ESL says it still wants to work with YouPorn’s esports team

One of esports’ biggest organizations doesn’t want to ban one of its rising teams, but it says it doesn’t have much of a choice due to its partners and legislation.

The ESL — sometimes known as the Electronic Sports League — says it is not trying to cut ties with adult-film website YouPorn’s esports squad Team YP despite repeatedly telling the group it would not change its rules against “mature” sponsors. ESL also says it is still working on a way to possibly reinstate the team. Meanwhile, critics of ESL’s decision are taking to forums to point out that the organizer has not taken similar steps against gambling sponsors like AlphaDraft, which backs Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams like Fnatic. Esports is going to generate $463 million in revenue this year and $1.1 billion by 2019, according to intelligence firm Newzoo. And with that kind of money on the line, it’s not surprising that a company like ESL would start making more conservative decisions.