The Rise and Fall of Echo Fox: The Biggest Scandal in Esports History
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2024
- Echo Fox was supposed to change esports.
Built on a father and son’s shared love for gaming, the team was everything fans wanted. An organization that could help validate esports to a mainstream audience, with a sports icon in charge.
And for a while, Echo Fox was one of the biggest organizations in the scene.
But then, just as quickly as it all started, Echo Fox imploded, creating one of the biggest scandals in esports history.
Written by: Malcolm Abbas (@Smashhh)
Edited by: Connor Dunn (@ConnorDunn_)
Hosted by: Daniel Rosen (@Daniel_Rosen)
Footage courtesy of: pastebin.com/X...
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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As a gamer, I will always respect Rick Fox and his enthusiasm and passion for gaming.
Oh how I miss him so much
True
Gaymer time
Child Eater you’re real funny bro!
facts.
I just realised that Rick Fox is the personification of "Are ya winning son?". Can't believe they did him dirty like that, he's so wholesome especially to his son.
This actually just broke my heart cause I just saw the meme not to long ago
so sad man. I started my career as an esports writer with Echo Fox having zero prior experience. I'm nothing but grateful for the org, but seeing how everything ended still hurts. I really really hope Rick finds a new loving team where he can collaborate and keep Esports in the mainstream media. Esports needs someone like Rick
I hope your life goes well too
I agree Rick is very good for esports. So sad he could've helped my favourite hobby alot
@@BlizzyFoxTF thank you, that's a very kind thing to say :)
whodapak are u
What is an esports writer
Esports NEEDS Rick Fox, he did so much, But I wouldn't blame him for never returning to the forefront of Esports after everything that happened
1.8k likes no replies lol
Hudson David because he’s right and there’s nothing else to say
Rick Fox was one of my heroes. He deserved so much better than this.
Three Words.
White Mans World.
The second they saw his success they were affraid of him taking it over. They singled him out for his success, period.
@@frankcoley1537 That's quite a racist statement you make there.
Rick deserved better.
@Norse Woodman you're a dork
@Norse Woodman not becuz you're a millionaire it doesn't meant you don't deserve to be treated right or better.
@@collinjohnson8450 One should not feed trolls, their stomach is endless and self-knowledge non-existent.
@Norse Woodman He did it to be closer to his son. Money can buy that.
@Norse Woodman cringe
When i saw Katsuhiro Harada wearing team echo fox shirt at EVO a couple of years ago i started noticing how many of my favourite fighters actually were part of Echo Fox. And i kind of cheer for the whole squad. Hearing all of this is really sad. Losing the chance to protect and do the best for your project is something that must be really painful.
I hope one day echo fox will come back, Rick deserves it if he still has passion and, more importantly, faith in this industry.
When Saint and jdcr, two of the best Tekken 7 players in the world at the time, were dropped from echo fox I was legit shocked. Had no idea all this was happening behind the scenes
Non mi aspettavo di trovare Orion nei commenti lmao.
Instablaster.
I wonder if anyone would try to bring Rick Fox back into esports.
Apparently he’s an investor for T1 currently
@@StrazzieB47 Actually explains his T1 cap ! That's really cool thanks for the info
@@philippetremblayparadis6258 well not really, he got that cap as a gift from faker from all stars (2018 i think) and Mr. Fox gave some echo fox merch to faker
Strazziya Bochnov IV he is and it’s good bc he’s gonna be making racks if valorant goes big in comp
@@Ace-vr9fx That wouldn't make sense, cause T1 in 2018 was still called SKT and the name change was decided in 2019, the cap that Fox was wearing said T1 not SKT.
This team, and Rick deserved so much better than the shit they got.
Amit is entirely at fault here.
Now we gotta make sure he never shows his slimey face in an esports org ever again
Yea such a shame fox had to deal with that bs, I hope he someday makes a return or something
Do you happen to know all the details?
