Riot’s broadcast today started with an unlikely message as esports around the world become a highly unlikely, yet very welcome ally, to the BLM movement that is calling for greater police reform to combat the immediate escalation into violence fueled by racism that the United States has been struggling with, at this point, for years.
It all began a few days ago with Chaos EC postponing their match with Team Liquid (who agreed) from the ESL One Cologne 2020 Online semi-finals, which ESL then acquiesced to. The following day, both FURIA and Evil Geniuses began their match by huddling around a graffiti crown on the ground of Vertigo while the players held up pro-BLM signs and messages.
These movements have been decidedly non-corporate, and very personal; things are misspelled, backward, and there’s a lot of shuffling. It may be one of the most authentic signs of support for a cultural movement from esports that we’ve seen in years, if not ever.
This isn’t the standard corporate pseudo-support garbage that consists of changing a profile picture and tweeting a hashtag when it’s financially viable to do so: these are authentic individuals that have clawed their way to prominence through skill, and they’re using that platform to attempt to better the world.
Today, this sweeping reform that is being channeled through esports continues in Riot’s LCS, with four teams (Team SoloMid, Team Liquid (again), Cloud 9, and FlyQuest) coming together to announce that they’re collectively pledging $100,000 in contributions to the ACLU.
Critics, eat your heart out; authentic support from an unlikely ally.
If there’s any form of permanence in this world, however,m it’s that Twitch chat continues to be an incessant pit of scum and villainy; every time one of these messages are put forth, the fans inevitably recoil and begin to flame the teams and individuals that are attempting to place emphasis on the racism and oppression that somehow continues in the modern age.
twitch chat was less than receptive pic.twitter.com/5zhSsU0ARF
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 29, 2020
We sincerely hope that the majority of the Twitch chatters aren’t old enough to vote.
Yet this is a culturally significant movement; gamers have long (somehow) been associated with racism and white supremacy, in large part thanks to overtly toxic players that struggle to make whole sentences when they’re being choked back by the tears that stream down their faces during another loss.
Then ask why they can’t manage to rank up.
These messages, however, coming from respected individuals that have earned their place within society as some of the most skilled players in the world, are a massive beacon of light in an otherwise dark place. They should know that the vast majority support these movements that are clearly far more than mere hashtags and bandwagoning.
