ESL One Cologne game between Chaos and Team Liquid postponed in support of protests
North American Counter Strike: Global Offensive team Chaos Esports Club had postponed Thursday’s ESL One Cologne game against Team Liquid. ESL agreed to reschedule their game, as Chaos declared that they will play their part in the fight for systemic racism in their own protest. This decision comes after a week of restless protests following the recent shooting of Jacob Blake.
We will be postponing our ESL One match today against @TeamLiquid pic.twitter.com/Rjapziz2fE
— Chaos EC (@ChaosEC) August 27, 2020
Chaos posted an official statement on Twitter, sharing that they are doing their part to shine light on the protests. After, ESL publicly shared that they agree to honor Chaos’ request to move the best-of-three match scheduled today for 3 PM CT. Team Liquid also released their own statement in support of the movement. “We believe competition is our players’ platform and it’s their personal decision whether to use it as a means for protest,” they shared. The team stated they appreciate and support the players who decide to make the decision to stand up.
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) August 27, 2020
Although there’s no new date scheduled as of yet, ESL plans to move it to next week.
Earlier today, we were asked to postpone today’s semifinal match between @ChaosEC and @TeamLiquid due to the ongoing circumstances in the US. We have agreed to reschedule this to later this week.
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 27, 2020
The constant fight for equality
Overall, Chaos is known to support revolutionary causes, such as NYC Revolutionaries and the non-profit Equal Justice Initiative. On the organization’s official website, they proudly state they are a diverse and inclusive ownership group, with a desire to grow. Their move to shed attention on racial injustice is part of their call to action, with hopes to inspire others.
Additionally, the team is now co-owned by Musicians Terrance “Pusha T” Thornton, Sir Robert Bryson “Logic” Hall II, and Mike “Upscale Vandal” Camargo. Pusha T recently posted his thoughts over Chaos’ decision to postpone the game, sharing supportive messages with each tweet.
We gonna learn and stand together…United!! https://t.co/tjEVYzKmfv
— King Push (@PUSHA_T) August 27, 2020
Beth is right, if you have ever played any game online you are well aware of how common it is to hear racial slurs and prejudice rhetoric of all kinds. That shit isn’t just some ignorant red state kids trolling, it‘s their actual way of thinking. https://t.co/fQM00vMAQB
— Upscale Vandal (@Upscale_Vandal) August 27, 2020
These teams are not the only ones to stand in solidarity with protesters. Recently, FlyQuest had shown support for the Milwaukee Bucks over the team’s recent NBA boycott. Standing against police brutality is no strange decision in the esports community, as many organizations share the same sentiments.
