Pokémon Star WolfeyVGC Takes Break After Groping Incidents
▼ Summary
– Wolfe Glick, a former Pokemon VGC World Champion, is stepping back from in-person competition after being repeatedly groped by fans at events.
– He reported being groped non-consensually during photo opportunities at five out of seven tournaments he attended in the 2025 season.
– Glick also cited a neck injury and heightened stress and anxiety from competing as additional reasons for his decision to take a break.
– He will not attend any in-person events for the next four months, including international and regional championships.
– Although he has not retired completely, Glick stated he would not attend the next World Championships even if he qualified due to his negative experiences.
Wolfe ‘WolfeyVGC’ Glick, the 2016 Pokémon Video Game Championships World Champion, has announced he is taking a significant break from in-person competitive events. This decision comes after he experienced multiple incidents of non-consensual groping by fans at tournaments. The popular content creator, who boasts a YouTube following exceeding two million subscribers, explained that the 2025 competitive season served as a breaking point for him.
He detailed that out of seven official in-person tournaments he attended from September 2024 to August 2025, he was groped by fans during photo opportunities at five separate events. Glick expressed his frustration, stating, “I don’t like that this is happening, and it’s pretty clear to most people that this is not normal behavior. Most people do not grope other people, and I don’t know why it’s happening to me in particular, but the fact remains that it is.”
The physical violations were not the sole factor in his choice to step back. Glick also cited a neck injury and the intense psychological toll of tournament attendance. He described how these events have become a unique source of stress and anxiety for him, a person who otherwise considers himself calm and composed. “The only place where I feel any stress and anxiety is at a Pokemon tournament,” he revealed. The pressure he feels while competing is so overwhelming that it makes all other life stresses seem insignificant by comparison.
The aftermath of an event can last for days. Glick shared that it typically takes him about a full week after returning home for his heart rate to stabilize and for the intense anxiety to subside, allowing him to feel normal again and leave his house without distress.
As a result, he will not be participating in any live competitions for the next four months, a period that includes major tournaments like the international championships, US regionals, and the Toronto regionals. He framed this as a proactive measure for his well-being, saying, “This is a time where I would rather take a break now, while I still have a choice, than be forced to take a break later.”
Even if he were to qualify for the next World Championships, Glick confirmed he would not attend due to the negative experiences he accumulated over the previous season. Despite this firm stance on in-person events, he has not declared a full retirement from the competitive scene and took a moment to praise the skill and dedication of his fellow players.
(Source: Dexerto)
