Richard Lewis Presents: The Shilling

[@ggHarsha]

Fans not understanding your article was satire after reading the title - and even the first paragraph - pretty much sums the esports fandom succinctly

[@pace1190]

loved ya on the OWL Packwatch 4HM, Rich is still here wading through nephews in the bowels of eSports so happy to hear someone has successfully made the escape from the funny farm

[@davidekdal7190]

If you read past the part about the "America centric worldview" (Or whatever it said) without being entirely sure, then there's a problem. Edit: American centric viewpoint *

[@DerDudelino]

Sorry if it's dumb to ask: Is a bag a 1 Million US-Dollars or why is everyone always talking about "The Bag" :D

[@worm9862]

​@@DerDudelinoSlang for getting money in general and not just for a specific amount. It's usually used in scenarios where you are pointing out that someone is choosing money because its just easy or in spite of the fact that it may be unethical though it can also be positive.

[@strykerking]

Haven't followed esports or Richard for awhile, but God damn he's still got it.

[@wroomwroomboy123]

Actual journalist vs our regular forum bloggers or social media content creators.

[@DoyleRules91]

exactly my sentinment also, i havent watched pro cs for years but its great to see RL still doing esports journalism

[@NaZtRdAmUs]

Real friends tell each other the hard truths that nobody else will.

[@TheGaMePlAyEcKe]

much more so, real friends are still friends after criticising each other and telling each other harsh truths!

[@Thundawich]

I love liquid's disconnect between 'we love the gays so we're giving 100k to help them' and 'we're working with ESL so that our TO doesn't murder all our gay employees'

[@husseinpoliphilo]

Saudi doesn't murder gays Richards just a Islamphobe

[@lsv2136]

The greatest thumbnail I have ever seen.

[@narimanrostami6817]

BTW , Ephey the Jordanian analysist was invited to Riyadh 2022 and she openly said on her stream that she wont attend the tournament bc of the human rights , but I guess money was coming this year was was impossible to resist.

[@ioannluka1]

She did show up with new lip injections. Maybe that's how the Saudi Prince likes it?

[@beastfr0meast93]

Everyone has a number...

[@vpgdarkstar]

The thumbnail had me in stitches 😂 Richard has had some real bangers recently

[@kavanagharchie]

Feels like its a new wind of great material, not that it ever stops but its definetly been on cooldown since covid naturally but its just banger after banger

[@lukerapley9053]

Rich always on point, love how real you are still till this day, we need you in this scene.

[@multinumgen]

Honestly Richard - this is some of your best work (in my opinion). The hypocrisy of esports (and the world lets be real) is unreal. Also I am happy you still bring up Uyghurs in East Turkestan. As someone very interested and invested in Central Asia, you actually bringing up the topic (and you have done so over the years) is great. You are one of the few people I have seen, not specifically related to Central Asia/China who brings it up.

[@floodo1]

Banger. If the average person had any concept of moral consistency the world would be a lot better place.

[@SixDeadMice]

R.Lewis the last man in Esports keeping it real.

[@jiesheng90]

Unfortunately when I think about people that sold out, the 1st person that comes to mind is frankieward, shame really.

[@CONM0S]

Esports boomers reading tweets by hypocrites is quickly becoming my favourite genre of video.

[@Ganjaseed]

This video is pure fire! Thanks Richard and keep it up!

[@Verlisify]

My whole career is having integrity and refusing the bag to my own extreme detriment. What hurts the most is the hypocrisy goes unpunished and there is zero accountability. Bad actors get away with double triple dipping the bag and still get support no matter how fake they are

[@balrog1005]

Siege was the game that got me into esports, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. It was so disheartening to see talent such as jess spearheading the push back against the major in dubai, then to see those same talent get the bag and all flock to gamers8.

[@SleepyPengu1n]

That "apology" from Jess is tough to read. Sad we have come to the point where people from our democratic country steep so low to say, "no actually they arent that bad, they are treating me well". While everyone knows, theyre just playing nice, with the people that are public figures/tourists, but they would arrest and possibly executed if you were a normal citizen, or treated like a slave.

[@the_bottomfragger]

I know, I felt quite disgusted when I read it. Their treatment of you shouldn't be the deciding factor of their morals, their treatment of their actual people should be. It's like me saying "oh workers rights in the UAE are completely fine, I got flown out to work there for a show and they couldn't have treated me nicer." It just can't be real.

