On Sunday, MagicFest organizer Channel Fireball has made some jokes about Jeskai Fires with references to the wildfires in Australia while announcing the Grand Prix Brisbane 2019 Champion, Kyle Gibson, on social media, and fans were quick to point out how they were in bad taste.
"Kyle Gibson and his Jeskai Fires deck have torn through the field like wildfire to become the Grand Prix Brisbane 2019 Champion!," Channel Fireball posted. "The East Coast of Australia has been smothered in brushfire smoke for the last month, and it looks like the fires have finally reached Brisbane."
People in Australia have lost their homes, properties, pets, and things because of the wildfires, so it's easy to see why the jokes were in bad taste even though no one is probably actually offended by them.
Just hours after the jokes were posted, Channel Fireball has deleted the original post and issued an apology to anyone affected by the wildfires, and to Kyle Gibson for detracting for his Grand Prix victory. They company also announced that they are making a donation to the NSW Rural Fire Service while sharing a link to the donation page, inviting others to donate as well.
You can read the full apology below:
As a business, Channel Fireball had to do this but was anyone actually offended by the jokes? Nonetheless, apology felt sincere, and it was generous for them to donate and call for others to donate. That's something you'd expect from any professional company.
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