Who We Are: Smash and Pornography

[lolazerz]

I completely agree, while it may not be as big a deal as we think it is, it's a huge deal. I'm a 14 year old smasher, and I doubt my parents would really like seeing me associating with people largely involved with such shady business.

I think that that varies from person to person. My parents don't look into it too much but that could also be an age or location thing given how I'm 16.

I still think that Cobalt has handled it very well with him not going out of his way to make Fakku his tag and all that but, he will give them shout-outs on stream and he will promote them on his own personal stream but at bigger tournaments he won't run the risk

 

[20YY SS | Saiblade]

I think that that varies from person to person. My parents don't look into it too much but that could also be an age or location thing given how I'm 16.

I still think that Cobalt has handled it very well with him not going out of his way to make Fakku his tag and all that but, he will give them shout-outs on stream and he will promote them on his own personal stream but at bigger tournaments he won't run the risk

My parents don't look into it, I wasn't really talking personally, I was more trying to associate it with other teenagers (younger side).

 

[MEnKIRBZ]

Well that's because GimR is a bit brainwashed by his religious upbringing....even though the Bible Belt is the highest consumer of pornography and priests molest little children. Hypocrisy and ignorant judgement, the two staples of modern religion.

Either way I think it's sad how close minded people can be about a topic like porn, especially when it's just a logo on a shirt.

Here is what I got from your post.

1. I know basically nothing about religion and I like to bash it on a forum where it is off-topic and uncalled for.

2. Believing a sponsorship is only a logo on a shirt, and not trying to understand the possible issues/non-issues with the topic

We got a brainiac everyone

 

[gmBottles]

I still think that Cobalt has handled it very well with him not going out of his way to make Fakku his tag and all that but, he will give them shout-outs on stream and he will promote them on his own personal stream but at bigger tournaments he won't run the risk

You mean Coastward? He was the one Fakku sponsored if I remember correctly.

 

[FROST :)]

I saw this team in Dota I believe, and I didnt even knew what "YP" stood for until Bizz got sponsored... Seriously, its not a big deal. It doesnt link or advertise porn to anyone. People will just see YP Bizz not a direct link to the website. Also , there isnt any inappropiate link in their e-sports website.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Showing or referencing minors to porn is illegal in the U.S. You could make an argument that it would be close to linking them to porn and smash was an outlet to it.

People have been arrested for this.

Unlikely? Yes. I would not chance it.

 

[gmBottles]

But the actual TeamYP website has no actual links or images of anything pronographic, so I can't see how it would be too much of an issue. I do understand the concern entirely, and I don't blame you for the way you feel about it, but I think it's just not that big a deal.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

But the actually TeamYP website has no actual links or images of anything pronographic, so I can't see how it would be too much of an issue. I do understand the concern entirely, and I don't blame you for the way you feel about it, but I think it's just not that big a deal.

But the website itself does.

 

[gmBottles]

The only place on www.teamyp.com that has any "porn" I can see is "2015 © YouPorn.com. All rights reserved." at the bottom of the page. So fair enough, there is the word porn at the very bottom of the screen.

I'm not gonna try to defend it because honestly I sit at a fairly neutral position regarding whether I really care or not. I don't think it's something that needs to be defended but I also don't think it's a big deal.

 

[FROST :)]

If parents have such concern they can just block porn on the computer. Team YP has been around for a while now, I dont think that Bizz getting sponsored by them will make them change anything.

 

[Dolla Pills]

The only place on www.teamyp.com that has any "porn" I can see is "2015 © YouPorn.com. All rights reserved." at the bottom of the page. So fair enough, there is the word porn at the very bottom of the screen.

I'm not gonna try to defend it because honestly I sit at a fairly neutral position regarding whether I really care or not. I don't think it's something that needs to be defended but I also don't think it's a big deal.

To be fair, if you search team yp most of the results have YouPorn in the name.

 

[Plunder]

To be fair, if you search team yp most of the results have YouPorn in the name.