Honestly I was never a fan of Echo Fox in League but this story is just sad on so many levels. You're right Rick Fox deserved so much better from these guys.
@@kunzinho I mean it was clear enough, wasn't it?
I feel bad for his son, he probably feels super guilty for bringing his dad into this
People like rick is what esports needs
His son shouldnt feel guilty whatsoever boi come on now Striker.
@@OmegaRomik he shouldnt but i bet he does
What happened to echo fox was beyond stupid and unfair. They allowed the person who was the victim to suffer even more and the abuser to profit. It was the saddest thing i ever saw and it was sad to see the good guy suffer..
The good guys mostly end up suffering, either on the way or in the end :(
@gadgagad gagadgadg it was quite clear whos the bad guy. Lol youd think the dude threatening other people and their families is always the bad guy
@@jenswestphal5962 good guys finish last
if you arent the one exploiting others in a business setting, then youre being duped
Welcome to Earth...
Damn dude I had no idea. I feel so bad for Rick. It was one of the few cases where someone from an older generation, one thats so connected to professional sports, really embraced esports.
I hope he comes back one day with a diff team... Dude had epic players on hes team.. maybe they will even support him onces hes back...
i hope rick fox can come back, he only does this because of his son 😢
His son isnt the only reason, hes also passionate about it and loves esports
I am just guy the reason I love him so much is that he’s was a professional athlete before. Nobody puts respect on esports especially in the sport industry. Rick Fox doesn’t do that. He saw something that we all saw.
"Yeah I'm a racist but I don't care. Pay me money or I'll drive this org into the ground." Just sad. Should be a way to terminate such a leach. Probably would have been their best interest to pay out.
He wanted roughly 3x the amount of money the company was worth.
TRU
The issue with good ol america the bigger pocket wins not the ones with the right evidence
@@ghostmexi007 This isn't a bigger pockets or evidence issue. There was a partner in the company who got caught being a racist and there was no legal footing to get rid of him. Rick got screwed by the system.
@@shadoninja What a total jerk, did Amit lose money too? I sure hope so, after the way he acted.
He defended us
But we couldn't do the same to him
This is heart breaking
True! 😢
True , but honestly what could any of us have done ? These are business and law infringements way above our power of action
@@sag3009 An education in law would be a starting point.
I wish my parents would care about my hobbies as Rick Fox did with his son
Yeah I wish so too
then be born rich. sad to have parents with 9 to 5 jobs. millionaire parents are better
@@ggkphilosophy dont matter rich or not you can still have shitty parents or good ones, money dont determined how good a parent you are. its what you do for your kid
easy to care when dad is a multimillionaire
Well you could be when it's your turn to raise a child. Let's see if you support your son's hobby of playing barbie.
I love how everyone's just ignoring the fact that this boils down to Riot effectively canceling Echo Fox by giving them an impossible ultimatum.
Rick said he wasnt going to be in business with a racist so he prob would have left if riot did not force a decision
yes, sure they had to do something but 60 days like what? How was he supposed to handle that? Just insane how short sighted Riot was
Even if all didn't work out for Echo Fox, I still respect the hell out of the man and the lengths he for it. Hopefully he'll see a team under his wing raise a cup one day and I hope when that day comes, he'll do sponsored by business partners who respect him as the GOAT that he's proved himself as to me.
I'm not crying you're crying...
i cried at 10:00 with the music in the background ,...
Stop it -skadoodle
Damn ninjas cutting onions...
Hereby, I swear.
If one day, Rick Fox comes back to the scene with his very own org again, Ima be a full-time 24/7 fan of that team. I'l buy merch, jersey or whatever and support him in any possible way.
Gonna miss rick's arguement on the table trying to push esports out
Man this one hurts, hopefully he becomes an owner again, he was so good for esports.
could be called A Cautionary Tale in Choosing Partner Investors
Would u trust a man with a lot of millions called Amit Raizada, I wouldnt lol. Thats prolly money from laundering.