[@SleepyPengu1n]

@@the_bottomfragger this

[@kavanagharchie]

Nothing better than finishing a long vid going damn what am I gonna watch now and he's only gone and dropped another hour long banger in ma feed.

[@kavanagharchie]

Wasn't ready for the uigyher re education gaming camp 😂😂 what a great video on morals, ethics and money, great stuff. Its a shame the majority of people will never think this way, atleast not publicly, not when the bags on the line.

[@technicalotaku5970]

i'm very dissapointed that SC2 doesn't seem to have anyone boycotting this shit especially seeing how supportive they are of people like scarlet, i wonder how they'll look her in the face after taking money from people like this.

[@AlphaMelGibson]

I think of my childhood and the parental panic that surrounded counterstrike back then after 9/11 and the whole debate about violence/terrorism in games. Let´s just say we are going full circle here.

[@rottennrayah2023]

The article was a blast to read, but is even better with commentary.

[@sharpygvet]

This was a Richard Lewis special! amazing content thank-you.

[@atlas_au]

The Uighur re-education league - where the tournament winners will not be sterilised and therefore win the lions share of the gene pool!

[@solii01]

holy shit that Kashoggi masters joke nearly killed me

[@SinJonesy]

Fantastic article, glad to see Henderson read it and followed it to the T

[@4youKapi]

Proud to be Richards bag ❤

[@RoflWaffer]

The man simply does not miss. Thanks RL for keepin it real.

[@foswa6335]

Haven't even watched the video but I know its going to be a banger!

[@chadbennett2610]

Love it man. I've learned alot from you throughout the years. Cheers

[@tristangreathead5004]

I wanna apologize for not watching enough of your content lol. It’s always been 100

[@wraethcs2]

The first thing I thought of when I saw that email title in my inbox was how awesome Richard's video on this would be.

[@c4rgob0b]

holy shit, first time watching you and its like a revelation. Shit you never think seriously about just suddenly becomes so obvious and logical. Good shit Richard

[@Creamouz]

Mr Lewis using the word "flip" more often than 16 year old skaterboi me but I'm here for it

[@sauteSimba]

the thumbnail alone deserves it's own like

[@the_bottomfragger]

I'm surprised there were people who didn't catch the sarcasm in the article. I'm usually an idiot when it comes to these things but I was already in stitches after the first paragraph. Amazing read btw

[@Raxyz_0]

Ngl, it took me a while to realize it was satire. I had a super exhausting week and hadn't kept up with all the news at the time and this Substack update came out of the blue. I was wondering what the hell happened, but "...everyone with an American centric viewpoint feels welcome" was a dead giveaway even to someone slow like me. lol

[@Haisukas]

Someone who comes to mind as saying no to the bag in Dota E-sports is w33. During his peak it was really hard for him to find a team due to refusing to play for teams with betting sponsors until he finally just fell into irrelevancy. Sure, you could sit out a tournament here, maybe even with the whole team, but if the infrastructure around the e-sports keeps going for the bag you can only miss out on so many games before you have issues keeping up with others on the top level imho. The criticism of players not sitting it out is valid but on the other hand it can be fuckin scary. It might damage your market value as a player & long term your ability to compete at a top level as well.

[@wilsonian6082]

it's weird seeing that picture of Richard like it's in a bizarro reality where the esports golden promise was fulfilled

[@Bulldawzer]

I agree with you 100%. It's sad how people who are directly hurt by this end up choosing the bag. It's not that they made the selfish choice - but this choice actively hurt everyone in their community.

[@financemaster1400]

As soon as people actually have to sacrifice something for a cause they go quiet, it seems

[@nathanmurray111]

The pic in the article makes him look like Pvt Pyle

[@t1k1z70]

cant wait till the major actually happens. once these people actually have eyes on them, there wont be an excuse, there wont be room for apologies. for now it all flies under the radar, but once the spotlight hits just right, the replies section will be just as colorful as the profile picture. the question is whether or not people will actually be held accountable for anything (they wont)

[@AyeiBradyx]

Had to pause the Majors and Me vid to watch this other fire vid here I don't enough time in the day

[@viclopez0815]

Richard brings out the receipts if everyone's bullshit, I'm here with the popcorn savoring the moment

[@yaboi_69]

now this will be one for the books

[@flopsy707]

Straight facts from esports Jesus. Rich keeps saying he won't bail the scene out this time but I think he will rise again.

