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By Tom Cannon

May 30, 2001
Last weekend, east coast sensation Justin Wong defeated highly touted west-coast player Ricky Ortiz in the East Coast Championship's Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournament. I'm telling you this in case you've been living under a rock the past week. Judging by the reactions online, the win has upset the balance of the universe. Hey, they don't call it a rivalry for nothing.

And yes, there most certainly is an East Coast / West Coast rivalry. Is this a good thing? Sure it is; but things can get out of hand. And at some point in the wee hours of the morning in Dunellen NJ, they did. This was supposed to be yet another defining moment in the US scene. We've got two brilliant, up and coming players going head to head in the finals of the biggest MvC2 tournament ever on US soil. It was supposed to echo classic battles like Valle defeating Choi in the final round of the final game of the B3 finals.

It was spoiled when, during the match, a few spectators started yelling taunts at Ricky that were personal, malignant, and bordered on intimidation. These insults made references implying that Ricky was gay, calling him "faggot" and taunting him to go "suck a dick." What happened here was ignorant bullying. It goes beyond trash talking, and it has no place at all in any tournament.

When trying to sift through the fallout, it's important to separate this incident from the east/west rivalry. Rivalries, when healthy, bring out the players' best competitive spirit. In fact, the very history of Street Fighter (in the United States at least) revolves around these rivalries. Back in the early 90's they were on a local level. In the east players formed clans like "The Horsemen" and "The Fighters Guild." In the west there was the perpetual battle between northern and southern California. With the emergence of the Internet the two sides met, and a nation-wide scene developed. Now "national" level tournaments like ECC and the Midwest Championships occur annually. Within the last year we've even taken this baby international to Japan, SF's birthplace.

In all of these rivalries, the competing players have developed a great deal of respect for each other. These are the guys that in a tournament will battle like their lives depended on it, then shake hands, hug, and go kick it at Denny's afterwards, regardless of the outcome. I'm talking about guys like John Choi, Arturo Sanchez, Alex Valle, Eddie Lee, Jason Cole, Jason Nelson, Mike Watson, Ricky Ortiz, and probably Justin Wong, though I don't know him personally. Of course there are many others: too many to list here.

The double whammy of the name-calling by the crowd is that now the win is "tainted," at least in many people's minds. The theory goes that Ricky was so intimidated by the obscenity-yelling crowd that he froze up, and let Justin run right over him. And once there's one excuse, you can bet that a dozen more will quickly follow. Ricky's teams are weak to Magneto. Ricky was too tired after playing the entire CvS tournament. People were throwing ice at Ricky and it threw off his concentration. In a way, this mess has victimized Justin just as much as Ricky! He beat all comers, won the tournament, and still faces doubt from some in "the west." So how can we reconcile this, given both SF's traditionally competitive nature and the unprecedented abuse that Ricky received? Does the east really stack up, or was the deck just stacked against Ricky?

Let's get real. Justin spanked Ricky. He won 4-0, 4-2. Of course the taunting and personal insults played a factor; if you don't believe that you're just lying to yourself. But that big? Maybe, maybe not, but no one stomps all over a top-rated player, under any circumstances, unless they've got game. So yes, Justin's the real deal -- underestimate him at your peril.

But make no mistake: this was only round 1. We've got one west-coast player entering a hostile environment and placing #2. Hard to declare an east coast victory based on that. We'll know a lot more after the Midwest Championships at the end of June. That tournament represents a neutral site with multiple top-rated east and west coast players attending. Then a month later we've got the B5 tournament out in California, where the Japanese have a little bit to say about who deserves the MvC2 crown.

So there are many more games to be played before this chapter of the east/west rivalry is written. If you ask me, some East Coast supporters are maybe a little too happy at this point. Sure, your guy won, but Ricky got 2nd, and in your back yard! I'd be pissed off. You guys now have validation; the best in the east can play with anyone in the world. Now use that to develop more players that can challenge Justin for his top spot in the east, and thereby pose a real challenge to the titans out west. That will raise everyone's game, and THAT is what a rivalry is good for.