After years of being ridiculed and bewildered by their existence, Crocs are finally getting a little cool. They're affordable, they're great to wear, and they can even be customized with a variety of charms and embellishments.

They are the favorite footwear of medical professionals and young people alike, who are beginning to embrace comfortable fashion over whatever impractical crap I was made to do as a teenager. I'm wearing Crocs as I type this. Who wouldn't want to wear them?" well, that's ESL, apparently.

As Kotaku found, a major counter-strike: the Global Offensive esports League has banned comfortable shoes to clarify its dress code rules ahead of next week's IEM Cologne 2023 tournament. The league released an update to its rulebook mid-year, and one change caught people's attention: in "4.3 Attire," it clarified that Crocs are not allowed because they are considered open shoes. Given that most Crocs are close-toed, the iconic hole at the top of the shoe is, as I like to say, a small vent for smelly feet, which would have changed the classification from the ESL's perspective.

Crocs joined the list of prohibited clothing items for athletes to wear, including flip-flops, shorts, and headwear. Players appearing in shorts and Crocs could be fined a minimum of $250. The ESL may also disallow players from participating in matches "until the offending clothing is replaced."

Specific calls against Crocs have been joked about on Twitter by several pro players and fans; Complexity player Hallzerk, who has been photographed wearing Crocs before, said, "They are trying to nerf me They're just trying to nerf me. Caster Connor "cernersandals" Rhodes called the ban "literally 1984," and pro Halo player Tyler Ganza said, "It's time to get Heely's out."

I certainly understand ESL's desire to have a cohesive dress code for the entire team so that everyone looks professional. But if I were an esports player, I would want to be as comfortable as possible on the big stage with thousands of spectators watching. If Crocs can help me achieve that goal, there's no reason not to wear them.