Harassment over Pro Overwatch player "Ellie"

The minor league Overwatch team Second Wind added a new player, called “Ellie,” to the roster on December 22nd.

The community has met a new player with doubts: many have decided that a professional male player is hiding under the nickname. Suspicions arose after checking the player’s profile and finding a high rank with a small amount of experience. At the same time, the other side defended the girl and concluded that she merely protected her boundaries - her real name and surname were never found out.

Ellie played Overwatch on Twitch to stop the rumors, during which she played with the player named Punisher. Some players thought he was hiding under the girl's account. The pro-player, Atlanta Reign member, Daniel "Dafran" Francesca speculating during a stream that “someone is playing on this account, and Ellie is talking right beside them.”

Another particularly concerned and banned player under the nickname "Haunt" zealously sought to reveal the identity of Ellie, as the girl told in her Twitter by attaching screenshots.

All of this led to Ellie leaving the team, as announced on the Second Wind official Twitter on January 2.

One of the few pro overwatch players Thy “Mini” Le stood up for the girl’s defense.

Second Wind owner Justin Hughes gave his point of view on this situation to Kotaku.

“When we brought her onto the team, people acted like we had brought on a symbol of empowerment. I get that people meant well, but on one side, we had people questioning her legitimacy, issuing threats, etc. while on the other hand, we had people acting like they had found their Messiah. Between needing a player to live up to huge expectations and having to question their own safety, it seems that the OW community isn’t ready to just view a player as just a player. We wanted a player, but it seemed like the public wanted something else.”

Finally, we'll add a tweet of Washington Justice assistant general manager Kate Mitchell and leave you alone with thoughts and conclusions. 

But if you want to share them with us, we will be here anytime to discuss this situation with you in the comments.