There’s a very large elephant in the room. Its a complicated elephant. You want to address the elephant in the room — its important to or at least have a conversation about it. But the fear and concern about what could happen once the elephant is acknowledged, that weighs heavy. What if the elephant fights back?
In the 2021 Olympics, Simone Biles withdrew from several competitions citing mental health concerns. Biles became a public target for criticism because of her explanation regarding her having the “twisties” — or referred to as the “yips” in other sports. But understandably, she removed herself from events given the reality that one minor mistake could lead to a very serious injury. The Olympics and her team continued on without her.
In 2015, Larry Sanders stepped away from the game of basketball. In his announcement, he touched on the mental health issues he was working through. How basketball, the game, his job, was consuming so much of his life. He lost his passion. A player that was arguably on a path towards stardom sidetracked his career. But the Milwaukee Bucks continued to play. He would return to the game in 2017, signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet he would still struggle — both noticing a decline in his performance with the rust and the mental demons that unfortunately continued to plague a promising career.
Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki did not play for Evil Geniuses in Chicago. In fact, he will likely not play for the team at Worlds. He stepped down from the team citing mental health reasons. It is important to talk about it.
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Danny joined Evil Geniuses proper back in the summer of 2021. Back then, they were the team coming off of an impressive 10-8 spring split, looking for that extra “something” to take them over the top. Their marksman at the time, Matthew “Deftly” Chen, was not a terrible player but he lacked that pop-off potential. The team’s peak was limited by what he was unable to do.
So, they would turn to their marksman from their amateur line-up. A player that was seemingly an unknown face in the scene. A player who started his competitive journey on Zenith Esports just a year prior.
And it worked.
He explored in popularity. His mechanical ability was widely praised. He was a teamfighting monster.
And he was also debuting at the age of 17.
By all accounts, Danny was getting the rocket strapped to his back in a rare manner. He would received second-team All-Pro honors, he would be awarded Rookie of the Year. Not only was he popular, but the word “prodigy” was also being thrown around. He was a superstar.
A year older and with higher expectations, 2022 was going to be the proving years of the Evil Geniuses-Peter Dun concept. Established veterans protecting their “zoomer” carries, it was an idea that could dramatically change the general landscape of League of Legends in North America.
Could teams actually trust young, domestic talent to get them to Worlds?
Turns out they could. Evil Geniuses’ victory over Team Liquid in five games answered the prayers of fans. It was happening. North American talent will finally be represented at an international event. Steve Arhancet can’t just buy the best players and get away with. It was a storybook moment.
In that storybook moment, all eyes turned to Danny.
Slow to get out of his chair, he watched as his teammates came together, just as the nexus fell. A chuckle and then an immediate return to a stoic expression. In one of the biggest moments of his life, the number of emotions he was experiencing was overwhelming. And all we could remember were the tears he shed.
Was it relief? Was it joy? Was it sadness about his performance?
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Rarely has a player experienced as much hype and pressure as Danny has.
Despite being partnered with a mid laner that has arguably been one of the most discussed prospects for some time, the attention fell onto Danny due to Evil Geniuses’ strategy. By funneling a large amount of resources onto Danny, they were reliant on his performance to determine the outcome of the game.
If Danny performed well, Evil Geniuses were likely to win. If Danny didn’t perform well, Evil Geniuses were screwed. The stats don’t lie. Here are the numbers from 2022.
But he also wasn’t a perfect player. One moment, he was leading his time to victory. The next moment, he would make an unforced error in the laning phase, setting his team behind
For as much praise as he would receive for his penta-kills and his performance during the spring split to send EG to MSI, his flaws also had to be acknowledged. That second part, we don’t really know how well he took criticism. To his credit, we never heard the bad things. He’s not Tweeting away, he’s not streaming.
There have been hints and tidbits about struggling to handle uncertainty or potential criticism. In March of this year, he turned to Twitter to talk about his thoughts on Champions Queue. He would receive a fair amount of his criticism for his view on the platform. But there was also a key takeaway of his lack of comfort with using voice communication with players not his friends or teams.
He’s appeared to be someone that has prefers to be in a more comfortable situation versus potentially stretching out of that comfort zone. He was a player that was able to make his debut in the crowd-less environment, able to get more acclimated with a new environment. He was also a player with a relatively spoon-fed style, with his teammates adjusting their play for him.
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Prior to the start of the season, Danny’s contract was extended to 2024. Not only was it a commitment from EG — likely involving a large chunk of change, it was a commitment from the player himself. It was the establishment of a partnership for growth and success.
He was the player the line-up was constructed around. He was the player the strategy was built around. And with the recent series of events, it somewhat feels as if that partnership doesn’t have a long-term future.
By all accounts, a player’s decision should be respected and understood. But an organization potentially being in a position to move on and look elsewhere also should be recognized.
Danny stepping down in arguably the most important time of a team’s season is questionable. Some might even use the word “selfish”– even if it doesn’t “feel” right. While he has a right to look out for himself and his mental health, his teammates have a right to feel frustration that the star player isn’t playing.
And Muhammed Hasan “Kaori” Şentürk performed well as his replacement given the circumstances. That’s a scary sight, for one’s back-up to not struggle. Or how the team was able to play around their new carry — especially support Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme looking incredibly in sync with his substitute partner. Some might argue Kaori looked much more comfortable in lane.
While Evil Geniuses would lose the series, it didn’t necessarily feel as if it was the fault of Kaori. It didn’t feel as if Danny’s presence — given his performance in the second half of the year — would be the breaking point. In fact, when Lucian was played, Danny’s name slipped the mind.
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The next couple of months for Evil Geniuses may force the very difficult conversation surrounding an incredibly talented player.
How do you handle a player struggling with mental health issues like this? How do you handle a player going through a tough time? The natural instinct is to support them, be a good human. But there’s also the lingering business and competitive aspect that inevitably rears its ugly head.
The hope is that it is only a minor hurdle in the incredible journey of one of North America’s brightest prospects. Yet it is important to acknowledge that it is a hurdle, something that will be addressed and discussed. And maybe for the next generation of prospects, something to learn and improve from.
For now, it’s just the elephant in the room.