The Overwatch League has taken disciplinary action against four players for a number of different offenses, including the use of discriminatory language on social media.
It is not uncommon to see eSports governing bodies or teams taking action against players for their behavior on public social media platforms. It seems that the latest eSports professionals to experience such action are four Overwatch League players.
On Friday, the Overwatch League announced that the organization would be taking disciplinary action against four league players for a range of different offenses, including the use of discriminatory language on Twitch, posting offensive content on social media, and account sharing. Those facing action are Félix “xQc” Lengyel (Dallas Fuel), Timo “Taimou” Kettunen (Dallas Fuel), Ted “Silkthread” Wang (Los Angeles Valiant), and Tae-yeong “TaiRong” Kim (Houston Outlaws.)
Lengyel, Kettunen, and Kim were all reprimanded for discriminatory related offenses. Lengyl, who has previously been suspended for violating the League’s code of conduct, received a four-match suspension and $4000 fine for his repeated use of Twitch’s TriHard emote, as well as using “disparaging” language against other players and Overwatch League casters on social media and on stream.
Lengyel’s teammate Ketunnen received a $1000 fine for using anti-gay slurs on his own personal stream, whereas Kim received a formal warning for posting an offensive meme regarding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Charged with an action unrelated to the others, Wang received a $1000 fine for account sharing, as it is a breach of Overwatch publisher Blizzard Entertainment’s End User License Agreement.
Kettunen and Kim have both issued apologies for their actions on social media, with Kim going on further to make a donation to the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. Lengyl has also responded to the League’s actions in a Twitch stream stating that he was unaware of the racial connotations associated with the TriHard emote, which had become a recognized image within his personal streams.
As eSports competitions continue to grow in popularity, it is somewhat expected that members of these competitions will be expected to behave in a manner that does not damage the image of the sport. It is unsurprising then that the Overwatch League would decide to take actions against members who make use of language or share images that could be considered discriminatory, even specifying within their statement that “it is unacceptable for members of the Overwatch League to use or distribute hateful, racist, or discriminatory speech or memes.”
Whether or not any of these players may choose to appeal against the action taken against them, remains to be seen. As for now, Overwatch League matches continue to take place with New York Excelsior currently in the lead.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
