In esports, during League of Legends, Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez, the CEO of G2 Esports, had a free pass to say whatever he thought. His success had justified this attitude over the years: Just like former Bayern Munich manager Uli Hoeneß, Ocelote mocked colleagues and rivals, made fun of the opposing fans, and never missed a quip. But now he has found his limit.
This is Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez: Ocelote is somewhat of a personification of success in LoL: The Spaniard was initially a mid-laner for SK Gaming. But already in 2013, he recognized the signs of the times and founded the esports team G2 Esports:
- G2 Esports has been the champion in Europe 9 times
- Reached the finals of Worlds in 2019
- According to Forbes, it is the most valuable esports team in Europe – Ocelote himself refers to it as the “most valuable team outside of Los Angeles”
Esports is huge in LoL, the production is grand:
This is how Ocelote has often presented himself: Ocelote has always seemed hot-blooded and as if he took every conflict head-on:
- Ocelote said: Other teams in LoL are “greedy” and their fans are “f***ing insane”
- He claimed that all teams in LoL cheat – He does too, but he is simply the best at it
- He questioned what other teams were doing all the time while he is having so much success with G2 Esports – Maybe they were celebrating, but what for? There was nothing to celebrate, they haven’t been successful enough
- He once referred to Twitch streamer Nickmercs as a degenerate with a fragile ego
Fans celebrate the ambitious and biting CEO, no matter what he does
How did that go over? For years, this “bad boy” attitude worked excellently. It was viewed as a kind of “show”: His team, G2 Esports, was “cheeky and authentic”; they spoke without a filter. Ocelote was almost expected to make such remarks – openly mocking the competition.
He somehow managed to sell this as a strong brand. Despite such attacks, G2 was an extraordinarily strong brand, with companies like BMW or Mastercard eager to advertise with them.
Above all, Ocelote’s unrestrained ambition was evident: He seized every opportunity to make life as difficult as possible for the main competitor in Europe, Fnatic: Poached their best players and prohibited his players from moving there through clauses.
Somehow, all of this was part of the Ocelote show. The Spaniard, the bad boy, was “too big to fail”; he got away with everything – you somehow knew: At heart, he was a cool guy who did everything for his team, a friend of the players, a boss on equal terms. Somehow a charming, cocky guy who didn’t really mean it all.
Ocelote switches from “FU” to “Sorry” in 17 hours
This was now the limit: Ocelote crossed this limit with a video showing him partying with Andrew Tate: Someone who is considered a misogynist and against whom an investigation for human trafficking is ongoing.
The shitstorm came quickly and hard. But Ocelote still held on to his position: No one tells him how to celebrate, he posted on the evening of September 17.
But opinions changed: Even his own players, like Perkz, a sort of surrogate son, turned away from Ocelote. Outraged Twitter users alerted G2’s sponsors: Do you really want to work with someone who associates with such people who abuse women?
The own team G2 Esports made it clear the next day: The boss was suspended by the board for 8 weeks and waived his salary during that time. Ocelote allegedly agreed to this, it was said.
This is how Ocelote presents himself now: It is truly an absurd spectacle: Just while the tweet “I don’t let anyone dictate with whom I celebrate” was pinned, Ocelote posted a message that sounds nothing like him.
He has “disappointed many fans”. Confusion arose about what he stands for: He always stands for absolute equality. He has learned from many mistakes:
I misjudged the situation, feel terrible about the discussions I created, will face it and accept all consequences.
Manager posts “He is not an ass” certificate from ex-wife
In the discussion, he posted what resembles a certificate that he is not a misogynistic ass, a statement from his ex-wife stating that he has never behaved misogynistically.
What is the discussion? Currently, Ocelote cannot win anymore. Hardly anyone finds his apology good:
- People who are outraged demand his resignation. He cannot have changed his entire personality within 17 hours, from “I won’t let anyone dictate to me” to “I’m sorry”.
- The post seems inauthentic and sounds like empty PR talk, they say.
- People who previously stood by his side now feel disappointed: The cancel culture has prevailed – now they are demanding everything from him. He now must constantly apologize for everything.
What are the parallels to Uli Hoeneß? The former manager of Bayern Munich was also an active player who switched to management early on. Like Ocelote, he led his team to great success.
Under the term “Department Attack”, he shaped the image of Bayern Munich for years: He spoke without filter, made clear statements and went head-on at anyone who stood in his way.
Similar to Ocelote, Hoeneß experienced his break at the peak of his fame: Hoeneß was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and has since presented himself much quieter and more considered. Ocelote doesn’t have to go to jail, but he has suffered a similar loss of reputation – like Hoeneß.
The times when Ocelote declared that all other teams in LoL were losers except him are probably over. Uli Hoeneß has also significantly restrained himself after his prison sentence.
Currently, the German YouTuber “HandOfBlood” has created a fictional character: an unbearable CEO of a LoL team who likes to compare himself with Uli Hoeneß. Perhaps he has based the character somewhat on Ocelote:
