Economy Takes the Controls From Some Video-Game Pros – NYTimes.com

The nytimes has an article about pro-gamers going retail and finding real jobs due to sponsors dropping them in this economic downturn. Above is depicted Emmanuel Rodriguez who had to go back to working at Sam’s Club after his sponsors dropped him and more than 100 other players who were getting a salary plus tournament bonuses for playing in a league.

To the spoils of economic stickyness, go, more spoils:

But the recession has left only one significant competitive circuit in North America, Major League Gaming.

“We have driven everybody else out of the business,” Matthew Bromberg, the league’s president and chief executive, said in a recent interview at his office in Manhattan. “The history of league sports begins with one league.”

Best of luck in that, I honestly don’t think the MLG will ever reach a wide enough audience to sustain itself. Though I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing of some success. I feel that Bromberg’s tone when he said “We have driven everybody else out of business” speaks volumes about his attitude.

(Via)