What does a player get from signing with Team Evil Geniuses? Does EG pay them a salary? Cover their travel expenses?Every player on the team receives comprehensive travel support to many tournaments over the course of the duration of their contract, as well as full hardware support from EG's sponsors. The majority of the players on the team are on salary as well. They also all have access to our fine managerial staff so that they can focus on practice and performance without being distracted by logistical duties.
Do EG members have day jobs, or do they practice full-time?It really depends on the game and whether the player is salaried or not. Most of our salaried players compete full-time. Players who aren't on salary usually split their practice time with another focus, like school or an ordinary job.
Are players cut from the team for underperforming?We don't cut players easily. We put so much time and effort into scouting new players that by the time we actually make an offer to someone, it's a long-term offer, and we believe in the person just as much as we believe in their past results. All of our contracts are at least 12 months long, and it takes more than a bad tournament or two to be released. Due to our comprehensive scouting procedures and what we think is a good eye for talent, the players we bring onto the team usually end up playing for us for a while.
How does EG generate revenue? Are sponsorships mostly limited to gaming/hardware companies, or are you getting sponsors with broader appeal as well?Mainly sponsorships, but not entirely. EG as a company has several wings to it, with the team being only one of them. Our fans are mainly interested in the team and its players, but to EG's sponsors, EG is not only a team but an all-in-one marketing agency solution for the gaming demographic. We provide access to pro players, but we also run our own gaming tournaments, run our own broadcast streams, produce tons of interesting content, and do a bunch of other boring corporate stuff as well :). Historically, our sponsors have mostly been endemic, but we've had a couple of general consumer brands in the past, and we're hoping to bring on a few mainstream accounts for 2011.
Who are EG's rivals?Well, at the moment, nobody in North America comes close, to be honest (on a corporate level, at least). In terms of business, our rivals are mainly based in Western Europe (Germany, Sweden, the UK) and Asia (China and Korea). In terms of pure tournament performance, every EG division has a rivalry or two going with other players and teams in their respective games. For StarCraft in particular, Team Liquid, ROOT Gaming, and Fnatic all have very good teams.