Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, a big name in the League of Legends streaming and analyst world, is getting a lot of attention for saying yes to a paid gig streaming the Esports World Cup (EWC), which is bankrolled and run by the Saudi Arabian government. People are talking because Caedrel used to call out Saudi involvement in esports and was public about standing up for LGBTQ+ rights.
Not long ago, Caedrel shouted out creators like Chronicler for turning down Saudi cash and implied he wouldn’t touch any event backed by Saudi Arabia. He even joked he’d “fail the background check” for these events thanks to his progressive takes. But now, he’s surprised folks by agreeing to an official co-streaming spot for the 2024 EWC.
When people asked why he changed his mind, Caedrel said he did it for the money and claimed he wasn’t the right guy to talk politics since he “didn’t go to uni.” That answer hasn’t gone down well with a lot of people in the esports community, especially after he deleted tweets where he backed LGBTQ+ rights and called out Saudi influence in gaming.
The Esports World Cup is part of what Saudi Arabia calls Vision 2030, a plan to pump money into sports and entertainment to move away from oil. A lot of critics call this move “sportswashing”—using high-profile events to make the country look good and draw attention away from its human rights issues, which include laws against being gay and serious limits on free speech.
Other League streamers have made their own choices about the event. LS also jumped in, while IWillDominate said no thanks on ethical grounds and got lots of respect online for sticking to his beliefs, even when the money was tempting.
The whole situation is getting people talking about what kinds of choices streamers and influencers should make as esports relies more and more on big international funding. It’s clear creators are facing tough calls between making bank and sticking to what they said they believe in.
Show me the money
Many fans are disappointed, especially since they thought Caedrel was one of the few who really stood by his convictions. Many people point out that he already makes a good living from Twitch, sponsorships, and events, and they can’t see why he would backpedal on his earlier stance.
All kinds of opinions are popping up on social media as the community discusses what big names in gaming should do when events are bankrolled by countries with bad human rights records.
