Column: Either all of the "absent player" excuses for poor performance are valid, or none of them are

_{Image via Ubisoft}

I don’t want to hear it. 

I just don’t anymore. It’s tired, it’s exhausting. Most importantly, it’s just not funny after hearing it ad nauseum for six months. If I’m tired of it you know the players and coaches are tired of it. 

We’ve been talking about Oxygen at Sweden and TSM FTX at Mexico for months. Both teams were hobbled, in each situation a key piece to the puzzle was ruled out for the event after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. DarkZero was forced to play a playoff game at the Mexico Major from their hotel rooms. It sucks to go to a Major you qualify for, but effectively be a sacrificial lamb.

For six months, there’s been both ironic and unironic claims about North America – trash region, there are fundamental problems with the structure, it’s just behind the other regions, it goes on and on and on. There are some that took the results in stride with the COVID-addled teams, excuses, valid or not, have been made, and there’s still some belief in the caliber of the region. 

Whether you agree or disagree with this pair of narratives is up to you. I’m not here to tell you that you should venerate North America, that if it hadn’t been for COVID the region would be dominant. I can’t see the future. I don’t know. I just know that the region wasn’t at full strength. 

For the same reason, I’m giving BDS and EU the same caveat. The Frenchmen could probably do well to just get off Twitter after matches end, but I have no problem believing that they’re frustrated by their performance. I feel for them – it’s an unenviable scenario. They aren’t at full strength.

My choice is guided by my choice to extend the benefit of the doubt to the NA teams. 

I’m not here to tell you that you have to give all of these teams that excuse, or even that I’m right to grant this excuse. Just be consistent. 

Consistency in belief is a virtue above all, one that no one really, truly masters. Anyone that tells you they have is lying – no one exists in life without some hypocrisy in some way. 

But this one is easy. Unless you’re memeing, which is normal and healthy, Give the hobbled EU teams the same benefit of the doubt you gave TSM FTX and Oxygen. If you didn’t, don’t give it here either. If you’re an NA team or fan that got trashed for six months, no one should begrudge you letting the clip fly for a day or two. Once the emotions have faded, though, allow reason to take control again. 

Put more bluntly: don’t dish it if you can’t take it. If you were earnestly yucking it up about NA’s woes, spare me the weepy eyes for the other regions. It’s either all on the table, or none of it is.