You're basically paying to work there. Most people think it's scummy to do that.
The Cutco reference is the first one that came to mind but it applies to any situation.
You're right, It wasn't promised by Big E, as far as we know, that we could cover the costs to stream. That's my bad for not putting more time into my response. I should get my work done before posting. But still, it doesn't make it any less OK for Big-E to do it.
I should have framed my point more clearly. The reason I think folks have problems with TOs is not because they earn money on these events but because they believe TOs aren't executing these events with transparency and that folks involved aren't getting what they deserve. The Revelations folks is one example, Jaxel is another example because even if he doesn't have the right to get pay for his work there, he doesn't deserve to be paying the event to do it, regardless of if allowed it to occur or if he ended up doing it anyway.
I guess we're just seeing this from different mindsets.
I've covered photography for a bunch of tournaments. Sometimes it's out of my own interest, since I'm there playing anyway. Sometimes a TO asks me to come out. My relationship with LocalBattles is a perfect example of this. A lot of the photos I've taken for them were just for the hell of it after I went 0-2 like I do. But when other events rolled around and they wanted me to come out specifically for photos, we worked out an agreement.
I love covering events. The FGC is unbelievably fun, despite the way some might like to paint it, and I think it's great to be able to capture a perspective that even people
at the event don't even necessarily get to see. But if a TO asks me to come out and work for them and cover their event, I at least need my expenses covered or I can't do it. I've requested that, and I've gotten that. Apex 2012, Apex 2013, ECT V and hopefully a lot more to come. I know I can't ask anything close to market rates (go ask a working photog how much he'd charge for 40+ hours of shooting over 3 days~~) ... but I know I deserve better than to take a hit to do it. I don't beg for it, or suck it up and take the hit when an agreement can't be reached, because I know I bust my ass and deliver something few other people can.
If someone doesn't want to cover me for that ... thanks, but no thanks. It's not scummy, because in my books it's a nonstarter.
TO's charge money because they're providing a service to players ... I charge money because I'm providing a service to TO's. I'm not making bank. I haven't really made
any money at all ... in fact, I'm in the hole from covering tournaments (my own fault; dropped a camera at Apex). But it's definitely not because I'm taking a hit just to do work.
I guess the flip side of that is that I don't have long-standing ties to the community the way someone like Jaxel does. I enjoy it, I participate in it, but it's not some deeply ingrained part of who I am ... and that can certainly affect how you see things.
Sanma from the GGXX days... <3