[@2failepic]

I find it fascinating that the Pro Golf Scene is ahead in terms of Saudi ownership just like most E-Sports will be in a few years. Will be fascinating to see what sports they decide to buy out next. They are trying to buy their stake into football at the moment but it seems like even their pockets are not deep enough to just buy all of the top talent.

[@knexfan100]

Richard's thumbnail is hilarious

[@benjackson8805]

Feels like By the Numbers, when it was a slow week for CS.

[@nolanthompson5855]

This video is perfect.

[@likemy]

regarding the "stop worrying and love the bag" article: they say stupid people have difficulty parsing sarcasm

[@dang4153]

Great video. When the sports washing is complete, and the princes are bored. I do worry about the future of all these "investments". Where does esports, golf etc go from here? "I was still invested in existence"

[@PeterGembrowski]

I appreciate your content Richard

[@eoc8914]

Rich telling the games journalists to go dig with a literal hint got me good, great shit

[@TuEIite]

Man went in.

[@samsharpe787]

Rich you put out a TON of banger content. But I have to admit the fucking holy war you are on against the corruption of the Esport scene as you walk away from it, torch in hand, as you set fire to the lies has been some of the most glorious shit I have seen from you. I've followed your content for years, and the fucking righteous vindication you have in your videos is making some of the best content you've ever done. Its like the one preacher left in a town rotten to the core. The day we lose you forever and your ride off into the sunset into somewhere better than this is the darkest day in esports history.

[@ShadowWasntHere8433]

Fuckin hell, Rich. That article was histerical

[@bojanpetrov4732]

Gotta say I don’t follow esports too closely but I’m a fan of your work, and the article title made me suspicious. At first I thought you might have gotten out of retirement and was working some small tourney made by some people you liked; then the first paragraph ended and it turned into a connect the dots game for me as I read the statements and tried to guess who wrote a similar one. Didn’t get a lot of hits so thanks for the clarification during the read through.

[@ricardoalmeida7805]

This is why no matter how much I think Rich is a bit left-brained I will always respect him above almost literally any other pundit/journalist. Just a steadfast commitment to his own morals, he has inspired me to cut out my own performative bullshit and live more honestly.

[@C..J]

another absolute banger from Richard

[@razhmazh]

Khashoggi Masters 😮😮😮 holy shit!

[@dst6125]

2:00 are the moments that make me love Richard

[@egomanfreeman1]

Wow I can't believe how many brands used to support the German government during the WW II era. Glad we've learned from the past and became better as a whole.

[@pkuberkar]

Great fucking video Richard, got me through my workout! Love your work.

[@andrewlipper]

“Cheeto hitler” is fucking hilarious 😂😂😂

[@philo0]

Hoping to see a Frankie comment from rich

[@DiiNovensiles]

The best part of the Goossens video is when he says one of their values is "Authenticity"! If it was satire it'd almost be too on the nose.

[@regbar0]

Reminds me of Disney and Hollywood. We don't make 'American' movies anymore while the production companies rub their hands together at the prospect of the Chinese marketshare. I forget which movie that came out recently that still had the labor camps in the background. Mulan? It gets harder to care what people like that think about anything.

[@seanboncoskey8688]

Hey man, long time watcher of you from back in the Unfiltered days. I am just curious about something since I do find myself more in line with Montes line of thinking when it comes to this. I totally understand the hesitation with working with the saudis, however, the us Air Force is a major sponsor of esl cs events. I know you don’t work for them or represent them in anyway, but do you also think there is hypocrisy on the part of those who openly criticize American foreign policy and then take a check from them? Do you think there is a similar issue with the scene being funded by an organization as responsible for the immiseration of the planet as the us Air Force? Just curious how you parse these things I am not trying to do a “gotcha” just wondering your thoughts

[@RLewisReports]

I am on record on that topic repeatedly down the years. www.dexerto.com/esports/richard-lewis-why-esl-must-get-rid-of-the-us-air-force-sponsor-1812557/

[@seanboncoskey8688]

Thanks for the consistency and the response. That was a great article man I’m sorry I missed it at the time. As an American, I feel like the context that you put into this article is often absent in these discussions and I for one appreciate it.

[@RLewisReports]

No worries. I basically write that article every couple of years and no one cares. I elaborate a lot on why I feel the way I do in part 2 of "The Majors & Me" video. Was nearly gobbled up by the recruitment machine myself and had to watch, from a better life, as it destroyed my family and friends. The transgressions of the US government's foreign policy only make a bad thing worse.

