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    COLUMN: The 'Filipino Sniper' debate doesn't deserve the toxicity

    The MLBB community should reflect more after this incident
    Aug 15, 2022
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    AS YESTERDAY'S '1-v-1' incident added more fuel to the "Filipino Sniper" debate in pro Mobile Legends, I read some of the comments from the fans saying that the MPL should stop comparing Duane “Kelra” Pillas and Kiel “Oheb” Soriano since it would often lead to a huge level of toxicity from the community.

    I personally find it strange that there are complaints from fans regarding player comparisons. To anyone watching sports, these are all pretty common storylines in every league — JVee Casio vs. Chris Tiu, Kiefer Ravena vs. Jeron Teng, Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan vs. Magic or Kobe or LeBron, and on and on and on.

    Reading through and assessing the discussions has always been a personal hobby of mine, since I learn a lot from the various perspectives from the community. Many discussions I’ve read or seen aren’t ad hominems or personal attacks on players, but rather insightful and logical debates.

    Take the Messi vs. Ronaldo battle.

    Some would argue that Ronaldo is better than Messi because he was able to prove that he could play at the highest level, no matter what league he joins. A key reason for his dominance? His physical stature and his intelligence inside the penalty area would be the main points.

    As a counterargument, there are those who think Messi is better because he can fight through defenders because of his immense low center of gravity and dribbling skills, giving space to his teammates. With numerous Ballon d’Or trophies, he makes a solid case over Ronaldo.

    But at the end of the day, both are considered greats of the sport, with fans acknowledging the loads of accomplishments in their careers.

    In an ideal world, the arguments would stop there... with professionalism.

    But of course, there are also toxic fans who would blurt out a bunch of nonsensical comments, calling Messi or Ronaldo a bunch of crybabies, or insulting each other’s fanbases. But ultimately, these comments get ignored because they are basically childish and petty, compared to the highly analytical and thought-provoking discussions.

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    Meanwhile, here's what I experienced in esports.

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      Debates would get overshadowed

      I recall Theo “Uomi” Ignacio publishing a Tweet, where he statistically computed for the KDA and KPs of Kelra and Oheb.

      In the end, he received criticisms from Kelra fanatics. Uomi could only reply: “Let me just clarify as well that my intentions on this hypothetical research on Kelra's claim is NOT to harm his confidence.”

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      And moving away from the “sniper” zone, I also wrote an article comparing the GOATness of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Carlito “Ribo” Ribo Jr.

      Comments raised some interesting points, until someone pointed out that my article was unnecessary, and that it would only incite people to lash out against V33nus with homophobic slurs in one Facebook group.

      Looking back, I ask: Why are fans feeling offended?

      There was nothing wrong with Uomi’s data. And numbers and statistics don’t necessarily define a player.

      And as for my article on V33nus and Ribo, I didn’t see any attempt of me attacking V33nus for his gender. Yet there were homophobic slurs.

      I realized one important thing. It’s not the storylines that trigger or instigate toxic discussions. If there are individuals who are decent enough to share their thoughts, there are also those who would go below the belt. To quote my philosophy professor in college, if you give alms to a street child, and they used it to buy rugby, is it the fault of the giver? No, because the intent was pure and that person didn’t know what would happen next.

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      Even with no ill intent or malice in comparisons, there will always be toxic comments appearing. Heck, even if there were no comparisons, those comments would still appear.

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      On the Kelra incident

      This all came to a head in the first weekend of the MPL, when Kelra's sister, watching the Blacklist-Omega series live on Saturday, shouted something from the sidelines as host Mara Aquino was interviewing Oheb.

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      She screamed "1 v 1!" That's it. She didn't scream: "Oheb sucks! Kelra is the real sniper!" She shouted something very neutral that live fans shrugged off. Because believe me, if she had said something like "Oheb sucks," we would have seen an MPL version of the Malice at the Palace.

      Plus, the players didn't even react. Mara Aquino also revealed her side of the story, which just revealed that she was only doing her job as a host.

      Some fans have pointed out that Kelra’s sister was rudely stealing the spotlight from Oheb and Mara, but based on the reactions of the players, everything seemed fine.

      And there are those criticized her for allegedly laughing when Mara called her out for the 1-v-1, but who wouldn’t feel the same? Isn’t it an honor to be called out by one of the most renowned talents in Philippine sports?

      Ultimately, she doesn’t deserve all the hate she's gotten. She doesn't deserve the body shaming and the insults. And to fans who are also capitalizing on the situation to generalize Blacklist Agents as an evil empire, consider yourself a disgrace.

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        Who is the true Filipino Sniper?

        And now here we are with one of the most talked about discussions, not least from the MPL-PH's own marketing: “Who is the true Filipino Sniper?”

        Fans would argue that Oheb is already the Filipino Sniper. Hence, it wouldn’t make sense to ask this question and place Kelra in the conversation, because that would discredit Oheb’s hard work.

        To add the fan refrain: “Oheb is the Filipino Sniper, Kelra is the Filipino Savage!”

        Here are my thoughts on this. Fans should realize one important thing when it comes to monikers, nicknames, and titles. Indeed, they are relevant for a player’s marketability... but not in terms of their overall legacies. Players care more about their individual accolades and championship trophies, and not their nicknames.

        Look, even if you remove the “Filipino Sniper” or “Filipino Savage” title, both Oheb and Kelra are already certified world class players, with the trophies that they’ve won. The nicknames gifted on them from the community are just a bonus.

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        Some athletes are blessed with the most badass nicknames. (Andrei Kirilenko's "AK-47" and Gilbert Arenas' "Agent Zero" are creative highlights.) But in the end, they're just monikers.

        What would you rather have: A cool nickname or an NBA championship?

        Take Shaquille O'Neal, who lashed out at Dwight Howard for using the "Superman" nickname. You know how fans reacted? They all agreed that Shaq and Dwight’s argument was a childish spat. Then, when commentators gave Luka Doncic the “Magic” moniker, fans didn’t overreact and lash out at the media for discrediting Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

        Nicknames don’t define the player, it’s the championships and accolades.

        Reflecting on the incident

        Looking back at what happened during the weekend, I began worrying about the scene. The over-the-top reactions make me wonder if the MLBB scene has already matured from its early days.

        I’m worried because we already lost one of the best female casters in the scene, as fans ignored her sexual harassment allegations and instead constantly bombarded her.

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        We lost one of the best analysts and statisticians in the scene as fans would criticize his opinionated beliefs.

        Are we also going to lose the best host we had? Are we also going to lose the joy and spontaneity of live events?

        Hopefully not and given how this incident has erupted, we must learn to reflect from it.

        Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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