Overwatch League Pro Fined for Inappropriate Gesture

A gesture displayed by a professional Overwatch player during a live game resulted in a fine, an apology, and questions about the Overwatch League's expectations of its players.

The offending Overwatch player in question is Joon-yeong "Profit" Park, a London Spitfire player who made directed a flip of the bird towards the camera that was facing the player before the game started. According to a statement that was issued later by Profit, the player was directing the gesture to nearby players and coaches, not anyone else.

Regardless of the intent, the action was immediately seen by both the viewers and commentators who had mixed responses to the gesture. A wave of cheers came from the crowd who likely enjoyed seeing the gesture instead of the usual focus and reserved attitude most esports players express on-stage, but the uncomfortableness of the commentators suggested that the move probably wasn't appropriate.

Sure enough, an apology from Profit came shortly after the incident in which the player apologized for his actions and explained the reasoning behind the gesture. Profit tweeted the apology and again said that the gesture was intended as a joke for players and coaches and that he didn't realize his face-cam was being focused on during that time.

Around the same time that Profit issued his apology, London Spitfire owner Jack Etienne confirmed on his own Twitter account that the Overwatch League would be fining Profit for his actions. The fine came in at $1000 for the offense, and London Spitfire said that they have no plans to contest the ruling.

The league has fined @PROFIT_OWL $1000 for breaking a league rule regarding obscene gestures on camera. All parties understand these actions were not made in malice nor intended to be on broadcast but the rules are clear. @Spitfire will not be contesting the ruling. pic.twitter.com/sQVGFRNA4E

— Jack Etienne (@JackEtienne) January 25, 2018

While it's the most recent incident, this isn't the first time that an Overwatch pro has made the news for inappropriate actions. Dallas Fuel's Felix "xQx" Lengyel recently received a suspension and a fine for a graphic insult directed towards another player. Profit's actions didn't net him as serious of a fine but a code of conduct for Overwatch pros still hasn't been released yet by the Overwatch League yet, so it's hard to officially how serious the rule-breaking was without knowing where the exact rules these pros are expected to abide by.