[@seanboncoskey8688]

These are my thoughts and feelings as well and it is very isolating. I feel a great shame and it makes me feel insane having it living in America, when nobody even acknowledges that the problem exists. Thank you for taking the time responding and I look forward to further hearing your thoughts in that video.

[@MrRichieHK]

Good old days when all shit we got were gambling scams...

[@bipolarminddroppings]

I disagree with Monte's premise that all money is blood money, but at least his position is logically and ethically consistent. I can respect that.

[@gurhankaya]

Thx ❤

[@RobCooper-Bachatador]

I'll say upfront I'm a TL fan, so I have a bias and also that I admire your personal position on this. I personally don't see the same issue you do with TL's and similar approaches to this. Unlike others, they haven't gone against their word, in the literal sense. TL have been relatively consistent on this issue from the start and maintained that position. You can disagree with their position as being too soft but to imply that it is worse than the Orgs who are silent, is a bridge too far for me. They've openly criticised Saudi Arabia and have not backed down on that. I would prefer that Liquid did something more like remove their logo from their player uniforms but that is my personal preference. Though this aligns with my own consistent moral compass on these issues, in that I will criticise governments but not the people that work for them (unless they directly abuse human rights, etc). This might not align with your values, fair enough but I think that makes me better than the people who don't criticise at all.

[@DEK441]

Nice Billy Herrington t shirt 👌

[@qBeYcarpet]

Banger thumbnail lmao

[@carstenown]

he dont miss

[@Sirronkcuhc1]

You may not be musical, but this video bashing Saudi Arabia is music to my ears.

[@Muchofmore]

What an absolute banger

[@stormssc]

Nobody seems to be saying this, but this is a great t-shirt Richard.

[@chloeep9329]

Great vid

[@GanDtech]

oooh how chilling

[@gbs-v5m]

Yeeeees Richard you and Duncan are f**** legends

[@reysolo3672]

This is really turning out to be eSports becoming Saruman...

[@Devilaxes]

Sadly this shows how important money is.... really gives power..... so many letting go off their values :/ havent seen much esports recent years.

[@dudaimradio]

as depressing as rich's videos and articles can be sometimes, it's the only content worth consuming in this whole shitshow of a business. can't we just go back to going to a warehouse somewhere and play some good old esports?

[@Veptis]

Saudi is completelx dependant on selling oil. And rhey realize its not going to last forever. So they try to diversify by trying a bunch of stuff to hope something sticks and scales. They try other sports too: football, soccer, F1, etc. Even stem like space adventures. Esports and futurism are just a tiny part of this endeavor. It will all be shut down once its not scaling to loke 180% a year.

[@jeremy5077]

Lmao “we are going to Saudi but we’re going to sneak a gay guy out in our luggage so it’s okay” -Team Liquid

[@chogorik2762]

Apeks twitter was full of pride aswell.

[@Danieldani7]

Banger

[@Monotheist137]

They also putting in jail well loved clerics.

[@manfrombc5162]

I am so out on eSports.

[@jaredb6873]

Imagine being one of the women on that TL valorant team, and seeing your org leadership trot you out during a controversy to tell everyone you’re a charity case that they should be praised for having signed. that wasn’t very tasteful imo

[@bajen30]

This made me think of the recent Henderson transfer reveal. Why even wear a rainbow captains armband if youre not gonna stand for it? Doesnt he have enough money for the rest of his life anyway (same as most Gamers8 attendees)

[@Veptis]

Is there any tournament hosted at the same time in a "free" country that is highly supportive of diversity and perhaps even an honest charity? If you invite all the top teams and talent and zhen really see where they stand. Good cause or bag and no morals. or see what obscene apologies they come up with.

[@jimwoday1776]

you are different gravy rich

[@ninjafingaz7704]

that fucking thumbnail lol

[@MrFaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

So whats the moral of the story, if you want money in the future don't be critical of anyone rich? Or don't expect your friends to stand in solidarity with you if there is money involved? just to be clear this is not meant to be sympathetic to the grifters who take blood money, but more noting where we are at in the industry.

[@skade245]

Unfortunately here in Sweden American corporatism is super prevalent and culturally we look up to them for some fucking reason.

[@axoltl1]

Money talks at the end of the day. People and companies go where the money is.

[@Madskine]

Love it