“I dream of working in sports full time without being in a constant state of crippling anxiety.” The NLC is one example of a major problem in the sports industry.

It’s honestly hard to keep track of which esports company owes who now, and that’s the problem. It feels like there’s a new “I didn’t get paid” tweet almost every month from a player, actor, or employee aimed at a team or tournament organizer.

One of the recent fiascos had Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), which has been called by many esports professionals to pay very late (if they have at all) and to fire popular broadcasters. We talked about this back in February when Leagues.GG responded to the controversy, but it still seems unquestionable.

Last month, Leagues.gg shared that the NLC had failed to secure “adequate commercial returns,” so they needed to find more money. Apparently, that’s why the payments are late. Although it does not really explain the lack of communication between those who expect payments – for years.

Leagues.gg has revealed that it has paid all the original invoices after receiving additional financial support. The organizer has refused to pay certain late fees, including those requested by Antonis “Rev” Stepchenko. It was just $46, and the NLC didn’t go down completely. They just don’t answer.

Rev showed Esports Insider screenshots of his email exchange with Leagues.gg. You can see Leagues.gg emailing Rev after the issue went public, complaining that they hadn’t heard from him in seven months and they thought this meant the issue was resolved.

“This link was sent to many of my e-mails confirming my original invoices and resends over a year or two ago,” said Rev.

He then asked for his small amount late, as the payment was more than two years overdue. Fee: $172 per guest appearance. The Master told me that he was taxed on this money, although it has been two years since he paid it.

After this exchange, the Rev had sent an email to the same place four times asking about the late payment. He didn’t get an answer.

We can say that Leagues.gg has publicly rejected the idea of ​​paying late fees. We can also say that this was more than a few hundred dollars. But there are bigger issues at play here: esports companies often fail to pay workers and players. Because years. And they often only react when victims come forward.

Why not go public, you might ask? Unfortunately, there are dynamic forces in the esports industry. There aren’t many opportunities in such a niche area, and those that do exist don’t pay well. Many professional players, coaches, players, and staff feel at the mercy of these organizations, afraid of missing out on future jobs as they struggle to find anything.

“Since I have a dream of being able to fully imitate English, I decided not to succeed even after a delay of two years and more,” Mfu told Esports Insider.

There is also an added layer of advertising that characters, commentators, and high-profile players have. The instructor explained that Leagues.gg probably felt safe to “target a group of talents,” hoping they would not go public with the story because of the potential for “bad news” attached to their name. This can make it even more difficult to find one of the few opportunities out there.

Unfortunately, this situation with NLC is no different. FOG Esports and Bleed Esports have both been accused of failing to pay their top players for months. Tournament organizers like Yala Compass are said to owe millions in prize money.

It is a red-hot industry. Many sports organizations and other companies make money only through sponsorships and investments. There is a reason why the scene is so accessible to companies in Saudi Arabia. See the need money. Team Liquid went against their ethics by participating in the Esports World Cup, and we all know it was because the event had millions of dollars on the line.

NLC did not make the money it expected. Overwatch League didn’t make the money it expected. ESL Impact was a financial burden on ESL. Esports organizations continue to drop teams as many scenes don’t make money.

As funding dries up, opportunities in the esports industry become fewer and fewer. Rev noted that many contests can only get broadcast because of talent volunteering or taking “absurdly low prices.” These tournaments have small prizes due to lack of funds, so the teams do not make much money. The cycle continues. No money can be found anywhere.

Some say it’s because esports has become too niche of a concept. Some say it’s because of a lack of marketing aimed at the public and creating stories about players and personalities. Some say it’s because watching tournaments on Twitch is free, so there isn’t much money to be made there.

Whatever the reason, I don’t see many solutions aside from FlyQuest’s PROJECT: GRESSROOTS mission or Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma funding his Smash locals.

“Actually, I don’t dream of wealth,” said Mfu, “but I do dream of the day when I can no longer work full-time in sports fields without being in a state of worrying stress about whether I can pay the rent or not.”