North American Star League
The North American Star League was a professional e-sports league that features the games StarCraft II and Heroes of Newerth. Originally modeled after successful South Korean professional StarCraft leagues, it was founded in 2011 by Russell Pfister and Duncan Stewart. Following the mid-year departure of Stewart, Mark K. Brown was tapped to fill the position of Chief Operating Officer in August 2011, and held that position until late-2014. Origins Professional-level competition in StarCraft was originally a South Korean phenomenon that began in the early 2000s (decade). Leagues such as Starleague and GOMTV offered 24-hour television coverage and live competitions held in arena venues. However, until the formation of the NASL, North American StarCraft competitions were limited to one-off events hosted by Major League Gaming and smaller gaming associations. The NASL was developed by Russell Pfister, owner of the video-game coaching website Gosucoaching. The source of the funding for the start-up's first season and first season's finals event prize pool were not revealed. Before the start of the NASL's season two in September 2011, multiple season sponsors were secured and announced by C.O.O. Mark K. Brown, including Eizo Nanao Technologies, Kingston HyperX, and iBUYPOWER, Although StarCraft games are one-on-one, head-to-head matches,