“The Smash community can’t control itself”: Ultimate TO and coach L4st accused of sexual harassment

Sigh. One day, another case appeared Super Smash Bros. the community.

Team Liquid coach, analyst, and tournament organizer Ryan “L4st” Krichbaum was banned from Smash events in Georgia after many people accused him of sexual harassment. Is the Smash community lost?

On May 10, the Georgia Smash team in X said that the president was informed about the allegations from three unknown people. The allegations against L4st included rape, emotional abuse, coercion, and “multiple counts of sexual harassment.”

One of these people came forward a few years ago, asking that L4st be secretly banned from most tournaments in Georgia in 2024 “for the sake of individual safety.” They hoped that L4st would talk about his behavior in private.

“Due to this incident, and other incidents in other states, Georgia Smash leadership is recommending an indefinite ban on all events in Georgia,” the post read, “as well as regional events, majors, etc.”

Team Liquid has since removed L4st from their “staff” page under the FGC category. Only Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma remains with the organization as it continues to shed its fighting game players.

Apart from this, there are no public statements from Team Liquid.

L4st was a prominent member of the Smash community. He was Leonardo “McLeo” PerezThe trainer is also linked to Hungrybox. Due to his involvement in various aspects of the Smash scene, some FGC players wonder why he has been “protected” for years.

It should be noted that Georgia Smash says the victim wants the matter to be kept private. But the Smash players didn’t like the idea of ​​a suspected abuser and criminal lying around the scene of Smash for years without knowing what he did. Some believe the situation was “covered up,” perhaps to protect other players.

However, the main point of discussion? Disappointment.

Many Smash players felt that L4st’s lawsuit was a continuation of the “Me Too” movement of years past, when it seemed that almost every popular Smash player and someone was accused of harassment, rape, grooming, and assault. Hearing about L4st made the Smash community fear that the scene is still full of dangerous predators.

A comment on Reddit said: “Horrifying. Very concerning, especially considering how prominent he was, featured in tournaments and invitationals. The ultimate competitive scene continues to have a dark stain on its history.”

Another complained: “Sadly, it’s very disappointing and infuriating. I think this hurts more than any allegations against any player; he’s one of those people whose work keeps them playing.”

The situation with L4st has sparked an old discussion in the Smash scene: Should Nintendo have taken over after all?

While many in the FGC resent Nintendo for continuing to meddle in Smash esports while not providing financial support, others have questioned whether Nintendo should have dominated the scene. Smash is very low-key, allowing for more realistic moments. Grit, passion, determination, chaos. But it also allows a lot of bad behavior to go wrong.

Without an organized region from the publisher, Smash is left with tournaments that are sponsored by individual tournament organizers. The event is left a little bit cut off, meaning someone can get away with something down in Texas that the Rhode Island event might not be able to, allowing that person to compete there. Some TOs ban players accused of abuse and assault, while others ignore them. Some TOs even create competitions for players are banned, giving space to people accused of racism, sexism, or violence.

One disappointed fan said: “I love Smash, but I can’t defend his scene. I just can’t. It’s a system, and the systems in place to prevent this, or the lack of it, make it feel like the rot will never end.”

Added another: “The Smash community can’t control itself. History keeps repeating itself with this incident and its reputation from 2020 was completely deserved. This incident is no longer appropriate.”

Is this really a Smash thing?

I will state my opinion here: No. I think it’s a dude thing.

Although there are odd women in the Smash scene (and more), statistics say that men commit up to 90% of violent crimes, including 99% of rape. Super Smash Bros is a male-dominated sports arena. Most of the competitors are men. Most of the fans are men. I’ve been to tournaments where I was one of maybe three or four women.

Many men increase the chances of this type of behavior.

However, I agree that Smash has a few responsible people on staff. It has no business like the Esports Integrity Commission or Riot holding people accountable. It’s all a matter of choice as you move from tournament to tournament.

For example, Georgia Smash tried to do the right thing by keeping things quiet at the victim’s request. However, this would not be allowed if Smash was controlled by Nintendo. L4st was to be investigated and closed. Think about it Jay “sinatraa” Won over at VALORANT. It’s a completely different world.

I don’t think Smash attracts more creeps than other male-dominated hobbies. However, I think that it does not have the regulatory bodies to take immediate action in these incidents and remove the people involved. L4st will be “cancelled” only in the sense that the TOs will not allow him, and the experts will not interact with him. But he is not really banned from all esport. No one will do that.

I don’t think Smash will be full of cheaters and perverts. But TOs in all regions must work even more closely together to ensure consistent punishments and decisions for this type of thing.