It seems one gaming tournament is going for more of a professional look this year and that means shorts are a big no-no. According to BIG (aka Berlin International Gaming) Counter-Strike player Owen “Smooya” Butterfield, competitors on stage at ESL One Cologne were not allowed to wear shorts. Clearly, they want their players to look more polished and business-like.
Smooya was surprised and upset by this and was hoping he could at least still wear his flag at ESL One Cologne. According to pictures from the event, which were taken last weekend and posted on his personal Twitter, he did indeed wear his country’s colors. He even tweeted that his team was ranked number 7 in the world according to HLTV rankings. Things went very well for him and his team — shorts or no shorts.
Update: no shorts allowed:( hopefully I’m allowed to walk out with my flag atleast?:(
Sidenote, who will I be seeing today in the arena?😃
— Owen Butterfield (@smooyacs) July 6, 2018
This year’s ESL One Cologne event took place in Cologne, Germany and ran from July 6-8. This is the fifth consecutive year for the tournament that focuses solely on Counter-Strike- Global Offensive. 16 Teams competed and 15,000 fans were in attendance. Natus Vincere came out on top this year, taking home $300,000.
Will other tournaments start going for more of a professional look for their players? Should professional players actually dress business casual or be allowed to be comfy? It seems that is up to the tournament hosts to decide. Wardrobe however clearly does not affect performance.
