Equivalent to winning a Wimbledon or perhaps the Daytona 500, winning the CPL was a huge accomplishment for any team and is still regarded as such. However, the CPL slowly began their downward spiral in their latter years and ultimately, as the saying goes, all good things must come to and end, and the CPL is no exception.

What They Got Right

All things considered, I regard the CPL to be one of the finest organizations in professional gaming’s colorful past and while not without its blemishes, it did nothing but modernize professional gaming. Although not solely responsible for the advent of professional eSports, CPL was the precursor to all those who would follow in their footsteps such as ESWC, WCG, WEG, and ultimately the Championship Gaming Series on DirecTV. Although the format may have differed, a one time grand showdown much like a boxing match compared to a season long competition similar to the Nextel Cup, the CPL and CGS share the same base, competitive video gaming.

The CPL built a reputation of being the world’s most prestigious gaming tournament and drew in the best of the best. Teams would travel from afar and wide twice a year to Dallas, Texas in order to compete in the Super Bowl of gaming and to the victor went the spoils. Although the prize money in comparison to CGS was not comparable, the winning teams won not only money but achieved legendary status among gaming’s elite, an accomplishment they could carry with them on their gaming resume for the rest of their time in this sport. The CGS has its fair share of past CPL contenders and winners alike, many of the best players have continued to evolve their game since the days of old and are now competing in CGS. Not only do these two organizations share many of the same players, they also share a passion for professional gaming and both did what they thought was best for themselves and the evolution of the sport.