You will often see incels reacting with bristled neck hair when they hear the word “all-female tournament.” They see it as some sort of special treatment and demand that women just compete with the rest of the pros — let’s see if they really stand a chance!
Well, let’s be real. They don’t.
But that isn’t due to the women having a lack of skill or no competitive potential. And it sure is not because of periods, as some male pros have speculated. It’s actually due to these same incels who demand women be in mainstream events. Because once these women are scrimming, grinding, and competing with these men, they are harassed. Teammates won’t take them seriously. Opponents target them.
Their overall competitive gaming experience is not the same as men’s. They cannot get the same practice and experience as men can — and are left mentally drained and anxious rather than motivated to join another lobby.
Of course they are not going to be on the same level. You won’t let them. You don’t want them to be at the same level.
“We like to say we’re designed to be deleted,” said Radiant CEO, Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo. A former Counter-Strike pro, sapphiRe founded the all-women production team to elevate women in esports and other spaces, including getting on board with ThePeachCobbler’s Milk Cup vision, an all-female Fortnite tournament for young women.
“I don’t want to have to exist. I don’t want to feel I have to elevate women. I want them to already be there,” she said. “There are tons of women in casual games. But they don’t compete. They look at Tier 1 events and feel they don’t belong. They don’t see other women.”
The Milk Cup was just a dream for Fortnite streamer ThePeachCobbler. She even wondered if the inaugural tournament would flop. However, it was a massive success and has grown since then, now getting a big, multi-tiered stage at TwitchCon San Diego 2025, complete with casters, analysts, hosts, and a high-end broadcast.
Milk Cup pros discuss sexism in esports
It’s not that women haven’t tried to play with you assholes. The young female players I spoke with at the Milk Cup 2025 shared some pretty upsetting experiences with their journey to the tournament.
Vader, an 18-year-old Fortnite pro, said she has been competitive all her life. She started out with Bed Wars in Minecraft before switching to Fortnite. While she enjoyed the game, she often felt there was a lot of toxicity and other players had pre-conceived notions about her. That’s when she decided to compete in the Milk Cup’s 2024 circuit.
“Milk Cup is a chance to show off female talent,” Vader said to Escapist. “When you look at the traditional gaming scene, around 49-50% of gamers are women, but that isn’t shown in competitive as heavily.
“People develop a bias that women can’t be as good at competitive. Milk Cup shows that it isn’t true. That competitive level and skill level are both there.”
Eighteen year old Jay “Fraanticc” had a very similar experience trying to get into esports. She said: “It’s difficult. We get a lot of hate. A lot of backlash. For nothing. We get targeted in tournaments a lot. We get treated a different way.
“Milk Cup lets us play freely, learn and get better, and get experience. It’s made a lot of girls more confident.”
And here’s the thing: these women plan to compete in the Fortnite Championship Series. It’s not like they are hiding from male players or think they don’t have what it takes. Now that they have the foundation and the experience, they have enough confidence to deal with the crap you guys throw at them.
After the Milk Cup, many of the XSET-signed top competitors are going to try and qualify for FNCS events. However, their advice for young girls wanting to compete in Fortnite is to start with all-female events like Milk Cup.
“It’s not gonna be easy,” said Kanary, Fraanticc’s 16-year-old Duos partner. “But it’s definitely worth it. Milk Cup is a safe space and it’s non-toxic for women. That’s a really great way for young female players to start up.”
Fraanticc added: “The best advice I have is to find a group that has similar goals to you and will support you. That’s how I got into it. All these people here are the reason I stay motivated, got into esports, and got better.”
The path for women to get to mainstream tournaments is a bit longer than the usual route, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The end goal has always been to compete with everyone else. Unfortunately, incels have not made this possible for most women just yet.
Check out the Milk Cup on Saturday, October 18th, at 11:30 AM PST / 7:30 PM BST.