While the NFL world is lit ablaze by rumors of Tom Brady’s retirement, Call of Duty and esports fans have started thinking about their own stars’ eventual departures. In a massive poll, they claimed Scump’s retirement would be even more impactful than TB12’s.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the American fascination with pigskin, you likely encountered some mumblings of Brady’s retirement this past weekend. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the GOAT was retiring this offseason, but Brady’s camp quickly shut that down and explained he hadn’t decided yet.
While ‘meat sport’ fans wondered about TB12’s plans and legacy, CoD and esports fans dove into some reflections on their own games.
After one user claimed OpTic Gaming’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner’s retirement would be a bigger deal than Brady’s, the debates bubbled. In the interest of discourse, we pushed that topic into the Twitter world and polled thousands about it.
Esports fans claim Scump’s retirement would be bigger than Tom Brady’s
🤔
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 29, 2022
Without a doubt, our audience is skewed toward the Call of Duty community. It’s in our brand’s blood and that scene has undoubtedly remained present despite our switch to covering other esports with the DexertoEsports Twitter account.
Nonetheless, a poll of 3,500-plus people is nothing to scoff at and neither are the results. After bringing up the topic of whose retirement would have a “bigger impact,” a whopping 71.9% of respondents said Scump.
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In all fairness scump paved the way for cod, TB12 just revolutionized a sport that was around 50 years before him
— CRAZYCAREBEAR (@CRAZYCAREBEAR11) January 29, 2022
Tom is, practically without a doubt, the greatest American football player of all time. He not only has more Super Bowl rings than any other player in history… he has more than any franchise. That’s quite the legacy and it’s no surprise that retirement rumors sent shockwaves around the sports world.
Still, the argument for Scump’s impact being greater does actually hold some merit. While TB12’s 22-year career has left as unavoidable a mark as possible on football, the league has existed since 1922.
There are arguments to be made that Scump has meant even more to CoD than Brady could to football. The first CoD Championship was held in 2009 and, ever since Scump debuted in 2011, he has essentially been the face of the esport.
With the man known as scumpii representing OpTic for CDL 2022, it doesn’t seem that a retirement is expected anytime soon. Still, when he does decide to put down the sticks, it’s clear that fans put his legacy in historic territory.