JaguarFiendESEA did really bad things. And recently. Then they sort of came clean, except more shit came out, meaning they lied earlier. There is no trust. I do not want to give them my money. How unproven CEVO may be is not relevant, I just know ESEA isn't having my money anymore.
I don't understand this argument. ESEA set a price for a product that you deemed worth your money. You knowingly gave them your money, and received that product exactly as promised. You didn't give them your money because you trusted or liked lpkane - you did it because the service they offer the TF2 community is not available anywhere else, and until proven otherwise is still not. You trust that CEVO will deliver what they promised (I'm unsure if they have promised a LAN or not, but if not that should be a deal breaker if you value this community prospering), but ESEA do not require your trust. You know exactly what you're getting because you've already had it 13 times before. Essentially you are migrating to something that requires your trust because you trust them, the motivation for which is that you do not trust something that does not require your trust. Surely you see the logical disconnection here? I dunno, maybe I just have an apathetic approach because I really don't buy that any tangible negative consequences came about for TF2 players because of ESEAs transgressions. If I'm particularly wrong about that then disregard my argument, however my sentiment remains the same as I really believe ESEA LAN is what makes the NA TF2 scene so great. i49 proved EU/NA has very little skill difference, but my god there's a huge fucking difference in how interesting they are to follow and be a part of and ESEA LAN accounts for at least 90% of the difference.