With Jeremy Hambly in the news because of his assault at the hands of Matt Loter before the start of Gen Con, I thought it would be a good idea to check why Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the maker of Magic The Gathering, banned him for life. I am glad I did. When WotC banned him on 7 December 2017, I criticized the ban. I have since learned I was wrong.
Jeremy Hambly deserved the ban.
I knew the ban was for harassing and bullying cosplayer Christine Sprankle, but I did not know the details. At the time, I thought the claims of harassment and bullying were exaggerated and overblown. I now know they were not. I never saw the video in which Hambly harassed Sprankle because YouTube removed it. He posted the video on 5 June 2017 and called it “Playset Of Beta White Knights Prevent Rape Of MTG Cosplayer @cspranklerun.”
If you think the word “rape” along with a woman’s Twitter handle is a bad idea for a video title, you are correct.
Even though YouTube removed the video, an archived copy is available. I did not know that when this controversy first arose.
The video is a lot worse than I expected.
What Jeremy Hambly said about Christine Sprankle
In the video, Hambly referred to Sprankle as a “serial virtue signaler” and “crying for patron dollars professional cosplayer.” In response to Sprankle complaining publicly on Twitter about a man who posted a message on her Facebook page stating her cosplay gives him an erection.
Hambly stated he would react favorably if he received a similar comment from a man.
Hambly then continued to run down a list of the comments made in response to Sprankle’s tweet, calling everyone who supported her a “cuck” or white knight. He said one such man was a shitty father.
Hambly also accused everyone supporting Sprankle of wanting to “penetrate” her.
Hambly said “cosplay is lingerie.” He then went over Sprankle’s cos-playing photos, making lewd, sexual comments about each image. He told his viewers to go to her Twitter account and let her know how unattractive and unsexual she looks.
Hambly is a raging hypocrite
Hambly also had a significant issue with Sprankle having a Patreon account. Hambly called her patrons “fucking losers.” I found this hypocritical, considering he, too, has a Patreon account. Why did he criticize Sprankle for doing the same thing he did? Because Hambly suffers from weapons-grade hypocrisy.
Sprankle posted the following on Twitter:
It has been a rough year. And I have blocked and not said anything about him because I wanted it to die, but without a doubt, MtGHeadquarters/UnsleevedMedia has made my life hell this whole year with his unnecessary videos/tweets about me and other members of Magic.
—. (@cspranklerun) November 25, 2017
Sprinkle has since deleted all her tweets.
I am embarrassed I supported Hambly
Watching the video, Hambly made about Sprankle left me feeling embarrassed. I initially supported him after Wizards of the Coast (WotC) gave him a lifetime ban. After watching the video removed by YouTube, I think WotC did the right thing. Hambly is a dishonest, toxic person. He purposely spread false information about the ban as soon as it happened.
Hambly said he never harassed Sprankle. That is not true. WotC said actions taken on his social media accounts violated WotC’s code of conduct. YouTube is part of social media.
Hambly claimed he never agreed to WotC’s code of conduct. That is not true. He had a Magic Online account. He had to check a box agreeing to adhere to the WotC code of conduct when he first created his account and then again every time the game was updated.
Hambly said he never harassed Sprankle, nor did he direct others to harass her. That is not true. He told his viewers to go to Sprankle’s Twitter account and let her know how unattractive and unsexual she looked.
Anyone who watched the original video YouTube removed knows Hambly’s statements were false.
Hambly harassed Sprankle. He directed his fans to harass Sprankle.
Hambly benefited greatly when YouTube removing his original video. Because it no longer exists on YouTube, he can lie and mislead people about the video’s content.
If I were in charge of WotC, I would not want him anywhere near my events. I would not want Hambly to have anything to do with my game made for ages 13 and up.