EVO 2016’s best moment? A touching hug between a player and his dad

EVO 2016 was home to many highlights this past weekend. It was the biggest fighting game event thus far, the most televised, and etc. It also had many memorable moments, like players coming back for huge deficits to win their set and move on. 

The best moment, however, was between Li Joe and his dad.

Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramell, ranked 29 in the world for Street Fighter V, earned 5th place overall. This was quite the feat for the Long Island, New York native. The accomplishment was further punctuated by the fact that Li Joe was the sole American representative among the top 8 players of the tournament. 

 As Joe moved along the tournament, he discovered his father was in attendance. Li Joe was completely unaware that his father had made the trip to Las Vegas to cheer him on. Viewers then witnessed a touching embrace between the two. His father then proceeded to describe that he always supported him and never imagined that years later it would lead him to such a grand stage.

It’s certainly very encouraging when your parents support anything you do. It’s profoundly more touching when they take a plane flight to the opposite coast of the US to cheer you on.