Florida Mayhem president answers questions from angry fans

Olivia Richman Published 07/02/2019

Florida Mayhem president John Kracum bravely took to Reddit to respond to fans angry with his team’s disastrous debut.

In Season 1, Mayhem finished second to last in the standings, ahead of only the winless Shanghai Dragons. Player mistreatment and rumors of mismanagement had fans reeling even more than the team’s dire in-game performance. This all came to a head when it leaked that player Kevyn “TviQ” Lindstrom drove the rest of his team from their house to the Blizzard Arena for games, thanks to a lack of proper staffing.

Reddit user Toshiro46 asked the president, “The average bus driver salary is $31,000 a year. Don’t you think TviQ is overpaid?”

Kracum jokingly shot back, “I guess he’s got a good agent?”

He marveled at the fact that a “bus driver joke” was the top comment on the AMA, but went on to admit that this was an embarrassing issue that the team deserved to be roasted for.

While many fan comments were light-hearted jabs at the peculiar situation, one Reddit user voiced concern for what the bus driving incident actually meant for the team’s failings as a whole.

Reddit user Pesto_Enthusiast asked, “Why should I, a local fan that endured Mayhem’s failure both in-game and as an organization, care about your team next season?”

The harsh question was followed up with examples of Mayhem’s shortcomings, including entering the league unprepared and failure to adequately care for the players, all points that Kracum did his best to answer.

“It’s obvious to everyone that we would have won more if we had been better staffed from the get-go,” Kracum said.

The team’s president then listed off new additions to the organization spanning coaching, marketing, and player wellness.

“I expect us to be one of the teams most focused on our players’ physical and mental well-being for the foreseeable future,” Kracum said. “This includes regular private training sessions, and “working with the players and staff to make sure our team has structures in place that enable everyone to withstand the grind of a seven-month season.”

With additions like head coach Vytis “Mineral” Lasaitis, performance coach Robert Yip, and NYXL’s Scott “BEARHANDS” Tester as the team’s new assistant general manager, the Florida Mayhem is looking to be in better shape going into Season 2. Especially now that TviQ can drive his team to victory, instead of just to the Blizzard Arena.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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