Sure if by "most" you actually mean 1 out of 15

.....only 1 out of the entire first search page....

guess we have different meanings of the word "most"

 

[Dolla Pills]

Sure if by "most" you actually mean 1 out of 15

.....only 1 out of the entire first search page....

guess we have different meanings of the word "most"

Oh idk, I just got 2 out of the first 10 but when I tried it the other day on a friend's phone it was about 6/10. I guess we know what she uses the Internet for.

 

[lolazerz]

Oh idk, I just got 2 out of the first 10 but when I tried it the other day on a friend's phone it was about 6/10. I guess we know what she uses the Internet for.

LOL! ha got em'

 

[jazz_1993]

I suspect that youporn is looking towards esports in general because of its younger, more male, audience. The "taboo" that gimr refers too does indeed exist in other domains, such as athletic sports.

IMO the worst reason to support this taboo is because everyone else does it. The smash community has gotten by just fine with grassroots. Becoming "bigger", "more established", and "more esports" is a codeword for "more money". I don't particularly care about VGBC's bottom line, but I do want to see Bizz at more tournaments. There's a lot of annoying stuff that comes with non-grassroots competition, like the Superbowl which has 12 minutes of gameplay and hours and hours of sponsored garbage.

Besides, if you track down where any sponsor's money comes from, you're certain to find something shady. Do you think people assembling hyperX memory sticks or gaming keyboards are pursuing their dream career ard living comfortably? They too are oppressed into a line of work they may not be proud of out of necessity. And they probably have worse benefits than porn stars.

 

[HellTyrant]

I'm just here to say Pornography is the **** and that any sponsor is a good sponsor

 

[Fortress | Sveet]

Showing or referencing minors to porn is illegal in the U.S. You could make an argument that it would be close to linking them to porn and smash was an outlet to it.

People have been arrested for this.

Source on someone being arrested for a case like this. There are games other than smash that YP sponsor, and they are active in the US, but I have not heard of anyone involved being arrested. Until there is precedent I think this argument is absurd.

Besides, if you track down where any sponsor's money comes from, you're certain to find something shady. Do you think people assembling hyperX memory sticks or gaming keyboards are pursuing their dream career ard living comfortably? They too are oppressed into a line of work they may not be proud of out of necessity. And they probably have worse benefits than porn stars.

Reminds me of a quote from a porn star in a reddit AMA (that i cant find). She said something like, "I like porn over working retail because in retail you don't get to choose who ****s you".

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Source on someone being arrested for a case like this. There are games other than smash that YP sponsor, and they are active in the US, but I have not heard of anyone involved being arrested. Until there is precedent I think this argument is absurd.



Reminds me of a quote from a porn star in a reddit AMA (that i cant find). She said something like, "I like porn over working retail because in retail you don't get to choose who ****s you".

It's a potential concern when minors are involved.

Smash is more volatile than league/Dota age wise in that regard.

I can see why the concern is there.

 

[Clint Jaguar]

I can't believe this is even an issue. Who cares? Pornography is just a business. No one's forcing you to watch it and Bizzarro's sponsorship won't lead to Smash as a whole being associated with the industry. Unless you're a bible thumping or sexually suppressed prude, you should have no problem with it.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

This thread is a joke. No one is going to associate porn with our community because two of the thousands of players are sponsored by porn sites.

 

[Taytertot]

while i dont agree with the OP's reasons for it being bad that YP represents smash players and therefore associates with smash (people who are outside the realm of esports are much more likely to generalize based on any small fact about the community even if that fact holds no bearings on the rest of the esports players. If you have listened to any amount of news involving rumors regarding people in politics then you know what i mean) but in terms of the hopes for esports to expand more from the underground and be appreciated as a legitimate mental sport similar to to games like chess, it does hurt our chances a bit. Im not saying the world view of porn or video games as a sport cant change, but as it stands now people who are outside of the esports community are going to have an even more difficult time accepting esports players as mental athletes if porn is associated.

