Earlier, we announced that Du "NuckleDu" Dang would be joining the Echo Fox FGC team. This comes at the heels of them dropping FGC mainstays Justin Wong and Tokido from their team. While the move to bring Du on had some members of the community scratching their heads, there's a ton of sense for both sides to come together, even if it's just for a little while. The true genius of this deal isn't normally seen in the world of
How It Benefits NuckleDu
Du burst onto the scene playing Ultra Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter X Tekken, which culminated in a seventh-place finish at Evolution 2015 in Ultra. In 2016, Du became the first Street Fighter V Capcom Cup champion, defeating Ricki Ortiz in a thriller of a set. Before Capcom Cup 2017, Du decided to withdraw from competitive play due to personal reasons, then parted ways with his longtime sponsor Team Liquid last February. He took on a slightly lighter schedule throughout 2017 and the early half of 2018 but recently re-emerged to win SFV at Defend The North 2018 and East Coast Throwdown 2018. With NuckleDu back in the swing of things and trending upwards, it makes sense for him to sign on with one of the top esports teams on the planet and prove that he can reclaim his spot as one of the top dogs in the FGC, especially when compared to his teammate Dominique "SonicFox" McLean. Should this deal be a success, he can parlay his short-term deal into a long term contract with Echo Fox - or another sponsor.
How It Benefits Echo Fox
We all know how expensive it is to fly, right? Now, imagine flying someone around from Japan to every fighting game tournament across the globe. Yeah, it probably gets expensive. That's what Echo Fox had to do when it came to sponsoring Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi. Even though Tokido has been (arguably) the most successful Street Fighter V player since the game released in 2016, his travel costs coming from Japan to the United States on a regular basis probably added up after a while. Tokido was a Top-2 player, but Du gives Echo Fox a U.S.-based player who has the potential to be a Top-10 player (if not higher) when he's on his game at a lesser dollar amount. The potential return on investment is huge here and could lead to Du becoming the cornerstone of Echo Fox's roster for years to come. If Du should have some trouble return to form, though, Echo Fox can drop him at the end of the term (we don't expect that to happen, though.)
Contemporaries In Traditional Sports
We've seen "prove-it" deals in contemporary sports before, but Du and Echo Fox reminded us of two instances of high-profile players and teams coming together in particular. First was the Philadelphia Eagles
The second such deal occurred this past NBA offseason, when All-NBA Second Team power forward/center DeMarcus Cousins signed a one-year, $5 million mid-level exception with the defending champion Golden State Warriors, joining forces with one of the most dominant forces in basketball history. Cousins suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2017 while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans and only received bargain-bin offers due to his catastrophic injury. The timing was right for Cousins, known as a malcontent, to repair his brand and prove he can win at the highest level. We're not sure if the addition of Cousins will result in a fourth championship in five years for the Dubs....but we (and everyone else) expect them to be the team hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy
We love this deal for Du and Echo Fox and expect nothing but great things from this partnership. Best of luck to all parties involved and let's see if Du can reclaim his throne at Capcom Cup 2019!
(Feature image courtesy NuckleDu via Twitter)
