With each passing day, the situation between Twitch and Dr. Disrespect becomes more and more confusing. Each new development seemingly takes it in new directions, and the rumors and speculation about the situation has become worse and worse. Over night, the narrative around Dr. Disrespect's seemingly permanent ban went from DMCA Takedown to some type of streaming coup.
To make matter's worse, Dr. Disrespect finally broke silence on his Twitch ban and told the world he was in the same boat; Twitch has not told him why he has been banned so severely. And that breaking of silence disproves a lot of the nastiest rumors out there, but it doesn't rectify the overall situation: why did Twitch do what it did?
Dr. Disrespect's Ban - A Quick Breakdown
On June 26, Dr. Disrespect was banned with many thinking it was something super basic like a DMCA takedown down. Reports then came out suggesting this ban was permanent, and the rumors escalated from there. Breslau, a reporter in the esports industry, claims that it is "important," "sensitive," and that they were uncomfortable with the knowledge of why he was banned. Fact-wise, prior to Dr. Disrespect's statement, all that had been publicly revealed was the Doc's wife's thanks to the Champion's Club and Twitch's Blanket statement on the matter.
This is super important because it almost dispels the most egregious rumors. The biggest seem to rely on a crazy theory that Doc, Ninja, and more were teaming up with Google for some type of Twitch coup, which becomes more absurd the more it's thought about, and others have connected it to the sexual misconduct allegations that have rocked Twitch in recent weeks. But here's the thing: if it were something legal that couldn't be addressed, the Doc likely would not have made this Tweet. It probably wouldn't be legal for him to do so. If it were something about sexual misconduct, then it's hard to see his wife being publicly involved.
In short, no one knows why the Doc was banned, rumors out there are just results of prolonged lapses of legitimate news, and even the Doc himself appears uncertain. Many think Dr. Disrespect's last stream is odd, that he found out during it, but even if he did, it was likely just a simple alert of the incoming perma-ban. Since the ban, his subscriptions have been refunded, sponsors have pulled his name, and he apparently does not know why.
Dr. Disrespect's Ban is Focused More on Him Than Twitch
Dr. Disrespect is one of the biggest names on Twitch; therefore, it stands to reason that the notorious favoritism of its big names means that Dr. Disrespect has done something serious. With each passing hour, this seems more likely, but how is it that certain names claim to know (and likely don't in all actuality), how is it that Dr. Disrespect's bottomline and reputation can be tarnished without so much as a shred of evidence, and how is it that this whole situation has come on so long without Twitch doing something?
There's no doubt that behind the scenes are likely scrambling to deal with the situation, but the situation is unknown to the public and to Dr. Disrespect. When Mixer shut down, Doc took it seriously because many people's jobs were basically being cut, and this is incredibly similar. It's Dr. Disrespect's livelihood. Money aside, Doc's dedication to his stream is self-evident, it's clear he's passionate about it, and it's something that fans around the world also enjoy. Yet Twitch pulled the rug under him by all accounts, and the narrative is focused on him and what he's done.
But before getting to that point, the question should be: What has Twitch done, why has it banned Dr. Disrespect, and why has it said nothing to him? Sure enough, if this were a big legal issue then Doc would likely already be involved. It would be known to him already, or at the very least, it should be. Twitch provided a blanket statement, something so broad that it could apply to anyone, as a response to the situation, and eyes turned to Dr. Disrespect to defend himself. This is a burden of proof logical fallacy because, as it stands, it doesn't seem Doc can defend himself from his tarnishing reputation. The burden of proof on what Doc has one falls on the judge, jury, and executioner: Twitch. The responsibility should not be on Doc to prove or push his innocence, which many seem to expect, but Twitch to prove his guilt.
In the past, Twitch has been accused of favoritism when it comes to issuing bans. It has banned streamers for almost no reason whatsoever. This may not be the case here, but it brings into focus the company's lack of transparency when its decisions affect someone's entire life. Legal issues could explain the silence, allegations could explain why not everything has been revealed, but Doc's words make this far less likely. In fact, Doc's words on the matter put him in the same boat as his fans.
The situation needs resolution. If Doc did something truly deserving of a permanent ban, then that's one thing, but with the plethora of rumors dragging his name through the mud, Twitch needs to say something official and explain its choice. After all, if this is something that Twitch itself—with no outside influence—is keeping to itself, then anyone could get the unexplained, mega banhammer next.