Off the back of the announcement of esports first arbitration court, the press release left a few questions around how the WESA’s involvement.
Ken Hershman, Chief Executive of WESA and Commissioner, provided us with some brief answers to a few queries.
Esports Insider: How will the “complete independence” be ensured..what happens if there is an issue raised with ESL for instance, will that not potentially be a conflict of interest?
Ken: Any arbitration is conducted between the two parties and the arbitrators – it doesn’t matter if it’s ESL or one of our team members.
WESA is not involved in any aspect of the dispute or its resolution. The parties select their own arbitrators and pay those arbitrators based on the fee structure established in the arbitration rules.
Esports Insider: Why was the decision made for there to be no appeals option?
Ken: This is consistent with other arbitration models to ensure there’s a timely resolution to any dispute, otherwise arbitration can drag along just like any legal dispute.
Esports Insider: Arbitration is voluntary…so is WESA best placed, with no current affiliation with some of the major leagues, to ensure all parties and stakeholders
Ken: At the end of the day it’s really not about WESA, except to fulfill our mission to professionalise esports.
We saw a need for this type of service within our sport and since no one else took the initiative to solve it, we took it upon ourselves to put an option in place for the entire industry.
Esports Insider says: Hopefully this answers someof the questions that people will have had about WESA’s involvement with its arbitration court. Hershman clearly outlined that the organisation is merely the instigator, and that it won’t have any say in proceedings.