Danilo Kawakami He looks and sounds like a villain from a movie
@@danhk-ne8334 he sounds like someone who tries to shut down the ski resort in a late 90s movie.
look at optic
here before they fix the title
What was the mistake?
@@Kalyanmuir It's still The Rise of Fall
@@owen00062 ohhhhhhh thx
still hasnt been fixed
same
Never heard of Fall. But I'm excited to hear about his rise!
Take your like and gtfo
Rick Fox indeed looks like a very charismatic guy. Love that genuine smile.
Echofox dominated fighting games hard for awhile.
I remember this team. People like Faze Attach were a part of it in the cod division back during Advanced Warfare. They were dominant at first but once attach left they kinda became irrelevant.
Awesome. I have never really heard the full story on what happened to Rick's team. The score coming in with the facts to help me out.
God I feel bad for him, someone get him a new org
Do you think Rick is still motivated after all he went through? It's unlikely. He looks like a guy who just wants a break right now.
I didn't even know about this until now.
Yes you did, it's the biggest scandal in esports history.
timmykookoo I didn’t hear about this either looool
I always cheered for Echo Fox whenever I saw them. I was wondering where they went because I don't see them in E-speorts anymore. Hopefully Rick Fox is doing better nowadays.
E-speorts
@@drspeckdeck6563 I'm used to typing my name, so I combined my first name with sports LOL. Ima keep it.
What happened to them
Man, you can tell so quickly how authentic Rick is. I remember walking into the Barclays Center for a League semi finals and it was truly insane to see a stadium packed full of my own people. I've gone to tons of concerts and sports games, but everything about a stadium full of people losing their collective minds over your favorite game hits so different.
Stop calling everything "the biggest scandal in e-sports"
Well if the shoe fits
I know this is an older vid of yours, but you guys have become my favorite TH-cam channel. Love the documentaries and glad I found you!
Boomers arguing with him, an athlete, that pro gamers aren't actual athletes, lmao.
Not just any boomers, The View of all people
3× NBA champion at that. Played with Kobe and Shaq. He played with Kobe, who is literally known to be the most hardworking in NBA history. Rick knows what the fuck an athlete is. These dumbasses should not argue with him.
I personally agree that they are not athletes. They are digital athletes which is what he also thinks.
But they're not athletes, and esports aren't sports. They're professional esports players and they're recognised as athletes for legal reasons, like getting P-1A visas, but they're not close to the traditional definition of an athlete. The quicker esports in general stop treating esports players like athletes, the better. They're basically forced to play the same game 12 hours a day 7 days a week to stay competitive, while in real sports it's only roughly 6 hours and they have rest days.
Yibro If Nascar drivers are considered athletes, then esport gamers are athletes too
I dunno man, i hear that Amit guy and all i hear is the scammers calling me in my head.
that was way interesting.
but also such a bummer.
Just gonna wait here until they fix the title.
I remember when Echo Fox's announcement that they made it in to the League rosters after franchising. I hadn't followed them before hand much, so i did a little research on the team, and Rick himself. I realized pretty quickly that this was the person esports needed. And without a doubt, Rick Fox is the esports figure that I likely always will respect the most.
I've worked numerous esports events and have run into Rick Fox multiple times. Anytime he runs past a person who was purchasing Echo Fox gear, he would put it on his card, give them an autograph, and thank them for their support after a photo. He is the true epitome of what we need in esports.
Rich Fox is one of the good boys. He gave a platform to a lot of talent.
Lol, I just watched the first Rick fox video
Same hehe
I am still in shock Rick lost his team , I hope he finds a way back somehow , maybe Immortals ?
Summit: A company partner didnt like losing his money so he started to type racial slurs.
Question: Did he think his money would come back after that?
@o165o probably tbh. Long term. Now absolutely nothing
o165o That has a better chance than completely losing your money by being racist and have everyone not want to work with you
@o165o got any better solution Sherlock?
Must have been hard to find video of the CS:GO team winning anything.
