E-sports fans went wild over Thai Dota 2 player Nuengnara Teeramahanon, best known by his handle 23Savage, after he claimed in one of his gaming streams that he did not want to play on a team full of Filipinos again, adding that “Filipinos spread like cancer.”
The video where 23Savage made the incendiary comments has now been set to private on his official YouTube channel.
The player made his comment in the midst of a game in which he suspected that a player on the opposing team was stream-sniping him, which is when somebody uses an opponent’s live stream to gain an advantage in the game.
When the other player informed 23Savage that he was a fan and he should accept his in-game friend request, the Thai player said that he suspected the sniper was Filipino and launched into a rant about how “Filipinos spread like cancer” in professional e-sports.
“If I were to manage a team and choose players, I will only allow one Filipino player in my team at most,” he said.
Interestingly, Filipino Dota fans who took note of 23Savage’s remark did not take offense, with many even saying they understood where he was coming from.
Others agreed with the star player’s sentiments, saying that Filipino players have a tendency to get complacent when they team up with fellow Filipinos.
Some pointed out that the diminishing levels of English fluency among Filipino players today meant they would rather be paired up with fellow Filipinos rather than deal with language barriers.
Meanwhile, others alleged that 23Savage’s comment was a pointed jab at his former team, T1. They suspected he was salty about being replaced by Gabbi, leading to the team being filled with three Filipino players.
“An Intense statement but true, haha! [He’s] understandably bitter because he has a better performance but he was kicked out for Gabbi,” lawyer and content creator Jesus Falcis, who is also an e-sports fan, wrote in a comment.
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