Some esports made it big financially through support from their game developers or from third parties like sponsors. The fighting game community (FGC) is looking in a different direction: crowdfunding.Since its inception, the FGC has emphasized passion and community over prize pools and revenues. Many of the FGCs biggest tournaments and best-known streamers, like the Evolution Championship series and Victor Spooky Fontanez of Team Spooky, became successful because they grew out of the love for both the community and fighting games. Top players aimed to win tournaments for the prestige and the chance to build a legacy. The FGCs grassroots beginnings meant that the scene simply didnt give much thought to the mechanics of money in competitive gaming.Now, though, things are changing. With the influx of sponsors signing players, greater attention to events by the mainstream, and inclusion under the booming esports umbrella, its time to adapt to a new ballgame. Other major esports like League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Hearthstone have events where the scale and quality of production rival that of traditional sports; they also attract similar levels of attention from the public and sponsors. One way to close the gap between the FGC and these other esports developmentally, then, is to invest more money into the fighting game tournaments themselves.Although the idea of using crowdfunding to raise money for tournaments might seem to buck the norm, its not a new concept in esports. The most successful example is in Dota 2 with game developer Valves tournaments and events. Valve produces several Majors and a capstone tournament called The International every year, and the prize pools for these events are all partly raised through selling in-game items. This year, Dota 2s fanatical community contributed more than half of The Internationals $20 million purse.Additionally, crowdfunding is a concept that is particularly suited to the FGCs culture. With crowdfunding, the FGC can continue to maintain its strong community and group identity. Sponsors might want to influence a tournaments signature look or a streams overlay in exchange for fattening its prize pool. If the fans and the players take that role instead, the tournament directors have more freedom to run the event in an authentic way.Crowdfunding is not actually a new concept in fighting games, but it has not been a consistent tool for raising prize pools; for example, there has been online pooling from community subreddits that brought international players to specific tournaments.Now, an FGC tournament is ready to embrace crowdfunding in a more direct way. East Coast Throwdown (ECT) on Sept. 3-4, a tournament that was crafted from the ground up by Joe LI Joe Ciaramelli and John Gallagher, is partnering with Matcherino to boost the Street Fighter V tournaments prize pool. Matcherino is a crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter that specifically supports esports tournaments. ECT will be Matcherinos first foray into the FGC, and the site will sponsor and partner with the tournament to provide incentives and stretch goals for donors.The response from community figures has been enthusiastic. Matcherino is partnering with Twitch and Red Bull-sponsored player Daigo The Beast Umehara to provide incentives and prizes for donors to the ECT campaign. Umehara revealed an additional crowdfunding scheme of his own on Twitter:(2/2) Also, all profit made on sales of my book at ECT will be donated to the prize pool as well.- Daigo Umehara 梅原大吾 (@daigothebeast) September 1, 2016Evil Geniuses Justin Wong, a legendary American fighting game competitor, donated $500 to the pot and urged his followers to support the cause. He is currently the top donor.Guys and gals.. Make it happen https://t.co/BTz1vDFD0N- Justin Wong (@JWonggg) August 31, 2016In keeping with other crowdfunding campaigns, Matcherino and ECT have come up with stretch goals involving exhibition matches, signed gear, custom equipment, and more. The effort has been deemed a success, as funding status stands at $5,100 out of the original $5,000 goal.ECTs funding initiative might not reach the millions that other major esport titles can collect, but its a step in the right direction. As prize pools grow, fighting games will be seen more and more as top titles for investment. Fighting games occupy a rare niche as a kind of game that both challenges the hardcore player and thrills the casual newcomer. With crowdfunding, the FGC can creatively generate buzz due to larger prize pools and raise the profile of these events so that more players will want to participate in the future. Air Max 270 Cheap Authentic . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Cheap Air Max 270 Mens . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. http://www.cheapairmax270.net/ .