I dont think that this is necessarily a problem right now but it could become one as esports earns recognition and hopefully respect from people, news, general politics, etc. who dont see how video games could actually challenge one's mind enough to require mental athleticism and dont see how esports could be taken professionally.

My point is coming from the hope that eventually esports games could have enough respect for states/nations to show pride for their players at something as huge as the Olympics (i know thats a very far reaching and it may not come true regardless, but my point still stands).

 

[X WaNtEd X]

I'm going to stop you right there, buddy. YP represents Bizzarroflame, not smash or its players as a whole.

 

[Metallinatus]

Your post was disrespectful.... and wrong, in so many ways.
Pornography is disrespectful to women? No, and thinking that is both disrespectful and sexist, implying women can't like sex and porn too.
Implying there ain't porn that "treats" men just as """disrespectful""" as you think it does with women.
You need to grow up, it is not even like the majority of people sees "Team YP" or "Fakku" and knows what those are or decide to look out for the answer because they totally care about what it can be.
I know that I don't know most of the sponsors in esports nor do I care to know that....
I watch esport to watch the game, not the sponsors.
Oh, and did I say your conception of women and porn is sexist?

 

[Edwrd]

I think he is making a good point in terms of community and the face of Smash in eSports. No matter how you look at it, as a community, we are going to be viewed as a whole from those not yet part of it. So if one professional is advertising, and sponsorship is advertising, a porn site then it will be viewed in terms of the smash community as a whole. In fact, this is even more true because as a community we are allowing it. Just look at all the comments saying that this post is blowing things out of proportion, that alone shows the support for allowing a porn site to be advertised. Of course, I understand that the primary motivation for saying that this post is ridiculous is that people should be free to be sponsored by whoever under the idea that freedom is more important. However, that only masks the fact that we are actually supporting a porn site to be advertised during live streams, videos, and other media that smash uses. Furthermore, we all have ethical standards that we adhere to and values we hold firm to, so not everyone here can tell me that they would support just any sponsor. The reason that point is important is because if we want to be an inclusive community and to grow, we need to allow room for other people who view porn as unethical or inappropiate, some with better reasons than others.

 

[-ACE-]

I'm not really following the idea that older smashers can't see this issue from a younger person's point of view. We've been young before, you've just never been old LOL.

Some people just love to complain, I swear.

New sponsorships are what will keep this game growing/alive. I would not blame anyone for not wanting to be sponsored by an organization associated with pornography, that is YOUR choice. But, if YOU are not the player in question of being sponsored, it's really none of your business, at all. You might think this is a bad move as a whole for the community, but at this game's age (and the avg age of its players), I would argue that you are 100% wrong. There is no porn being shown and we're lucky this game is still alive as it is. Get over it.

 

[PseudoTurtle]

It's a potential concern when minors are involved.

It's up to the parents of said minor to educate them on issues like pornography... And everything else in the world, really. I'd hope that these minors knew the potential dangers of things like drugs because that's a bigger issue than porn and they're pretty easy to get if you've ever been around a middle / high school campus IMO.

And if you think that kids are really going to learn about porn through smash....... uh, LOL. No dude. Have you been to school? Shlt, I distinctly remember in, like, third grade, a buddy and I learned all about proxy servers and all this technical **** just so we could bypass the school filters and brag to everyone that we saw a pair of t¡tties at school.

TL;DR porn taught me how to "hack" a computer.


[generalized statement, not necessarily referring to the individual that I quoted above]

You don't like porn? Don't watch it.

Because you're the only one that can be hurt by it if you choose to watch it. The actors and actresses get various tests in the form of STD / drug tests, so you know they aren't addicts or whatever, just doing it for their next fix. They are consenting adults. End of story. Saying porn is disrespectful to women is actually a completely misogynistic statement, but I'm not going to get into that in the most ******** thread in the world lmao.