Lol
I remember Scream having a nice warm-up from the match against them hahaha
@@YToasty how? EU has Fnatic,Faze,G2,Astralis,Nip... you know
@@dnielzcx5490 The average csgo team in EU is generally just better than the average csgo team in NA. It's been that way in cs since 1.6. NA has been improving incredibly fast over the past few years now though, really impressive how much NA has improved as a whole.
@@YToasty lol
Rick should be thanked and praised for defending Esports as a Sport. There are others, but he's the biggest voice.
I remember when the title of this vid was "the rise of fall echo fox"
I have gained so much respect for Rick, with his passion to put esports on the map to wearing a LGBTQ+ sticker to always having a smile on his face.
You can see how much he cared about his players and that he didnt see them as products to make money at all.
Amit: "We were hemorrhaging money!"
Okay so whose fault is that
Rick Fox is why most of my family in Southern California new about esports. Mainstream media and gossip sites would cover him and his involvement and when he do interviews for basketball he’s get a plug in for esports. Really did a lot for the sport
Wow imagine being AMIT and being racist "u are not even a myth"
Rick really helped a lot of fans of traditional sports openly support esports as well. He had a passion for the esports world as a whole and its a shame what happened. Hopefully his enthusiasm reignites again and he can build an org with better partners.
You can see Rick's passion for the game everytime the team or player wins something. That genuine happy smile, he was so proud of them. Please come back Rick
Rick is a great dude. He was loving the community. They did him dirty.
it's actually sad, Rick literally did everything he could to save his team.
@mralex070 crying racism? the guy literally admitted to making the comments
Maybe he's just slick but I have a hard time believing Rick is at fault here.
I never knew this story, but it actually made me sad. Rick Fox seems like such a passionate owner, and I remember watching him comment on e-sport athletes and thinking "This guy gets it!"
He deserved better.
Love mew2king but showing a melee doubles match as an example was pretty hilarious. They probably made 700 bucks each haha
The point was that Echo Fox players were winning tournaments...
Shadoninja another point the video made was that they were hemorrhaging money.
Prize pools go-to players as bonuses. The players are paid to wear jerseys for advertisers and sell merch. Also, every org is losing money.
Echo fox had sonic fox winnning a lot for them which was not millions but a decent amount. Riot kicking them out was what left them without money because they were actually performing and then forced to leave before they could use it to get better players etc
@@pwners4u Prize pools go to the players, not orgs.
"the rise of fall of"
Every damn title of the score esport for our fallen esports
I hope that somehow, Rick Fox would bring back this dream of his. He dererved it so much.
I haven't watched Echo Fox's teams since late 2017, but god damn... I am so sorry Rick Fox.
“The Biggest Scandal in Esports history” hmmm, never heard that before...
The biggest scandal in esports history is obviously the one theScore esports are covering currently. It used to be Griffin, now it's Echo Fox. Literally the only thing that changed is which situation theScore is covering.
what a loss. rick fox looks like such a genuine and wholsome dude. just a really positive vibe-setter
I don't think this is the biggest scandal in esports history anymore lmao
What's bigger? Wanting to honestly know
elvistwatty All of these recent pedophile allegations that came to light this month alone.
As a gamer myself Rick fox has done above and well to contribute to the league, his identity itself has a great impact to the image of esports today. I hope one day he can return and put a stamp on the esports community once more.
3:30 that neck is longer than the time it took them to fix the title
He's Giraffe Neck Brandon
What was the title at first?
Tyler Gianchetta the rise of fall of echo fox
Coming from the FGC background, seeing the Echo Fox line-up of players made me incredibly happy to see. The biggest killers in each game was a roster to admire in the FGC, and knowing the rise of how Echo Fox became made me an instant fan of them. Even being able to play Punk at EVO 2018 when he was on the team (@10:03 that's me!), was something of an honor. I'm just sadden to hear of all what of went down and what has happened to this org. Hopefully Rick finds courage within himself to pick up the pieces and continue on his path, whatever it maybe. Thanks The Score for covering this and best wishes to Mr. Fox.
