SofM fined one month’s salary for… criticizing internet connection
When it comes to the “crying or laughing” stories related to regional and national discrimination in League of Legends, we have to mention SofM’s unforgettable lesson when he first joined the LPL.
At the end of 2016, shortly after moving to Snake Esports, SofM climbed the Korean ranks and typed a somewhat negative chat message related to China: “sb China” (roughly understood as a curse). This chat immediately landed the rookie in hot water, as LPL fans reacted quite fiercely.
Later, it was clarified that SofM did not intend to offend the people or the country of China, but rather was targeting… the internet connection. The slow connection made it difficult for SofM to practice in the Korean ranks, causing his frustration, and at that time, he was not yet proficient in Chinese, which led him to use common communication terms to express his feelings.
But for whatever reason, SofM was wrong and accepted the penalty of a one-month salary deduction from the management of Snake. The good news is that he took this seriously, worked hard to learn Chinese to avoid similar issues in the future.
Moreover, with his talent and efforts, SofM has regained the affection of the Chinese fan community, to the point where now, after 4 years of battling in the LPL, even without a single title, the Vietnamese jungle star is hailed as an icon of this tournament.
TFBlade banned by Riot Korea for… rubbing eyes
Not only in China, but even on the Korean server, issues of discrimination and national prejudice are particularly noted. Clearly, for those who exhibit blatant discrimination, punishing such actions is commendable.
However, in the case of TFBlade – a popular NA League of Legends streamer, the story of his alleged discrimination against Asians has sparked intense debate, as the accusations are not truly clear, and Riot Korea’s handling of the situation has left many unsatisfied.
TFBlade was once boycotted on the Korean server after he openly criticized some LCK players, including Nuguri. His matches on the Korean ranks were truly a nightmare, as even his teammates turned against him. In every match with TFBlade, most of his teammates would AFK, accepting penalties, to allow the enemy team to destroy the base, in order to prevent TFBlade from reaching the top of the Challenger.
The conflict escalated when during a stream, TFBlade was seen pushing his eyes upward slightly. The Korean gaming community immediately expressed outrage, believing this action implied “Asian with slanted eyes” – a racist act from TFBlade. Meanwhile, the streamer himself asserted that he was just rubbing his eyes and had no other intention.
Shortly after, Riot Korea took further controversial action by locking the account they had granted to TFBlade to climb the Korean ranks. His fans continued to refute accusations from Korean fans, claiming they were too sensitive, while Riot Korea acted too emotionally, and this penalty would certainly harm TFBlade’s reputation.
Canna and Faker become the target of criticism from the Chinese online community for picking Twitch – a champion with negative connotations in East Asian servers
Recently, the incident involving Canna and Faker regarding the suspicion of “implying discrimination against China” has become a hotly debated topic between the LCK and LPL regions. From the act of picking Twitch in the match against TOP Esports at the LPL – LCK exhibition, T1 player Canna was suddenly attacked and insulted by Chinese fans, who believed that his choice of Twitch was to associate China with “the plague” (the nickname for Twitch in Korean is “The Plague Rat”).
Even Faker was not spared from the backlash, as the camera caught him smiling while Canna picked Twitch, leading Chinese fans to immediately conclude that Faker was “in cahoots” with Canna.
Although T1’s Chairman – Joe Marsh issued a statement clarifying the champion pick, the Chinese League of Legends fans did not let up. They continuously demanded that LCK publicly release the mic-check recording of T1’s champion selection.
Similar to the case of TFBlade, this time the Chinese gaming community has also become a controversial subject, as the evidence they provided was not clear at all, merely subjective speculation. Nevertheless, Canna and Faker have had to endure continuous criticism from Chinese League of Legends fans in recent days.
