{"id":1481,"date":"2019-10-16T12:46:58","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T12:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ginx.tv\/mavericks-richard-lewis-duncan-shields"},"modified":"2024-07-19T07:35:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T07:35:16","slug":"mavericks-richard-lewis-duncan-shields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ginx.tv\/en\/esports\/mavericks-richard-lewis-duncan-shields","title":{"rendered":"[Opinion] The Mavericks: The truth around Richard Lewis and Duncan Shields"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Lewis is an <\/span>alt-right Breitbart writer <\/span><\/a>who almost killed a Dota 2 player backstage at an event<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> ruthlessly harassed and hunted down members and mods of the League of Legends subreddit<\/span><\/a> and presumably eats babies and kittens as a pastime. Only this can explain the extreme reaction the esports journalist produces within the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Well, that’s if you believe everything you read on the internet without context.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He is not alone in this targeted vitriol. Duncan “Thorin” Shields also often faces accusations of racism and sexism from others in the esports community. The mere mention of Thorin in some circles is reminiscent of the name Voldemort being uttered in the halls of Hogwarts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Both have been nominated for Esports Journalist of the Year at the Esports Awards every year, winning in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and their mere inclusion always triggers reactions from<\/span> people big and small<\/span><\/a> within esports and games journalism.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With so much attention on the two men often seen as one in the same despite their relationship being a shared workplace in the world of Counter-Strike and a popular podcast, let’s look at the claims levelled by the loudest critics and the perception many people have within the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Words Speak<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A<\/span> PCGamesN article from 2017<\/span><\/a> claimed Richard Lewis and Thorin were “people whose histories include racist, misogynist, homophobic, and\/or transphobic views, as well as those with violent or deceptive pasts” in a piece called ‘The esports industry has a problem with who it is choosing to represent it’.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Richard Lewis received support in the aftermath of the article from many women in the esports scene including<\/span> CS:GO and PUBG caster Lauren “Pansy” Scott<\/span><\/a>, Dignitas’ VP for Marketing<\/span> Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo<\/span><\/a> and League of Legends player Maria “Remilia” Creveling, who he has housed and raised tens of thousands of dollars to help <\/span>her get corrective surgery following previous surgery leaving her in chronic pain<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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