Still upset about how things worked out for Rick
I remember when Tokido left Echo Fox and I wondered why. I had literally no knowledge about the different organizations/teams and what they did, especially behind the scenes, so I never knew until today. Tokido saw the hole in the ship and rafted out of there before it sank.
Moving forward as esports grow, esports and the community need to stop holding onto the idea of being an actual sport with athletes. Competitive gaming is completely valid all on its own and doesn't need to cling onto the concept of actual sports. It shouldn't be condescending to say that esports aren't real sports or that their competitors aren't athletes, because competitive gaming is something unique and great all on its own. I understand that people think "bOoMeRs" will find it easier to consume the idea of esports if it's served to them in the context of actual sports, but the sooner esports stops trying to pretend it's something that it's not and starts being its own great thing, the better.
Rick fox will always be a legend.. What happened ruined what could have been an inspirator and influencer to the intire league community..
I really hope he comes back, Maybe not as an owner, But as a partner for another team.
RICK. We will always appreciate you. Thanks for supporting our game!
Damn man, it would be so cool if echo fox was still around
Learn something new every day, on a slow Saturday this is a nice watch.
Bruh this was my favorite esports team ever and now its gone...
I was so impressed when Rick Fox stood up for all the gamers around the world. he was an NBA Champion, afaik the first pro player who acknowledged esports as "sports" and the sacrifices players must make to be top notch, but still reporters and Donnie Wahlberg made fun of him, when he said that "esports pro's are athletes, who train hard for their success". In a few years, eSports will be on par with "real sports" and not even the biggest idiot will be able to deny this.
vitti2801 esports and esports fans need to stop clinging onto the idea of being a sport. Gaming is completely valid all on its own and doesn’t need to piggy back off of actual sports. You say “real sports” in scare quotes...except they are real sports and gaming is not. Gaming doesn’t need to be. It shouldn’t be condescending to say that gaming isn’t a sport, because it’s something entirely different and great on its own.
@@PONYBOYonline The problem with this perspective is that no one outside of gaming will consider it a serious endeavor. That's why calling it a real sport, like other types of games--because that what all sports are, games--lends legitimacy to the proceedings. It's easier to convince companies and investors to sponsor your org and your tournaments if it's just as legitimate a sport as other types of games. Video games are just an evolution of traditional board games, which come from simulating athletic games. Don't let anyone say that gaming can't be a sport. All games can be sports.
hweirdo Your first point is valid, but what I said doesn’t negate that. Clinging onto the word “sport” should merely be a means to an end and not the final goal in which gaming wishes to define itself. It’s a double edged sword. Yes the word “sport” brings legitimacy, but it also does the opposite and presents gaming as a “wannabe” activity to the many naysayers. And that’s exactly the point. Gaming has always been valid on its own, but now has grown to a point where it can truly shine for what it really is and not what it pretends to be.
And in regards to your second half. No....video games aren’t sports....video gamers aren’t athletes. That doesn’t make either better or worse than the other, that’s just simple fact. Sports and video games are both games, but that doesn’t make them the same in the slightest.
@@PONYBOYonline How are professional gamers not athletes? They train, work out, and practice together like normal athletes.
Hi Rick, we appreciate you and your contribution to the industry.
This literally is the definition of "people suck" ... I miss Echo Fox
I didn't watch the video, gave a like just for the thumbnail! Very nice!
It's that guy from "Jake and Amir"!
I hope he and his chicken wife is doing well.
Rick could always come back to esports, I hope he would. He was great, it gave a whole different level to esports, really wholesome, I’m looking forward to seeing him again
Just look at that arrogant dude, of course he's gonna do some shady shit to get what he wants.
rick fox is a legend and a true stand up guy that the industry should greatly miss. i really hope he can come back to esports. need more people like him at the forefront
Thats what you get when you bring in people without the same love and passion for a proffesion that requires it.. so sad for rick fox, and his son man, should've choosen people who loves the game, not the money involved in it.. hopes he comesback..
no matter what happens Rick Fox will forever have my support for being a loving father and a damn good Team owner.
