Top 10 Overwatch League Controversies

Houston Outlaws

We love memes as much as the next person, but there are some that are simply tasteless. In early February 2018, Houston Outlaws Head Coach Tae-yeong “TaiRong” Kim tweeted a meme that made an insensitive joke about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in World War II. Before Overwatch League had a chance to react, Kim issued an apology on Twitter and donated one thousand dollars to the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. The Overwatch League noted this and decided to let him off with a formal warning. There’s a lesson to be learned here, kids: be careful what you post on social media.

When it comes to the magical world of copyright, patents, and trademarks, things can get dicey real quick. However, we don’t think the Major League Baseball organization expected backlash from Overwatch fans. When the logo for Overwatch League was revealed in July 2017, many fans saw where the inspiration came from. The Major League took note of this, as well, and the public quickly became aware that baseball franchise had the ability to file a lawsuit on accounts of trademark infringement. Needless to say, the fans were furious. And yet, MLB went silent, missing their window to file the case. Was it because of the massive backlash from Overwatch fans? That’s incredibly likely.

Shanghai Dragons

One of the struggles of being a professional gamer is keeping your career and your personal life separate. Of course, this is easier to do if you’ve got nothing to hide. As for Fang “Undead” Chao of the Shanghai Dragons, this was practically impossible. In March 2018, Chao came under allegations of harmful behavior against women in previous relationships. The rumors became such an issue that Chao retreated to China, and by the end of the month, Shanghai Dragons officially released him from the roster. Chao later published a letter meant for one of the women he hurt, and on April 3rd, 2018, he joined Chinese team LinGan e-Sorts and took on the name hYpnos.

Shanghai Dragons

The players might be the faces of the Overwatch League, but there are a lot of people that manage the teams behind the scenes. However, instead of toxic behavior, there’s manipulation. In January 2018, it was discovered that the coach of the Shanghai Dragons, Chen “U4” Congshan, had been sharing his account with other players. Blizzard does not take stuff like this lightly, and it shows in the six-thousand dollar fine Congshan received. Another three-thousand dollars was tacked on for Congshan improperly communicating to other players, rather than their managers. Two months later, Congshan stepped down, but the reasons were never made clear. It could’ve been those rumors about his harsh practice sessions…

Dallas Fuel

We shouldn’t have to say this, but please don’t engage in toxic behavior. There is such a thing as playing nice. This is not the first in Dallas Fuel’s trouble with their pro gamers demonstrating toxic behavior. While in the middle of a stream, Timo “Taimou” Kettunen uttered a homophobic slur against an enemy player. He began to quickly dismiss his remark as “accidentally toxic”. The story really took off when ESPN picked it up, rightly pointing out that Blizzard had been silent on the issue despite the league’s code of conduct. “Taimou” ultimately apologized and was issued a one-thousand dollar fine.

Philadelphia Fusion

It’s all fun and games until you make an incredibly racist joke and don’t realize it until the backlash storms in. While in the middle of a public stream, Josue “Eqo” Corona slanted his eyes and said, “I’m Korean.” Yes, seriously. After receiving a hefty amount of negative feedback, Philadelphia Fusion suspended Corona for three games and issued a fine of two thousand dollars. Additionally, his streaming privileges were revoked until June 17, 2018. Unlike some of the other players on this list, Corona didn’t just issue an apology; he also donated three thousand dollars to the Anti-Defamation League and their “No Place for Hate” campaign.

Dallas Fuel

The last thing the Dallas Fuel team needed was more toxic teammates. So, it’s a wonder why Felix “xQc” Lengyel wasn’t terminated after his first offense. The tank player had been causing trouble throughout the season, resulting in expensive and lengthy penalties. In January 2018, Lengyel was suspended for making a homophobic remark against Austin “Muma” Wilmot of the Houston Outlaws. Two months later, Lengyel called Overwatch League casters “cancer” in an aggressive tweet… which he later deleted. With his troublesome behavior outside of the league, Lengyel was fined four thousand dollars and issued a four-match suspension. Lengyel was eventually released by the Dallas Fuel on March 11, 2018.

Dallas Fuel

There seems to be a major problem with bad sportsmanship within the Dallas Fuel team. When Minseok “OGE” Son was signed onto the team, it was to replace the troublesome Felix “xQc” Lengyel. So, to have your newly-signed replacement player get caught for another scandalous activity… well, that’s a real embarrassment. In late March 2018, OGE was caught for “account-boosting”, where an individual is paid to increase the rank of another player’s profile. The Overwatch League suspended OGE for four games, including a match that was supposed to occur hours after the news broke. He wasn’t allowed to play again until April 11, 2018.

San Francisco Shock

It wasn’t long after the Overwatch League was formed that the behavior of those involved quickly became a concern. In November 2017, San Francisco Shock came under fire when Twitch streamer Krystlin accused their team manager, Maxwell Bateman, of sexual assault. Allegedly, the two had met in September when Bateman gave her a spiked drink. It wasn’t long until Andy Miller, co-owner of Shock’s parent company NRG eSports, announced that Bateman was promptly fired, citing their “zero-tolerance policy.” Bateman denied the allegations in his own statement.

Boston Uprising

This is the most recent and, without a doubt, the most disgusting. On April 8, 2018, screenshots surfaced showing the Boston Uprising player text messaging a minor. On top of that, the two had been exchanging lewd images of each other. At first, Boston Uprising had only placed Sanchez under “indefinite suspension”. The situation quickly became worse after a second young lady (also a minor) made similar allegations, which led to a swift termination of his contract. What really stings is that Sanchez was the best Offense player on the Boston Uprising team. Exchange those jerseys while you can, guys.