I posted this in a new thread before I saw this so I'm reposting it here since that thread will likely get removed:

Something 2GD wrote in his latest update really got me thinking - "It’s their events."

This isn't the first time I've seen this sentiment expressed. TI and the Majors are Valve's events, so they can run them however they want to run them.

But I don't think these are Valve's events. These are OUR events. These events belongs to the players, the fans, the competitors, the talent, the developers. It belongs to everyone who has spent their hard earned money supporting this game and these events. People -- like -- me.

I spent my money to support the Dota community, not to support a company that doesn't even pay the production company responsible for the English language stream of a $3,000,000 prizepool tournament.

It isn't just about firing 2GD, but how poorly Valve seems to treat the production and talent that support these events. With all the money that people like myself have thrown at Valve, you would honestly think that they could afford to actually pay a production company for their work or at the very least treat everyone involved with respect.

I don't know why Valve feels so arrogant that they can just dismiss community outcry with cheap insults, public firings and 0 damage control that actually results in anything improving or being fixed.

Gabe was very quick to poke blame and fire James and KeyTV. But it doesn't really seem like Valve gave them what they needed to succeed. What about giving James some sort of guidelines on how Valve wanted him to host, rather than be himself? How about actually paying KeyTV or at the very least making sure they had the necessary equipment and support for things to go smoothly. Production values have only gone downhill since they were fired.

The problem in my mind is that Valve to own these events and reap all the benefits of ownership while outsourcing all the risk to the community. Valve profits greatly from idiots like me who spend thousands of dollars to support the community through their events. Or idiots like KeyTV who are willing to do free work for exposure. Or idiots like 2GD who put their name and bring their fanbase to an event and can be let go for arbitrary and unexplained reasons. The community supports these events in far too many ways.

If Valve wants to own these events they need to act like owners. They need to make sure everyone is paid and has what they need to succeed. They need to be straightforward and clear with what they expect from the talent that supports them.

I'm not going to spend any more money on supporting Valve run tournaments and I won't be buying any more Valve Battle Passes or Compendiums. Valve have done an excellent job of destroying years of building brand integrity with me over the course of a single event.