Anyone who has a problem with this needs to remove the stick from their ass and grow a pair. Ultimately, it's up to the sponsored player whether or not he / she is ok with being sponsored by a team associated with pornography.

 

[Virusbleumage]

Fix the title. This is obviously Locke Robster.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Haha pseudo saw some ******* at school when he was 6

 

[PseudoTurtle]

Haha pseudo saw some ******* at school when he was 6

It's probably why I main ganon now

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

It's up to the parents of said minor to educate them on issues like pornography... And everything else in the world, really. I'd hope that these minors knew the potential dangers of things like drugs because that's a bigger issue than porn and they're pretty easy to get if you've ever been around a middle / high school campus IMO.

And if you think that kids are really going to learn about porn through smash....... uh, LOL. No dude. Have you been to school? Shlt, I distinctly remember in, like, third grade, a buddy and I learned all about proxy servers and all this technical **** just so we could bypass the school filters and brag to everyone that we saw a pair of t¡tties at school.

TL;DR porn taught me how to "hack" a computer.


[generalized statement, not necessarily referring to the individual that I quoted above]

You don't like porn? Don't watch it.

Because you're the only one that can be hurt by it if you choose to watch it. The actors and actresses get various tests in the form of STD / drug tests, so you know they aren't addicts or whatever, just doing it for their next fix. They are consenting adults. End of story. Saying porn is disrespectful to women is actually a completely misogynistic statement, but I'm not going to get into that in the most ******** thread in the world lmao.

Anyone who has a problem with this needs to remove the stick from their *** and grow a pair. Ultimately, it's up to the sponsored player whether or not he / she is ok with being sponsored by a team associated with pornography.

Yes the parents are responsible, and yes kids could find out at a younger age.

Giving them an outlet and letting minors know about it is different.

Some sponsors of he event might not even want to be associated with that and as a result pull out.

There are two concerns I could see happen.

 

[gmBottles]

What exactly is bad about a minor learning about sex? Sex is completely natural and humans naturally crave sex. It's what we do, we reproduce. Why hide something completely normal and make it out to be some disgusting or immoral act when it's something they'll (hopefully) be doing anyways?

 

[-ACE-]

Yes the parents are responsible, and yes kids could find out at a younger age.

Giving them an outlet and letting minors know about it is different.

Some sponsors of he event might not even want to be associated with that and as a result pull out.

There are two concerns I could see happen.

Whether you pull out or not, you're still guilty of association.

 

[Spoice]

After some research tho there isn't anything pornographic in nature on TeamYP's website. No pictures, no videos, not even a link to YouPorn.
In fact the only place you even see the word porn is on their first announcement, which isn't on the first page. And all it is in reference to is the fact that YouPorn has an esports team now. (Again not even a link to the site)
With this info I feel like it is acceptable. They're referred to as TeamYP not TeamYouPorn. They aren't making it about the porn or anything regarding it.

If the issue is with kids seeing this team then managing a way to find the the adult site through the team site, then it's an issue with the parents. If they don't want their kids looking up porn then they should monitor what they do on the internet. Also if they're old enough to be on the internet alone they've probably looked up porn many many times.

If it's an integrity issue... Well there is no issue honestly. Yes people do think porn is a taboo subject which is why we're having this discussion. But in all actuality there isn't anything wrong with it. There are a lot of misconceptions about the people involved. Go follow some pornstars on twitter. See what they do and how they act on day to day basis. They're normal people, just like us. They just have "different" jobs.

I was conflicted at first about this issue at first. But this really isn't an issue whatsoever.
If you don't like porn that's fine, no one is forcing you to like it or have any involvement with it.
It's just a man with TeamYP on his shirt, nothing more.

Well if this is the case, I say TeamYP just change the meaning of YP and the whole situation is resolved. The only link they would have to youporn is through coporation.

 

[Virusbleumage]

Ok so the thing here is a discussion on pornography. I have participated in a porn and it's all consenting adults. Nobody is "bamboozlekinged" or hoodwinked in any way.

