YouPorn's Pro Gaming Team Gets Axed By Electronic Sports League

Here's another example of why hanging out with the wrong crowd isn't the smartest career choice. An e-Sports team sponsored by a popular pornographic website recently got banned from a major pro-gaming league for failing to comply with league standards.

ESL Doesn't Support Adult Themes

Electronic Sports League has cut ties with YouPorn's professional gaming team, Team YP, due to the league's stern rules against drugs, pornography and other adult-related themes or products. ESL has given Team YP numerous chances to reform its branding, but the group's latest incarnation was still not enough to appease the league.

"Advertising pornography is not legal in the markets we operate in, and the vast majority of partners we're working with have strict 'no drugs, no alcohol, no pornography' rules that we've contractually taken on board," read ESL's press statement to Game Spot. "These aren't new rules, but ones that have been in our rulebooks for a long time."

ESL added that it has spoken to Team YP earlier this year to discuss the rules and how the group can find potential alternatives like changing its name or further disassociating itself from the pornographic website. The league had even warned the group that they won't be able to participate in future competitions if they continue to play under the Team YP flag.

Team YP Did It's Best To Reform

Venture Beat pointed out that the eSports team has tried on several occasions to refine its branding. The first change was when the group switched its name from Team YouPorn to Team YP. The adult website also modified its SEO so that when people search for Team YP on the internet, search results would be flooded with pro-gaming content, not pornographic ones.

"I am disappointed that Team YP's growth is being stunted by this decision, not to mention the effect that this will have on our roster of players," said Team YP's manager Claire Fisher. "While for some, our participation in eSports has been controversial, stopping our players from competing because they are sponsored by us, in spite of Team YP operating as a completely SFW brand, seems unfair to say the least."