Esports Gamer superstar turned businessman Nadeshot still wants to win
By Mark Carman
Matthew Haag is busy building a business empire while hoping to add more championships along the way.
Call of Duty was a life changer for championship esports gamer Matthew Haag aka Nadeshot. He became a World Champion back in 2011 on his way to an X-games gold medal three years later. It was just the start.
Nadeshot is now working on becoming a world champion businessman with his youtube channel and merchandise, while also still running esports program 100 Thieves. Haag has come under fire from some critics for being more concerned about making money than winning championships, but he is doing his best to take the critiques in stride.
“It’s a compliment to me when people say we do our apparel really well and our content is great,” Haag said. “We try just as hard in our esports programs. We have some of the best general managers some of the best coaches. We invest the most money into our Call of Duty teams. Hopefully winning will come with time and we have won in the past.”
Matthew Haag is just getting started
There have been numerous victories. Haag’s crew has compiled two Call of Duty championships, multiple Fortnite championships and also went to worlds in their first year League of Legends. Haag is hoping that is just the start for 100 Thieves.
“I feel like we have a lot of pieces now from a roster and a talent standpoint that can help us get over the line and bring some trophies back into the organization. We just want to deliver an experience to our fans that can be really excited about,” Haag said.
Growing up on the internet helped Haag develop some thick skin along the way. Shots are always being fired from behind the screen, which he eventually got used to. That is not to say there aren’t some topics that can get under Haag’s skin.
“I always hate the perception that people might say we don’t care about winning,” Haag said. “If they really sat with us behind closed doors, the time and the money that we have invested into our competitive programs, I think they would have a much broader perspective of what we’ve done and what we’ve tried to do to find success and try to win.”
Staying mentally fit through the journey is a part of the process for many elite athletes. Mental health was not something that Haag focused on when he was young and in competitions, as he would get headaches from staring at a screen for hours on end. That has changed.
“I’ve been playing video games all my life. I’m 28 now and I’ve played professionally for about seven years. I never really took my health seriously,” Haag said.
Matthew Haag, aka Nadeshot, is working with Excedrin. New research from Excedrin reveals that 71% of gamers are concerned about headaches related to prolonged gaming, yet the majority of them play through the pain.