There are dozens of stories of people being denied entry into the United States for seemingly silly or mysterious reasons. Now, we can add the world of eSports to the list of communities affected by homeland security. Marcel Feldkamp, Counter Logic Gaming’s jungler ‘Dexter’, attempted to enter the U.S. to take part in a League of Legends tournament. He was stopped, detained, and eventually turned away at the border.
America did recently expand athlete visas to include eSports, but Feldkamp was still waiting for his to get approved. To participate in this tournament, he and Counter Logic Gaming had acquired a legal waiver, essentially a one-time pass, to allow him into the country. Obviously, the border security decided this waiver was insufficient for reasons that are as of yet unknown.
It was an experience Feldkamp has stated was “…literally the worst experience of my life.” He spent the night in a cell before being sent home, and CLG has confirmed he will be unable to enter the country until his visa is finally approved.
