Misconduct Reporting Committee Statement on Protobowl

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ryanrosenberg
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Misconduct Reporting Committee Statement on Protobowl

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The Misconduct Reporting Committee has received a complaint regarding the online quiz bowl site called Protobowl and the site owner's ongoing tolerance of racist, misogynist, homophobic, and other offensive content on this site. We have received screenshots documenting the use of horrendous racial epithets, intimidating language, and rude behavior on the Protobowl platform.

This sort of content does not reflect the world of quiz bowl as a whole, which we hope is becoming more welcoming to all who enjoy buzzer-based games of knowledge. We are issuing this statement as a warning to coaches, parents, and potential users of the Protobowl interface to be wary of using this service or allowing minors to use this service. Because the owner of the site has refused to make changes in what sort of language is allowed there and because users are anonymous, we on the Committee and the associated organizations recommend community members avoid the use of Protobowl. We do not anticipate that the owner of Protobowl will suddenly become receptive to requests to put a stop to this sort of language and behavior, so we are, unfortunately, not able to facilitate resolution of any complaints stemming from incidents occurring while using Protobowl.

Signed,
Matthew Bollinger, ACF
Alex Damisch, ACF
Brad Fischer, IAC
Joel Gluskin, NAQT
Emily Pike, NAQT
Ryan Rosenberg, PACE
Bernadette Spencer, PACE
Ryan Rosenberg
North Carolina '16
ACF
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