I have also watched the best porns and they all consist of consenting adults. Where is the problem, Locke Robster? I fail to see how this is relevant.

Besides, YP could stand for anything who's to say it stands for YouPorn? No evidence.zip

 

[mythbust4000]

OK bizzaro flame is not sponsored by you porn he is sponsored by a company that is sponsored by you porn

 

[Shadow Light Master]

ISaying porn is disrespectful to women is actually a completely misogynistic statement, but I'm not going to get into that in the most ******** thread in the world lmao.

No it isn't. There are legitimate problems with the exploitation and objectification of women in pornography. You can't make statements like this and then say you don't want to talk about it. It's true that porn actresses consent to what they're doing, but that doesn't mean that porn isn't perpetuating harmful conceptions of women. Yes, women can like sex. But the depiction of sex in pornography is far from natural.

But the actual subject at hand is a non-issue. I don't like that BF is sponsored by YP, but it's not going to affect anyone, and who he has sponsoring him is really none of our business. BF is BF, he isn't the Smash community.

 

[♡ⓛⓞⓥⓔ♡]

Having players, having the community, associated with pornography is not the way to gain respect. Pornography, among tons of other stuff, is hurtful to women. It propagates a conception of women as objects. Pornography also caters almost exclusively to men, further alienating a huge portion of the casual fan base and a (sadly) smaller portion of the competitive fan base. Pornography also alienates children and, shocker, we are playing a children's game. 99% of people who play this game are children and what happens when those children (Probably because of parents) no longer come into the community because half the people are sponsored by shady companies. The reason smash has grown so much recently is because these children have entered the community as teenagers.

What it really comes down to is that pornography, beyond it's negative effects, is just not respectable. It alienates players, the antithesis of what smash is at it's very core: unifying people, of all ages, of all sexes, whatever.

Firstly, thank you so much for making this thread. I oppose porn for the following reasons:

-The Porn Industry is closely connected to human trafficking. Many 'professional' actors are trafficked into the industry. So by watching porn one is contributing to human trafficking.

-The Porn Stars are often victims of trafficking, abuse and ****. The industry is completely unregulated and filled with drugs and violence. So again, by watching porn one is contributing to this industry.

-Porn distorts and destroys healthy sexuality of an individual. It gradually desensitises the viewer leading one to look for more "hardcore" material, much like a drug as an user's tolerance for it rises. There are new studies that indicate how detrimental porn is to relationships, and how it affects the human brain. I think this is because our neurology cannot make a difference whether we are having sex with a real person or watching porn. The "wiring" is essentially the same, and what you "take in" from watching porn you inevitably bring in to the bedroom. And obviously that does not work.

I could keep on but here are the main reasons, porn is bad for you and it is bad for everyone else too. Check out the link below for more:

http://fightthenewdrug.org/get-the-facts/

Lastly some pics for lulz

 

[-ACE-]

Firstly, thank you so much for making this thread. I oppose porn for the following reasons:

-The Porn Industry is closely connected to human trafficking. Many 'professional' actors are trafficked into the industry. So by watching porn one is contributing to human trafficking.

-The Porn Stars are often victims of trafficking, abuse and ****. The industry is completely unregulated and filled with drugs and violence. So again, by watching porn one is contributing to this industry.

-Porn distorts and destroys healthy sexuality of an individual. It gradually desensitises the viewer leading one to look for more "hardcore" material, much like a drug as an user's tolerance for it rises. There are new studies that indicate how detrimental porn is to relationships, and how it affects the human brain. I think this is because our neurology cannot make a difference whether we are having sex with a real person or watching porn. The "wiring" is essentially the same, and what you "take in" from watching porn you inevitably bring in to the bedroom. And obviously that does not work.

I could keep on but here are the main reasons, porn is bad for you and it is bad for everyone else too. Check out the link below for more:

http://fightthenewdrug.org/get-the-facts/

"So by watching porn one is contributing to human trafficking."

