October 20, 2021

That's Not the Team Spirit


That's Not the Team Spirit

“Because of e-sports, we are losing future great athletes who could become Olympic champions. It is a pity, but it is their right to choose. If they see themselves in e-sports, no one can force them to do something else. In the end, e-sports are better than hype blogging. It at least falls under sports, albeit without physical activity. You can talk as much as you like, good or bad. Nothing will change anyway. We will not close the country and return to the USSR regime with strict restrictions. This way, everyone will just rant and rave for a little while and then will again put a gadget in the hands of a child. It is the truth of life.”

– State Duma Deputy and Olympic Champion Svetlana Zhurova

On October 17, Zhurova commented on the recent victory of the members of Team Spirit, a Russian group who took home $18.2 million USD (over 1.2 billion rubles) for winning first place in The International 10. The world champion e-sports tournament pits players against each other in Dota (Defense of the Ancients) 2, an online multiplayer video game where two teams of five must defend bases against the attacks of the opposing competitors.

“Of course, the guys really worked hard, strove,” Zhurova said. “They won and deservedly received their prize money. Well done. But I don't want it to become widespread, because the victory of Team Spirit will now be a super big advertisement for children. Now absolutely everyone will have this wish. The guys will begin to understand: ‘If I sit and do e-sports, I will achieve the same success and get a huge amount of money.’ And we will not stop this process.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin got wind of the victory, too, and seemed more pleased than Zhurova when he congratulated the team for taking the title, a first for the Russian Federation. “We have proven in practice that our cyber sportsmen are always goal-oriented and capable of conquering any heights. I wish you new successes and all the best.”

This is not, of course, the first time citizens of the Federation might have reason to be proud of a little sedentary sporting. A Russian invented Tetris, after all. (Check it out – it even comes installed in Russian vans!)

 

 

 

 

You Might Also Like

RuNet: A Cyberian Adventure
  • March 01, 2005

RuNet: A Cyberian Adventure

The Internet is becoming an important factor in Russian culture and the Russian economy. We trace its history and plot its future trajectory.
Bread and Circuses. And Tetris.
  • October 19, 2017

Bread and Circuses. And Tetris.

Arcade cars, patriotic circuses, and administrative festivities. Also, some crazy murals, Moscow's transformation, and the secrets of Peter the Great. 
A Pixelated Palace for Putin
  • February 09, 2021

A Pixelated Palace for Putin

Now you, too, can experience the glamor of Putin's Black Sea palace without the pricetag in the digital worlds of Minecraft.
Tetris: The Perfect Video Game?
  • May 17, 2020

Tetris: The Perfect Video Game?

A deep dive into the history and philosophy behind Tetris, and the reasons why it has managed to stay relevant for so long and will probably still be in the future.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955