Sometimes, it’s nice to have some controversy to spice things up in the airsoft community when the days and weeks were mainly more about airsoft guns, gears, and games. When things get boring, surprisingly, an issue comes out in the open that will have almost everybody forming an opinion for or against the main subject of the issue.

If you have been glum in the past days after hearing that the Angelina Jolie is divorcing Brad Pitt, ending one of the most famous power couples in the world, perhaps you might want to check Facebook, YouTube, and even Reddit as the world’s most famous airsoft celebrity right now, Novritsch, has his own hot story moment and got the airsoft community buzzing.

Last 22 September, Airsoft Park Tirol, an airsoft game site in Austria where Novritsch usually plays, posted on Facebook a statement that they are issuing a temporary ban on Team Novristch for site rule violations:

Offizielle Stellungnahme zum Mehrmaligen Fehlverhalten vom Team Novritsch im Airsoftpark Tirol:

Ich und mein Team haben uns zu diesem und anderen Vorfällen beraten und EINSTIMMIG beschlossen das Team NOVRITSCH bis auf weiteres Spielverbot im Airsoftpark Tirol zu erteilen!!!

Da es schon öfters vorgekommen ist dass das Team Novritsch gegen div. Regeln verstoßen hat oder einfach die Geländekante Irgnoriert und somit Nachbarsgrund betreten hat, wie eindeutig auf dem letzten Video zu sehen ist, ist damit entgültig Schluss!

Ich Persönlich lege auch allen anderen Spielfeldbetreibern, Vereinen usw. die ein Game Veranstalten ans Herz, schaut dass div. Regeln eingehalten werden damit wir endlich allen Cheatern das Handwerk legen und dass ein Reibungsloser toller Spieltag von statten gehen kann!! So bleibt der Spielspass erhalten und es entstehen keine Probleme am Feld!

Wir haben uns für die Zukunft auch ein paar Neuerungen einfallen Lassen die ihr am Spieltag in der früh bei der Ansprache erklärt bekommt!!!

Sorry Jungs (Team Novritsch) aber dass habt ihr euch selbst zuzuschreiben!!!!

No way for cheaters!!!!

Lg Manu

Here is the translation of the statement, with thanks to Chris Bravo of Airsoft Milsim and News Blog:

"Official statement regarding the repeated misconduct of Team Novritsch at the Airsoftpark Tirol:

My team and I discussed this as well as prior incidents and unanimously decided to ban Team Novritsch from the site until the ban is lifted.
Team Novritsch repeatedly violated the rules or left the game area and entered private property - as it can be seen in his latest video, that will now come to an end.

I personally prompt all site owners and clubs to make sure that people observe the rules and make sure that the players can enjoy a safe and fun game day and that we can put a stop to the cheater’s game.

We’ve come up with a few alterations, that will get explained to you at the beginning of each upcoming game day.

Sorry guys (Team Novrtisch), but this is your own fault!!!!

No way for cheaters!!!!

Best regards,

Manu"

Here is the video that led Airsoft Park Tirol to finally decide on issuing the temporary ban so you do not need to leave this page:

In the following day, Novritsch posted a video from a hotel room In Moscow, as he was about to join Russian airsoft event, explaining his side that the rule was not clear and that he would not upload a video of himself cheating:

As to who is wrong or right in this issue that is not what this article will go into. It is more likely that this will not be resolved at all and serve more of a lesson for both sides (for the game site owners to be more explicitly clear about their rules to avoid confusion and for Team Novritsch to perhaps clarify with game organisers about what exact meaning of “boundaries”).

Being an airsoft celebrity, or being a celebrity in general, the biggest tradeoff is being under the intense glare of the spotlight and in this Internet age the glare will be even more intense that even the smallest mistake will be magnified. Some disdain YouTube celebrities thinking that they will do even the damnedest things just to rack up views and subscribers to the point that they accuse them of cheating just for the ratings. For those who appreciate what they do, they recognise that they push the limits on what they can do and being unofficial ambassadors for airsoft.

Making these videos take dedication and resources and thus, if there is an objective to profit from creating such videos, then by all means, they should do whatever they can to earn as long as it is done within bounds. But then, in trying to be a celebrity these days, someone has to blur the boundaries if not pushing the limits. It is easy to create a YouTube channel and upload a video, but to stand out amongst tens of thousands of videos being uploaded everyday will take a great deal of creativity, craziness, and sometimes, controversy. In doing so, some will pushback, especially if it is done at their own expense.

We’ll let Georaga Airsoft have his say in this video:

It’s just another day in airsoft, and controversies also happen in our sport. All’s well.