Gotta stop you right there little buddy. This statement is absolutely ridiculous and offensive. By spreading ignorance you are part of the problem.

"The industry is completely unregulated and filled with drugs and violence."

So is the police force despite heavy regulation from agencies whose sole purpose is to eliminate corruption. I guess it's time we abolish the police force. There are drugs and violence in our own gaming scene. Abolish melee?

I will conclude that if you are weak minded or young, your outlook on many issues (particularly non-mainstream) can easily be distorted and further fueled by assumptions based on ignorance. Your comparison of porn to a gateway drug is riddled with flaws on its best day. Did you know that pornography exists that isn't degrading at all? If not, I ask that you do some research. If so, I ask how you were able to watch without getting sucked into a downward spiral of dispair that ultimately led to you being the ringleader of a human trafficking cartel.

Lastly, don't act like people that watch porn and have no choice but to bring what they see into the bedroom; that is a joke. I could see you being one of these people though.

"I think this is because our neurology cannot make a difference whether we are having sex with a real person or watching porn."

^^ come on man, lol. I don't know what I expected really. Gamers acting like they are experts on sexuality, lol. If you are that entranced by anything on your computer screen it's time to get a life imho.

 

[Plunder]

Firstly, thank you so much for making this thread. I oppose porn for the following reasons:

-The Porn Industry is closely connected to human trafficking. Many 'professional' actors are trafficked into the industry. So by watching porn one is contributing to human trafficking.

-The Porn Stars are often victims of trafficking, abuse and ****. The industry is completely unregulated and filled with drugs and violence. So again, by watching porn one is contributing to this industry.

-Porn distorts and destroys healthy sexuality of an individual. It gradually desensitises the viewer leading one to look for more "hardcore" material, much like a drug as an user's tolerance for it rises. There are new studies that indicate how detrimental porn is to relationships, and how it affects the human brain. I think this is because our neurology cannot make a difference whether we are having sex with a real person or watching porn. The "wiring" is essentially the same, and what you "take in" from watching porn you inevitably bring in to the bedroom. And obviously that does not work.

I could keep on but here are the main reasons, porn is bad for you and it is bad for everyone else too. Check out the link below for more:

http://fightthenewdrug.org/get-the-facts/

Lastly some pics for lulz

I assure you that your opinion is very much in the minority and most of your claims are empty or propaganda (perhaps tumblr is a better place for this drivel). It would seem also you are projecting your own porn induced erectile dysfunction and inadequacies on everyone who watches porn ever...hate to break it to you but *spoiler alert* everyone's different.

If you get addicted to porn and never have a girl friend well then yes you have a problem, but most can balance both fine....a VERY large majority of the entire male population does this (if you have male friends or ever talk to normal people you'd know this). And if you can't tell the different between porn and real sex then you might not want to play Call of Duty or watch another rated R film.....too real, can't tell difference

 

[-ACE-]

No it isn't. There are legitimate problems with the exploitation and objectification of women in pornography. You can't make statements like this and then say you don't want to talk about it. It's true that porn actresses consent to what they're doing, but that doesn't mean that porn isn't perpetuating harmful conceptions of women. Yes, women can like sex. But the depiction of sex in pornography is far from natural.

But the actual subject at hand is a non-issue. I don't like that BF is sponsored by YP, but it's not going to affect anyone, and who he has sponsoring him is really none of our business. BF is BF, he isn't the Smash community.

Well I certainly agree with that last paragraph. Now, about these legitimate problems with the exploitation of women. Let me ask you this:

Is gay porn exploiting men? Is lesbian porn exploiting women? Have you even thought about this?

And honestly the inaccuracies in the depiction of sex in pornography are comparable to the inaccuracies in the depiction of family life when you watch a show like "full house" or "family matters" (to use your phrase, it is far from natural). Stuff on TV and the internet is not real life, and it is depressing that people struggle identifying the difference between the two.