Enable & Pacman expose the truth behind CDL’s ‘friendship league’ claims

Are claims that the Call of Duty League is more of a ‘friendship league’ accurate? Reverse Sweep’s Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker delve into the rumors and discuss their past experiences navigating the CoD scene.

The CDL has been labeled a friendship league right from the very beginning. Rumors and speculation have often pointed towards a scene where players are picked up based on who they know, rather than their individual merit.

But is there any truth behind these accusations? Having both competed at the highest level for a number of years, there’s no better duo to answer that question than Enable and Pacman.

Together, the Reverse Sweep crew outlined the state of the CDL today, agreeing that it’s certainly not in a “healthy” position.

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Even with the introduction of the CDL, is the CoD scene still largely nepotistic?

“As far as I can remember, if your team wasn’t in that contending stage, it seems like there were always people talking behind your back,” Enable explained. Even with his success over the years, he admitted the CoD scene has always been “volatile.”

“It’s one of those things… it is what it is. It’s very high school cliquey,” he added.

“You obviously need a certain skill set to be in the situation, but people are gonna network, people are gonna throw dirt on your name. That’s just how life is.”

Ultimately, that’s been the way of things from the very beginning in CoD, according to Pacman. It may not be changing anytime soon either. “As long as kids are playing, as long as new and upcoming youth is gonna take over… This is just how it is,” Pacman said.

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A vast majority of CDL pros are still fairly young in the game compared to other esports.

But what exactly can be done to evolve the CoD scene from its current nepotistic form? It all boils down to management, both Enable and Pacman agreed.

“You need to get the right people that know what they’re talking about,” Enable stressed. “In Call of Duty, most of these people can’t build a team. “As this becomes a more professional scene, management has to take a bigger role,” Pacman added.

Moreover, age could also play a key role moving forward in CoD as well. Comparing the scene to Valorant and CSGO, Pacman highlighted how the age of talent in the CDL is still fairly young. 

Perhaps as talent matures and players gain more experience, the notion of a friendship league will fade away.