There seems to be a shift happening in the witness voting arena in general as community/project/service witnesses are starting to gain traction. Previously, individuals were the main target of witness voting. This is likely a good thing as a project team is somewhat more decentralized than the opinions of a particular individual.

The projects are also gaining traction in visibility and are therefore more likely to gain support by those who use or are supported by them. Again, this is a good thing in my opinion as the projects that perform the best are also likely to get more influence over the system in time.

@blocktrades has been and is both a controversial account due to vested interest but, also an account that has shown time and time again (often with decent supporting arguments) that they are not only invested in Steem but, are doing what they think is right for it.

One thing that also supports their witness (I support them for disclosure) is that their service has been one of the most reliable services on Steem and has been that way for a long time now. Their updates are always relevant and, they have never as far as I remember updated/posted without some kind of need. That in itself is rare here.

As for the world cup contest (and besides me not doing well), it created a massive volume of engagement as well as a fair bit of fun at a time when prices were low, engagement was low and the atmosphere was depressed. Those involved did a good job of running it at a time something like this was needed.