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Cheap Air Max 270 Free Shipping . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. 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Super Rugbys regular season is done an dusted, paving the way for the opening round of the playoffs -- the quarterfinals.Friday, July 22Brumbies v Highlanders, GIO Stadium, CanberraKey stat (Opta Stats)The Brumbies have won seven of their last nine games against the Highlanders, though they scored just 10 points against them in an away loss in Round 10 this season.Line-upsBrumbies:?Aidan Toua, Nigel Ah Wong, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Toomua, Robbie Coleman, Christian Lealiifano (co-captain), Tomás Cubelli, Jarrad Butler, David Pocock, Scott Fardy, Sam Carter, Blake Enever, Ruan Smith, Stephen Moore (co-captain), Scott Sio Replacements: Josh Mann-Rea, Allan Alaalatoa, Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, Tom Staniforth, Michael Wells, Joe Powell, Andrew Smith, James Dargaville, Lausii Taliauli (one to be omitted)Highlanders:?Ben Smith (co-captain), Waisake Naholo, Matt Faddes, Malakai Fekitoa, Patrick Osborne, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Liam Squire, Shane Christie (co-captain), Elliot Dixon, Luke Whitelock, Tom Franklin, Josh Hohneck, Ash Dixon, Daniel Lienert-Brown Replacements: Liam Coltman, Aki Seiuli, Siosiua Halanukonuka, Mark Reddish, Dan Pryor, Te Aihe Toma, Fletcher Smith, Rob ThompsonTeam NewsDavid Pocock?returns for the Brumbies?after six weeks on the sidelines with a fractured eye socket sustained during the first Test against England. Wallabies lock Rory Arnold has been ruled out after failing to recover from an elbow injury suffered against the Western Force. He is replaced by Blake Enever. Robbie Coleman returns to replace benched James Dargaville on the wing, while Ruan Smith will start at tighthead with Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin named on the extended bench after recovering from injury. Leuluaialii-Makin replaces Ben Alexander on the bench.The Highlanders have made two changes to the starting XV -- with No. 8 Liam Squire included with co-captain Shane Christie, who has recovered from illness.UBET verdict: Brumbies $2.50, Highlanders 1.53.?Aussie teams have only beaten the NZ sides three times in 25 matches this season, and the Brumbies have only won two of last 10 against Kiwi outfits. The Highlanders won 23-7 in Invercargill earlier this year, while the Brumbies have suffered some big losses at home. Early money is with the Highlanders.Greg Growdens verdict:?Highlanders should win no matter what against lackadaisical Brumbies.Saturday July 23Hurricanes v Sharks, Westpac Stadium, WellingtonKey stat (Opta Stats)The Hurricanes have now won their last five fixtures in succession; the last time they won more in a row was when they opened the 2015 with seven straight wins.Line-upsHurricanes:?James Marshall, Cory Jane, Matt Proctor, Willis Halaholo, Jason Woodward, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Victor Vito, Ardie Savea, Brad Shields, Michael Fatialofa, Vaea Fifita, Ben May, Dane Coles (captain), Loni Uhila, Replacements: Ricky Riccitelli, Chris Eves, Mike Kainga, Mark Abbott, Callum Gibbins, Jamison Gibson Park, Vince Aso, Julian Savea.Sharks:?Willie le Roux, JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan, Andre Esterhuizen, Lwazi Mvovo, Garth April, Michael Claassens, Philip van der Walt, Jean-Luc du Preez, Keegan Daniel, Stephan Lewies, Etienne Oosthuizen, Coenie Oosthuizen, Franco Marais, Tendai Mtawarira (captain) Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dale Chadwick, Thomas du Toit, Hyron Andrews, Tera Mtembu, Stefan Ungerer, Curwin Bosch, Odwa Ndungane.Team NewsHurricanes head coach Chris Boyd has made three inclusions to his starting XV to face the Sharks, with Matt Proctor recovered from a hamstring strain to take his place at centre and props Loni Uhila and Ben May named in the front-row. Proctors return sees Jason Woodward shift to the left wing in place of Julian Savea, who moves to the reserves. Uhila starts at loosehead prop in place of Reggie Goodes, who was unavailable for selection after leaving the field with concussion during the final round of the regular season against the Crusaders in Christchurch.The Sharks are boosted by the return from injury of Willie le Roux, Paul Jordaan and Jean-Luc du Preez.UBET verdict:?Hurricanes $1.14, Sharks $5.75. The last five between these two have gone to the home side, with four of those being by 13+. Sharks did win 32-15 at home earlier in year, but the Canes are near unbeatable at home, and are the shortest priced favourite of the round.Greg Growdens verdict:?Hurricanes should walk over the Sharks in comfortable fashion.Lions v Crusaders, Ellis Park, JohannesburgKey stat (Opta Stats)The Crusaders have won their last seven games against the Lions, scoring 28 points or more on all but one occasion.Line-upsLions:?Andries Coetzee, Ruan Combrrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, Courtnal Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley (captain), Warwick Tecklenburg, Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert, Andries Ferreira, Julian Redelinghuys, Malcolm Marx, Dylon Smith Replacements: Armand van der Merwe, Corne Fourie, Jacques Van Rooyen, Ruan Ackermann, Cyle Brink, Ross Cronje, Howard Mnisi, Jaco van der Walt / Sylvian MahuzaCrusaders:?Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Ryan Crotty, David Havili, Jone Macilai, Richie Mounga, Andy Ellis, Kieran Read (captain), Matt Todd, Jordan Taufua, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett Replacements: Ben Funnell, Alex Hodgman, Mike Alaalatoa, Scott Barrett, Jimmy Tupou, Mitchell Drummond, Ben Volavola, Kieron Fonotia.ddddddddddddTeam NewsLions captain Warren Whiteley has been cleared to play after struggling with a shoulder injury.The Crusaders have made five changes to the 23 that played the Hurricanes last weekend. Halfback Andy Ellis and lock Sam Whitelock were late withdrawals from the team last week, but both have been declared fit to play against the Lions (Ellis recovering from a calf strain and Whitelock from a virus). Jordan Taufua comes back into the starting line-up at 6, and Jimmy Tupou shifts to the bench. The only changes to the backs are Jone Macilai taking the wing in the place of the injured Nemani Nadolo, and Ben Volavola taking a spot in the reserves in place of Mitchell Hunt.UBET verdict: Lions $1.85, Crusaders $1.95.?Not much separating these two in the betting. The Lions rested all of their players last week, and have lost 12 of the last 13 vs. the Crusaders, but are a different side in 2016. The worry for the Lions is that they have played three Kiwi sides at home this year, and only beat the Blues, and prior to that lost to the Hurricanes and Crusaders (Round 6 lost by six). Early money is with the Crusaders.Greg Growdens verdict:?Lions to prevail.Stormers v Chiefs, Newlands, Cape TownKey stat (Opta Stats)No player has beaten more defenders than Damian McKenzie and the Chiefs full-back is just seven carries shy of becoming the second player to make 200 carries this season.Line-upsStormers:?Jaco Taute, Kobus van Wyk, Huw Jones, Damian de Allende, Leolin Zas, Robert du Preez, Nic Groom, Schalk Burger (co-captain), Siya Kolisi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Ezebeth, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Alistair Vermaak. Replacements: Scarra Ntubeni, Oli Kebble, Frans Malherbe (co-captain), JD Schickerling, Rynhardt Elstadt, Nizaam Carr, Louis Schreuder, Brandon Thomson.Chiefs:?Damian McKenzie, Sam McNicol, Anton Lienert-Brown, Stephen Donald, James Lowe, Aaron Cruden (co-captain), Brad Weber, Tom Sanders, Sam Cane (co-captain), Taleni Seu, Brodie Retallick, Dominic Bird, Atu Moli, Nathan Harris, Kane Hames Replacements: Hika Elliot, Siegfried Fisiihoi, Mitchell Graham, Tevita Koloamatangi, Lachlan Boshier, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Toni Pulu, Shaun Stevenson.Team NewsRobert du Preez returns to the Stormers side for the first time since he injured a knee in Round Two, replacing Jean-Luc du Plessis who was injured against Southern Kings last week. Nic Groom?returns inside him, after being rested against the Kings. Up front, Bongi Mbonambi starts at hooker, with Scarra Ntubeni moving to the replacements bench where he will be joined by props Oli Kebble and co-captain Frans Malherbe who are both returning from injury. Locks Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit both return after sitting out last week, while Siya Kolisi returns to as the only chanage to the back-row.Stephen Donald replaces injured Seta Tamanivalu alongside Anton Lienert-Brown in the Chiefs midfield, with Sam McNicol preferred ahead of Toni Pulu on the right wing and Brad Weber back as the starting scrum-half. Kane Hames, Nathan Harris and Atu Moli form the front-row while Dominic Bird and Brodie Retallick will continue their solid lock partnership. With Liam Messam unavailable, Tom Sanders shifts over to No. 8 and is joined in the back-row by Taleni Seu and co-captain Sam Cane.UBET verdict: Stormers $2.25, Chiefs $1.65.?Another tricky match here. The Stormers have not played a NZ side all season which is pretty bizarre; but come into this game having won their last four at home. That was against the Kings, Force, Rebels and Cheetahs however; so poor opposition. The Chiefs can travel and win, and that is where the money has gone.Greg Growdens verdict:?Despite the long travel, Chiefs to get by Stormers in a nail biter.? ' ' '