners to represent your business, I would tell Esports Partners that Esports Partners is not the kind of business you are looking for. Esports Partners, or Esportspartners, is cruel to it’s emplyees and customers and as a result they have seen a turnover rate that is high for Esports Partners.
Research Esportspartners before you make a decision to choose Esports Partners as an employer or representative.
Avoiding Esports Partners, or Esportspartners may be the best business decision you ever make.
I’m glad I’m off the Esports Partners or esportspartners ‘bus’ so to speak. Esports Partners really don’t care about Esports Partners employees or Esports Partners customers for that matter. If you are considering utilizing Esports Partners to represent your business, I would tell Esports Partners that Esports Partners is not the kind of business you are looking for. Esports Partners, or Esportspartners, is cruel to it’s emplyees and customers and as a result they have seen a turnover rate that is high for Esports Partners.
Research Esportspartners before you make a decision to choose Esports Partners as an employer or representative.
Avoiding Esports Partners, or Esportspartners may be the best business decision you ever make.
I too worked for eSports. I look back over my time there and wonder why I spent more than 1 hour with the company. McKay and Rochelle are great examples that you do not have to be smart to run a business. I tell the horror stories to friends and co workers (Iwork for a great comapny) and they are shocked. They think I am making it up until I show them the proof of such blogs as these. What kind of childhood did both of these people have to cause them to be selfish control freaks? Where is their moral compass? It has been more than a year since I left but to this day the name of eSports makes me sick! I make sure all sports merchandise I purchase does not come from any team t hey have a contract with… I
This company has owed an invoice now for over a year. They ordered merchandise and refuse to pay for it. Will not return phone calls, e-mails, faxes. Not the kind of partner we want!
I worked for this company for like 2 months and then a friend who got me the job wanted me to switch my mornings for her night shifts so I did and then about another month or so down the line, this is where it gets crazy this guy who will remain nameless but was a boyfriend of a supervisor so he thought he was special. Decided to steal 2 leather jackets from the photo room or w/e they were left that night. And worst of all they were Redskin jackets man… Redskin jackets in DFW? What the hell. Anyways long story short they asked me who took it and I said well only 2 of us were there and I know it wasn’t me so it has to be him. Well, apparently I should have just lied like he did and said something like “I dun no man that’s messed up” or w/e that bastard said when they asked him. And so then I get a call saying don’t come back in. I call back 2 days later and apparently he had told them that I had confessed to him to taking the jackets and that we were really good buddies and I was sorry that I had stolen them and he would go to my house and get them from me and take them back so they won’t file charges on me or some crap. And without ever asking me a thing they went ahead and bought this guy’s B.S. like it was going out of style. And the whole time I’m just thinking we are waiting for them to get back the jackets but no, they already got them back and never called me once. Well in the end it all works out cause he got fired for stealing gift cards From what I heard and I got a job on the Geek squad too after I was sent into forced early retirement. Anyways the CEO is a dumbass McGee and I wouldn’t invest in that company if you paid me too. Regardless they have done well for some odd reason which is relatively beyond me.
Most likely stems from being a seasonal job. As well as not having any real investment in their employee’s welfare.
OH and @ bubba just call their support line and don’t hang up or let them hang up just say you want to talk to the CEO and eventually he will show his dirty face I know this crazy lady did that to me one day first thing she said was let me speak to Mr. McKay. I was like can I help you and apparently no one can help you with your orders in that place it was total chaos in that warehouse. Indeed it was but like my first story said they are incompetent and it’s doubtful their business will last much longer unless they get bought out which might not be too bad for them IMO…
Good luck guys and don’t work for an ignorant guy like McKay.