Rapper Pusha T put out an announcement via Instagram on August 27 saying the Chaos Esports Club would not go through with its ESL One Cologne semi-final match againstTeam LiquidinCounter-Strike: Global Offensivedue to the current circumstances involving police brutality in the United States. He specifically referred to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin with the hashtag #JusticeForJacobBlake.
Blake is a 29-year-old man who was shot seven times by the police, and while he survived the shooting, he may not be able to walk again according to a report by Insider last week. The bullets were confirmed to have hit his kidneys, liver, and stomach among other internal organs.
RELATED:FaZe Clan Signs NBA Star Ben Simmons
Because of these events, Pusha T and Logic decided to pull theChaos Esports Clubout of the gaming scene until the end of August to show support for protests currently going on in America. The team’s match against Team Liquid was postponed to a later date, according to ESL’s officialCounter-StrikeTwitter account.
Pusha T’sInstagram posttalks about how the gaming scene is “part of the problem,” and that there are more important things to focus on at this time than video games. His video announcing Chaos would be off until August 31 also lists over 50 names of those who people have been protesting for, and says there are many others as well, encouraging viewers to “be part of the change.”
On Team Liquid’sCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveTwitter, they acknowledged Chaos Esports' interest in postponing the match, said they supported the decision, and planned to “continue to drive change where we can.” Team members have expressed their support on Chaos Esports' Twitter as well, though there are some commenters who claim this decision was a “publicity stunt.”
Other companies in the gaming community have shown their support for Black Lives Matter protests as well. Examples include Epic Games removing police cars inFortniteand Electronic Arts delaying thefirst look atMadden NFL 21back in May. Individual gamers have also shown support for the protests with user-generated content in titles such asAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsandthe Sims.
Chaos Esports Club will be returning to action with games likeCounter-Strike: Global Offensiveafter August 31, but withprotests against police brutalityongoing there will likely be more movements regarding the situation to come. The same can also be seen in live sports, with NBA teams refusing to take part in games to protest Blake’s shooting.
