New information has been revealed in the case of former pro Overwatch League player Ted 'Silkthread' Wang and his fine for discussing 'hate symbols.' Silkthread has posted the email he received from the League, revealing the details of the accusations he received for posting about Pepe the frog.
Back in season 1 of the pro Overwatch league, Silkthread was playing for the Los Angeles Valiant. It was during his time here that he posted a tweet asking, "Does anyone else love Pepe the frog?" Soon after this was done, the Valiant social media manager demanded it be deleted, and while Silkthread did so, the Overwatch League had still noticed and dealt him a $1,000 fine. This fine was described as being imposed for 'posting support for a racist meme.'
The email he received also included such statements as 'Your comments violate the spirit of diversity and inclusiveness that make Overwatch great.' and a notice telling the Overwatch pro that his team was notified of the fine and it would be withheld from his pay. Given an opportunity to appeal the case, Silkthread himself claims that he spent $60 on an Uber to go and appeal the much larger sum.
The fine was eventually overturned on the grounds that Silkthread was unaware of the meme's status as a 'hate symbol' and that not being his intent. While images can obviously be symbolic of larger meanings, it is curious to see how a famous internet frog can be interpreted in such a drastic manner. This is especially interesting when considering how another Overwatch league player, Dallas Fuel's own Dylan 'aKm' Bignet posted a Pepe in December of 2019 - without repercussions.
While it may appear that the league has learnt from making such vehement accusations, it is understandable why such a strict mentality may be in place by the organization. On the internet especially, images can easily be misinterpreted and with a professional league hoping to maintain a certain image, what may seem like funny memes to some may be considered despicable by others.
Thankfully for Silkthread, this case did not end nastily. It serves as a reminder to be careful about what one publishes online.
The 2020 Overwatch League regular season is currently underway and set to finish August 9th.