"Popping off" is the physical expression of extreme emotion during esports competition. This basic phenomenon should be familiar enough to non-professional gamers, though perhaps only the elite among us can dislocate a shoulder in the act, as seen this past weekend at the Riptide fighting game tournament in Sandusky, Ohio. A competitor who goes by the handle "CakeAssault" popped a shoulder clean off after he won a 245-person Rivals of Aether event. Poor CakeAssault briefly writhed on the floor in pain as people cheered his victory.
A popoff to put Hungrybox to shame. Congratulations to @CakeAssault_ for winning Rivals of Aether at Riptide! pic.twitter.com/AyePRiW0Me
— Panda | turndownforwalt (@turndownforwalt) September 12, 2021
CakeAssault later confirmed the injury.
also i fell on the ground during that popoff cuz i dislocated my shoulder lmao
— CakeAssault (@CakeAssault_) September 12, 2021
You'll find no condescension toward this gamer from this post's author—who once pulled a hamstring while playing Halo 2 (local co-op) at a level well below world-class—just encouragement to add some strength and mobility routines to offset those uncountable hours of gremlin posture. This isn't an isolated incident in the profession. Bizarre celebration-induced injuries aren't unheard of in meat-sports, either. It has happened to Lamarr Houston and Bill Gramática. It can happen to CakeAssault, too.
