From the Motto “Living by Emotion”
SBTC Esports officially “entered the arena” of the Vietnamese Esports scene in the 2021 season with a League of Legends team composed of players who had some reputation in the VCS, such as Petland, Yijin, Celebrity, Dia1, Zeros… The ambition of the male streamer Teacher Ba, co-owner of SE, was to create a “Dream Team” that could dethrone teams like Team Flash, GAM Esports, and Saigon Buffalo to become a new dominant force in VCS.
However, at the end of the VCS Spring 2021, this team only ranked 5th, and in the Winter 2021, they finished in 7th place. It can be said that in terms of performance, SE’s League of Legends did not meet the expectations of fans, even with a “star-studded” roster or a rebuild featuring promising young names combined with veteran players.
Also at the beginning of the season, the SBTC Esports version of League of Legends: Wild Rift was established. Although it did not consist solely of players long familiar with Teacher Ba like the League of Legends roster, the Wild Rift SE team also focused on many familiar names with the SBTC stream group, such as Mina Young, Bui “yT” The Vinh, or Van “Potm” Huu Bao. Notably, when announcing the lineup for the Icon Series SEA Summer 2021, the Wild Rift SE team welcomed the addition of Minas, the once-renowned Marksman of VCS.
In contrast to SE’s League of Legends, the SE Wild Rift team won 3 championships, including the SEA Icon Series 2021 Summer and Fall, and the SEA Championship 2021. At one point, fans of the two teams even gave SBTC an alternate meaning: “Living by Wild Rift”.
On the Global Ban of Zeros and Minas
If Zeros was a pillar of SE’s League of Legends, then Minas was also an indispensable member of SE’s Wild Rift. Besides the sibling relationship, both are key players in the two teams sharing the same name SE, both playing in the top lane (or Baron lane in League: Wild Rift), Zeros and Minas also share one thing in common: both received global bans from Riot in the same 2021 season.
For Zeros, this player was penalized for inappropriate comments related to the Covid-19 pandemic. With previous penalties, plus the timing of Zeros’ remarks while the pandemic was still tense, the VCS organizers and Riot did not hesitate to impose a heavy penalty on this player. Zeros became the first player in the entire Vietnamese Esports scene to receive such a severe penalty from Riot. This incident attracted the attention of the international League of Legends community. Although the penalty was considered harsh, Riot has yet to show any signs of leniency.
Recently, it was Minas’ turn to receive a global ban for gambling related to Wild Rift matches. This is a prohibited action in all sports worldwide, not just in Esports or Wild Rift. Minas stated that Riot also considered previous infractions to impose the final penalty.
When “Living by Emotion” is Not Enough to Create Professionalism
Players from both SE teams have, to some extent, a close relationship with Teacher Ba and manager Cao Le Tuan Tu. And both of these individuals have never applied strict regulations required for professional players to their younger siblings. The result, as everyone can see, is that SE’s League of Legends faced numerous penalties from light to severe, while SE’s Wild Rift had high achievements but ended the season with Minas receiving a global ban for the gravest error a professional athlete can commit: betting on their own matches.
Players like Minas and Zeros, before their global bans, were veterans in the Vietnamese Esports scene. However, this does not equate to a professional mindset. Zeros, after his global ban, had every opportunity to appeal the ban, but neither he nor those who once were his mentors or older brothers showed any actions indicating regret. In fact, Zeros was even referred to by fans as “immortal,” able to attack GAM freely without fear of further penalties. Before receiving the global ban, Zeros was even accused by his close mentor Tinikun of lacking professionalism in training and competition.
As for Minas, he clearly must understand that a professional player should not engage in any gambling activities, as it would leave no way back. But in the end, Minas “got his hands dirty,” and even SE’s management completely failed to oversee Minas’ actions. Particularly, manager Cao Le Tuan Tu even affirmed that SE Wild Rift had no cheating or gambling activities.
Conclusion
Minas and Zeros have undeniably self-destructed their careers. However, it is clear that if SE’s leadership had been stricter and more rigorous in managing players from the beginning, it is unlikely that Zeros would have made mistakes or that Minas would have “gotten his hands dirty.” But the situation is as it is. Hopefully, the Zeros brothers will not only serve as a cautionary tale but also awaken SE’s management about the necessity of close and strict oversight of each player, both in and out of competition to build a professional team. In a professional environment, appropriate emotional connections can create a united team, but if overly lenient, it will certainly lead to the opposite effect.