I've been reading some of the dumbest takes ever since the PRX loss at Champs and I'd like to show you WHY most of what you hear is absolute bullshit From pointing fingers at the player's "bad" mental, asking for roster changes, to blaming the player's entourage and the so-called "downfall" of PRX Concerning the mental aspect, in their last press conference both players and staff admitted that it played a huge part in their last match results. It is also confirmed that it has been an issue known for some time. And now the internet, fan base and other esports enjoyers will find someone to blame. Talking about the performance coach not being good enough while never quite understanding how this actually works. Most of the time you manage to find, challenge, tackle a problem then go again with the next problem. Just because the players and coaches mentioned the fear of losing as one of the many things that impacted the results doesn't mean no progress has been made on this matter. You can actually solve some problems and still have other issues capable of impacting your performance that way And this is the same thing as asking for roster changes. How can you vouch for this as a solution while never conducting research to make sure that the problem lies within the roster composition. This is just "ripping the band-aid method". I get it, your favorite team lost, you're hurting, you don't want to endure the pain so you want to take control back and act. But when you're wounded you're not supposed to run around but rather tend to the wound. It means taking time to see it for what it is, clean it and heal properly Same goes for the argument around playing for fun. "They don't play seriously, they think it's a joke, they're paid xx amount to throw" Removing fun and pleasure from any kind of work is the recipe to make someone miserable. And honestly I'm surprised most people don't get that The way they instilled fun in their daily work is the main reason they have been so good and creative. Most players can only dream of having that kind of framework. Any strategy you adopt always has 2 sides like a coin. There are pros AND cons to playing any strategy/style. And just because you have fun at work or with your craft it doesn't mean that you don't take it seriously, we need to stop thinking that being miserable is the way to get good at this. Another aspect this touches on is the player's personal life. Earlier this year I've talked about how players' entourage is blamed for their "poor performance". Take Forsaken or even Boaster, they both have been attacked for "spending too much time with their girlfriend". This might surprise some of you, but this is a repeated attack to so many players In the minds of so many esports enjoyers a good professional player is alone, obsessed with the game and that's it. No fun, no rest time, just grinding for the rest of eternity What you don't understand is that having a life OUTSIDE of the game is normal and necessary but also so important to be able to anchor yourself in your work. Girlfriends, wives, friends, parents, family members can do more for a player than a hundred performance coaches combined. Just take a look at the last videos made during Champs with special messages form players' families. Cause when they win, they enjoy it with the world and with them. But when players lose and people start turning their backs on them, these are the people that care for them. Asking players to remove fun and isolate is the worst thing you can do for them and for those better results you're after Same goes for the fatigue accumulated, "they're paid xx amount to play video games, they should stop complaining". This is the prime example of not understanding what the daily life of a player looks like. They are away from their family, scrutinized by the public eye, can be thrown out at any given time by their org, one poor performance can be the final nail in your coffin, the careers are.. ⬇️