Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has long been one of the most outspoken members of the Call of Duty community, and in an impassioned monologue on The Flank, he has called out several CDL teams over issues with culture and egos.
The Flank is ZooMaa’s regular podcast show that he hosts, regularly talking on the biggest topics in the community and having top pros on to discuss what is happening within the CDL.
During the May 19 episode, though, ZooMaa took a tangent and decided to speak on what he believes to be one of the biggest issues facing CDL teams today.
It’s not the common ‘friendship league’ trope that much of the community speaks about or even in-game issues, but it boils down to one thing: culture.
Egos on failing CDL teams
ZooMaa explains that the culture on teams and the egos of players are failing to work together properly, causing an adverse effect on the teams and the players themselves.
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“You’ve got people like f**king Dallas where egos are getting in the way, I think,” he said, referring to Dallas Empire’s continued downfall this season. “I think people are bickering, they don’t want to admit to their mistakes, people are pointing fingers… I had my fair share of that sh*t!”
He continues, saying that teams like OpTic have a good culture, and it shows in their top 4 finish at the Stage 3 Major. “They picked their sh*t up,” he said. “At least you see OpTic going back to the drawing board and working together, making sure that they give everything that they got.”
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Building a good culture
ZooMaa even references his days as an academy football player with Chelsea FC, explaining why the CDL teams need to look at clubs like those for inspiration.
“I was playing with some of the best of the best, against some of the best, and I was coached by some of the best coaches in the world. The only way we’re going out on that pitch and winning matches and championships is doing that s**t together.
“We used to get in our huddle as a family, and we would do anything for each other, and those were the best teams I was on. That’s why I liked teaming with Chris [Crowder], that’s why I liked teaming with Dillon [Attach], Preston [Priestahh], and Cellium.”
His final note is that this is what makes the top teams so good: the culture. The teams that work together, respect each other, and figure things out are the ones that will see the most success, and it’s hard to disagree with ZooMaa on that front.
