Empire’s Tommey slams ‘idiotic’ CDL London crowd for “shouting” callouts

Before falling 0-3 to the Chicago Huntsmen in the CDL London Grand Finals, Dallas Empire’s substitute Thomas ‘Tommey’ Thewren had some choice words for the rowdy viewers in attendance. 

Outside of the audio coming from the game and the players on your team, professional tournaments always aim to block out any other sources of sound as to uphold competitive integrity and eliminate potential advantages.

At CDL London however, the famous Copper Box Arena crowd came out in force and stirred up a bit of drama as Tommey slammed the audience for trying to give certain teams the upper hand.

Having grown a reputation for being one of the most energetic crowds in esports, CoD players are often ecstatic at the opportunity to compete in London.

Born and raised right in England, Empire’s substitute Tommey was infuriated over the state of his hometown crowd throughout the event however, arguing that the group of rowdy spectators should “have some f***ing respect and class.”

“[The] London crowd is incredible but you’re all f***ing idiots shouting where our players are,” he said on Twitter ahead of the grand final. Evidently not fan favorites at the event, Tommey complained that the crowd was trying to help opposing teams by giving away pivotal information.

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“This goes out to any event or team you support, it’s never ok to chant about a defuse, plant, corner or anything,” he added. “Carry on with your songs, chants, and cheers but just be mindful and understand that it’s not ok.”

 

While the Dallas lineup was able to beat all other teams throughout the course of the event, they couldn’t quite topple the Huntsmen at any juncture. 

Losing 1-3 in their first go-around, the star-studded rosters eventually clashed once again in the grand final where Chicago sealed the deal in style with a swift 3-0 to claim the top spot, and mark their name as the first CDL winners.

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Chiming in and agreeing that crowds should never try to interfere with the outcome of a match, Hunstmen’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner responded by saying that there is simply “no room for that.” He added he “couldn’t hear it during ours,” but suggest it “stinks” if people were able to hear and use it during the event.

Not the first time that such an issue has sparked debates online recently, the CSGO scene has also been impacted by crowds that play favorites. 

Various events utilize large-scale pods to keep competing teams blocked from any peripheral audio. Call of Duty events even operated with such pods in the past, and if the audio issue grows, they may eventually revert to the old ways to avoid any issues.