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Pepe the Frog, a character which first appeared all the way back in 2005 by a person named Matt Furie in his comic Boy's Club rapidly grew notoriety over the following years becoming a meme which is now recognized by most internet-goers. Unfortunately for wholesome meme, back in 2015 it began to take on a less welcome stance and was appropriated as a symbol of the alt-right movement and so being seen as a hate symbol by those not familiar with the meme.

The eSports event Overwatch League has now banned the use of the beloved Pepe the Frog meme in any form, wholesome or otherwise within their event.

A spokesperson from the Overwatch League has confirmed the following:

"The Overwatch League discourages the use of symbols and imagery which are associated with or used by hate groups, including Pepe the Frog. At Blizzard Arena, it's our policy that fans comply with this policy. We likewise ask the same of Overwatch League teams and players on their social-media accounts."

Participants of eSports event have posted the meme on their social media accounts, only to then quickly remove the offending content following orders. This isn't the first organization to withdraw from the connotations associated with the meme and its passing from comical meme to hate symbol. Pepe the Frog was also completely wiped out of the Steam community base back at the end of 2017 due to a DMCA from the meme's creator.