Damn good team owner? It feels to me the org was running in a wall and bleeding money, I don't think it qualifies for "damn good team owner" 😅
5:50 poor dude got beat and the got left hangin
That's classic m2k.
He didnt, that was his first major win in years. He was shook. But he did end up fist bumping as well
rick fox is such a humble man. I hope he will come back again one day with his son to the ESports scene
No way, iThrowPower was a bigger scandal than this
Lmao that made me chuckle
agreed
I'm not a genius and I might be biased because I'm a TSM fan but given Regi sparked the flame, given Rick Fox 100% deserves and should be in the scene (that man believes in the right things) and given TSM has LoL management issues right now, at least with the rapport side with the community - why aren't we asking him to partner with the biggest org in the LoL scene (and expanding the esports scene)? I mean the community would love that, fans would finally have something to connect with and feel like they are cared about. Rick is amazing for the game, for the community and he's a role model to what all orgs should be trying to attain and do. Him standing up to racism (not even directed at him originally) is exactly what the world is fighting for right now. Like it just seems to me, TSM + Rick Fox = win - win - win.
Win for TSM to improve their core, to bring on someone who will share their winning culture values but invoke a sense of respect and self-worth (something TSM fans can cripple players under with the pressure to succeed). And Rick Fox knows the pressure to succeed as an athlete.
It's a win for Rick Fox because he should be in the scene, he was great for league and he would resonate with the fan base hugely. He could be the LoL ambassador. He can be the change this community needs (not just TSM but esports as a whole).
Finally it's a win for the fans because it creates the disengagement needed for TSM management on the operation side and they can just connect and relate to the TSM fan side - and who wouldn't want to cheer and be a part of fun things run by Rick Fox? If someone can put me in contact with Rick & or Regi - I'll make the sales pitch myself!
Rick Fox is the lovechild of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Stewart.
Org or no org, Rick Fox was the hero we gamer's needed. His commitment and passion is something we will always cherish
Wow, Amit even sounds like a sniffling wheezle.
As an athlete I loved Rick Fox, as a gamer, I loved Rick fox, as someone that studied law... its hard to know the whole truth of the situations before this video.
I’m kinda against these titles, this is like you’re tenth biggest scandal. Stop all these clickbaiting titles
This scandal literally collapsed a massive org. What was bigger?
This is a big scandal what do you mean? A racist taking down a massive org is sure one
they have like 10 scandals for league and they are all the BIGGEST SCANDAL OMG COME WATCH THIS VIDEO NOW and i think that is so fucking lame of them
ikr how dare they want their video to actually get traction, this is disgusting! no media outlet has EVER used harmless hyperbole to gain more clicks in order for them to continue producing excellent quality content due to the fact that clickbait is needed for these types of channels to succeed
@@alexkyle6765 nice sarcasm, if everyone jumped off a bridge should you do it?
Rick was really good for the eSports community. A friend of mine that worked under him at Echo Fox really enjoyed their tenure there too and its tragic that shitty investor selection is what brought it down.
Amit - “I’m not racist cause other people said racist things also”
He's black so...
Really hope Rick makes a comeback to esports. I know we all validate it for what it is, but it would be nice to have "mainstream" acknowledge esports as well. People with a foot in that world can help
MkLeo?
Why
I hope Rick Fox returns to the scene someday. He was such a good force for the entire community and to have been screwed over that much is not something he ever deserved.
Man mkleo... my offer still stands haha I offered wafflws and backrubs... i thought this was enough... seems It was not :) bahahahahha
Waffles
he shouldnt be the sole manager, he needs others that will slide through thick and thin. he should've not been in his own fantasy land and make sure he was keeping everything on track
man he deserved so much better