Esports players know how to compete, but esports orgs need to teach them how to behave

On August 28th, VCT China organization FunPlus Phoenix issued a statement announcing that it had “terminated all cooperation” with its IGL and controller, Blendi “kovaQ” Kovaci. According to FPX, the player made “inappropriate remarks while communicating with teammates during a game.”

As a result, the organization launched an internal investigation in cooperation with Riot Games before cutting ties with him. In the meantime, FPX has said it will strengthen its internal management and player education, while expressing regret for the negative impact of kovaQ’s actions.

“We will complete the necessary arrangements for upcoming competitions in accordance with the league’s final decision and regulations,” the organization stated.

The incident, however, is part of a recurring pattern in esports. While team members are expected to maintain professional conduct on stage, they sometimes fail to uphold those same standards in real life.

The result? One moment of poor judgment can end up leading to roster cuts, suspensions, lost sponsorships and, in some cases, the end of a career.

After that, the player is often left with nothing but regret, something that can also be seen in kovaQ’s statement: 

“Hello everyone, I wanted to apologize for what I wrote. I sent something to my teammate that was inappropriate towards a lot of people. In that moment, I meant it as a joke, but looking back at it, I deeply regret ever writing it.

“I made a mistake that I shouldn’t have made, and I take full responsibility for it. Thanks to FPX for the opportunity to be part of this project and for everything you’ve done for me,” he added.

And every time something similar happens, one question comes to mind: Why does the esports industry still struggle to give enough importance to consistent PR and professional conduct training?

In esports, players are competitors, entertainers, streamers, influencers, brand ambassadors, and the public faces of the organizations they represent.

Yet, while teams invest heavily in coaches, analysts, performance staff, and training facilities, one very important area still receives little attention: public relations and communications training.

As a result, we have seen multiple players and organizations face serious consequences. In 2023, Japanese VALORANT player Kim “TenTen” Tae-young was fired by NORTHEPTION after he made racist remarks during a ranked match. Riot Games later suspended him for four VCT matches.

Overwatch League player Park “Viol2t” Min-ki was fined and suspended by the San Francisco Shock in 2020 for repeated use of toxic slurs on stream.

Let’s also not forget the massive loss Team Liquid faced after Honda terminated its six-year sponsorship following an inappropriate post by its Rainbow Six player Lucas “DiasLucasBr” Dias, which was insensitive towards Japanese players.

I have sometimes personally seen players behave disrespectfully towards journalists during press conferences. I remember one player calling a fellow journalist’s question “dumb” in a particularly rude tone in front of everyone, then refused to answer it, even though the question itself was logical and not even critical.

Now, some might argue that this is simply the result of the pressure that comes with losing. But let me remind you, players do have the choice to decline press conferences and interview appearances if they are not ready to face the media.

The thing is, esports players often enter professional play at a young age (which makes sense in a profession where the mid-30s are considered old). Moreover, many have spent most of their time on PCs, communicating with others through Discord, streams, and social media platforms rather than socializing in traditional ways.

Then, as they transition into professional esports, the shift can be incredibly abrupt.

On top of that, multiple esports organizations still prioritize mechanical skill, game knowledge, and results above almost everything else. Soft skills such as communication and behavior often come second. As a result, their PR team only begins working after something has already happened and the community becomes angry.

Basically, a player who was just a normal teenager playing ranked games in their bedroom is suddenly representing an organization in front of thousands of fans.

Not only that, but they are expected to conduct interviews, appear on broadcasts, livestream regularly, remain active on social media, and fulfill sponsorship deals, often with little to no preparation.

That creates an obvious problem because players are used to the constant toxicity and unfiltered communication of competitive games. Thus, being good at an esports title does not automatically make someone good at professional communication.

However, that doesn’t mean these skills cannot be taught.

Inappropriate behavior by one team member not only hurts the person involved; it can affect everyone around them. Sponsors, for instance, don’t just want numbers, but also want to build meaningful connections with the community, making the public image of both players and organizations even more crucial.

In addition, especially in the digital world, one small mistake or controversy can go viral almost instantly, with the recent incident involving Hector “FrosT” Rosario and Global Esports being a good example of this.

I am not saying organizations need to set up extensive programs like those in traditional sports. They can simply hold regular training sessions covering multiple areas, including handling criticism, knowing when to respond publicly or remain silent, crisis communication, and more.

Some progress is already being made in this area. Clauses related to professional codes of conduct are now a part of the contracts, tournament organizers actively punish breaches of those rules, and multiple organizations work with sports psychologists to support players and staff.

However, one very important thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the goal should be to help players develop empathy, take genuine accountability, understand where they went wrong, and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

In short, PR training should not be designed to make esports players behave like traditional athletes and instead should be viewed as career protection.

Of course, this doesn’t mean team members shouldn’t engage in banter, as that’s the heart of esports. The goal is to help them understand the fine line between healthy, harmless banter and outright disrespect.

FPX and kovaQ’s incident is another reminder to the esports industry that skill alone is not enough. Unless organizations take PR and professional conduct training seriously, we may only be weeks or months away from another contract termination, suspension, or controversy.