The termination of Honda’s sponsorship with Team Liquid

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. recently ended its sponsorship relationship with e-sports organization Team Liquid. This decision followed after one of Team Liquid’s Rainbow Six Siege players, Lucas “DiasLucasBr” Dias, shared an inappropriate social media post related to atomic bombing. This post caused a significant reaction within the esports community.
Dias’s post came after a loss by Team Liquid to Japanese team CAG Osaka in the Rainbow Six Siege tournament RE:L0:AD 2025 on May 13, 2025.

The post was regarded as highly insensitive towards Japanese players, prompting a backlash. On May 15, 2025, Lucas “DiasLucasBr” Dias publicly apologized for the post on X, an equivalent to Twitter. Honda announced the termination of its sponsorship on its web page dedicated to news and events. They stated that the player’s conduct was incompatible with the company’s corporate values.

Impacts of The Termination

Honda’s partnership with Team Liquid had existed for six years before this incident, and the automotive company had been an instrumental sponsor. It had also been the title sponsor for Team Liquid’s League of Legends team and had produced several commercials featuring players from the organization.

In Honda’s termination statement, they expressed regret over the incident and its potential to offend people in the esports community and globally. Despite ending the sponsorship agreement, the company reaffirmed its commitment to activities providing positive societal value.

Team Liquid’s Actions

Following the incident, Team Liquid imposed several disciplinary measures:

• DiasLucasBr will receive a four-month equivalent salary fine, and he must complete media and sensitivity training.
• The Rainbow Six team will donate their $12,000 prize winnings from RELOAD, along with Lucas’s fine, to a charity.
• All Team Liquid players and coaches are required to complete new media and sensitivity training over the next six months. During these sessions, this incident will be used as a case study.

Despite the financial setback that losing Honda’s sponsorship means, Team Liquid’s CEO Victor Goossens stated the team still stands with their player. They believe in the importance of accountability, fairness, and context.

Post-Termination Status

Following Honda’s sponsorship termination, Team Liquid now has nine partners in its portfolio. Their most recent partnership was secured in April 2025 with the action card collection game titled Wildcard. As of the reporting time, Team Liquid had yet to update its social media accounts about Honda’s decision. The League of Legends team still identified themselves as “Team Liquid Honda” on X.