Saudi Arabia is poisoning esports: We SHOULD Care.

[@DuckyVanya]

This is so respectable and I would imagine quite dangerous in terms of your position in the industry. Only person who actually talks about this shit is Richard Lewis and he's been made an outsider so thank you for keeping it real.

[@aditomasik5933]

Lewis is an outsider for very different reasons tho

[@blinkweeb]

@@aditomasik5933 what reasons? genuinely asking.

[@aditomasik5933]

@@blinkweeb mainly cause he cant keep his mouth shut and keeps arguing with people on twitter who hate on him He's a good journalist but engaging with the crowds was never a good idea, all he did was ruin his public image

[@mckinleyostvig7135]

He speaks the truth and people in esports would rather not hear it. Richard has done more for the integrity of esports than any other person, and his payment is hatred because he has opinions.@@blinkweeb

[@TenaciousDealer]

Tbf I don't think Sideshow has much to worry about in this case. Richard Lewis has mostly been pushed out of places because of his garbage treatment of other professionals and worse personality traits, none of which Sideshow shares.

[@evm0090]

Given how esports broadcast talent is a vulnerable position I have a ton of respect you’ve made a much needed video about sportswashing.

[@joshmerrien]

I was recently offered a large sum of money to help with Saudi Arabia's new Esports World Cup but declined due to ethical reasons. I'm only 5 minutes in to this video but it's already taken such a brave stance on a dangerous topic and for that I have immense amounts of respect for.

[@zecomrade82]

Based

[@miffedmeff7302]

I work behind the scenes for a pretty massive mobile eSports event which got sponsored by Qiddiya. The amount they offered to sponsor an event not even held in Saudi Arabia is STAGGERING. And the lengths they went to ensure that their programme was adequately advertised is unreal. The thing is, aside from the ad readouts they provided, no one working in production knew or frankly cared about what Qiddiya is or just how insidious it is. Everyone just took the money and recited the lines. I thought I was going insane.

[@finalfantasymad]

The fact this is a "brave stance" speaks for its fucking self imho. And well done on keeping to your core principles rather than taking a pay check.

[@omarfarooqui3715]

Yes maybe because you are gay😂

[@WorldKeepsSpinnin]

@@miffedmeff7302thats how money works, people dont even realize the trap until its to late. Guess what, the USA did it to with all the agendas they are pushing even right now even this video is part of it. Its really funny to watch actually. Im not really even talking about this situation but with everything in general. If your going to call something out call EVERYTHING out. Then its up to great people to clean up after their ignorance and greed and fix everything. Really, it makes me understand some of the things that have happened in the past. Fascism and such. I understand they happened, and I understand why the people who wanted to take charge wanted to. I thought they just wanted power and influence at first and that may of been part of it but they probably saw just how sheepish alot of people really are and knew they couldnt be trusted with any sort of power to easily tricked and influenced. Like that one guy said “ democracy of the people for the people, by the people, but the people are r*tarded” its so true it makes me sad, maybe its because of the education system, who knows. Anyways Im not saying it was good or turned out good but I definitely understand it much better now.

[@kiiv5420]

I've always really loved and respected Sideshow, but making something like this and knowing this directly can and maybe will affect his position in the industry takes all this respect to another level.

[@lupedust8931]

In Saudi, it goes far beyond Sportswashing. They know bettering their image in the west is an uphill battle, but what Saudi can do is try to make its young population as happy as possible, because what they fear most is an uprising. The deal with Saudi royalty is 'we shower you with money and you accept our tyrannical theocracy'. Recently they've decided to do that by bringing as many sports and esports events to Saudi as possible. Poison is absolutely the right word.

[@nnaif]

As a Saudi, this is funny. We don’t get showered in money. We get free healthcare, education, scholarships, parental leave, childcare, for free as basic human rights you reject. As for plain cash, we only have a welfare program for the unemployed and unable people, as well as widowed women. I study in the US through Saudi scholarship. We don’t get showered in “cash”, but in benefits, and most of our population is happy with our royal family.

[@lupedust8931]

@@nnaif Most of your population hasn't even started to work (well, not including the rampant slavery) until the last few years lmfao. The benefits are huge and yes all those things cost money.

[@Lynch2507]

@@nnaif what if you're queer though? don't think you can have basic human rights if the governing body doesn't consider you human

[@bluespy5813]

​@@Lynch2507that mentally ill concept doesn't exist there

[@Warpenguin55]

​@@nnaif wonder what happens to those who aren't happy with them

[@nschuller98]

Massive respect for taking a public moral stance and for calling us out to do our part too

[@jonasgiebel]

I am very glad, you as an influential person in Valorant, are speaking up about this issue. I remember when R6 was supposed to have an event there and the casters and some pros basically went on strike. One of the transgender casters had to say "Guys, my existence is literally illegal there and your comfort is that I wont get arrested for existing, but every transperson growing up there will?!"

[@AtionOne]

Bro wtf r u talking about? Like fr,that torney ur talking about was supposed to be in THE UAEEEEEE NOT SAUDI,i hate it when people speak what they dont know ong

[@FakeGothBitch]

@@AtionOne as if it makes a difference LMAO

[@eyadsalman9089]

@@AtionOneIkr 😂😂😂😂😂 I’m just laughing at how much comments are spreading mis-information

[@Jhitch19]

Especially when considering women and the LGBT+ community, this will start to be especially damaging for esports. With systems such as game changers aiming to integrate with the VCT at some point, should Saudi Arabia have such control over esports they would do everything possible to remove women and LGBT+ people from these events, reversing all progress which is currently being made.

[@chilleonski-bv9gi]

Lmao and what about China who owns 100% of Riot games and Valorant? What's your excuse for continuing to play Valorant and supporting Riot games when China is known for it's human rights abuses and systematic oppression and being LGBT in China openly isn't fair game either?

[@mohidmalik4240]

It is stupid to say that companies would invest in a separate system for lgbtq just for them having a messed up brain and no one will watch them and why would anyone spend money on it when it wouldn't even generate revenue cause no one watches it

[@oranzbowl]

@@chilleonski-bv9gi China’s manufacturing and ‘online’ (don’t know the correct word) industries have already grown too much to be stopped. Might as well try to stop an equally awful country from doing the same.

[@oranzbowl]

@@mohidmalik4240you are a freak.

[@x-Miooo]

​@@chilleonski-bv9gibeing queer is legal in China, even if its frowned upon by the public 👍

[@dodosh9444]

Coming back to this after the latest OWL anouncement. What a punch in the gut.

[@solsticeval]

You don't understand how much it means to marginalized groups that you're putting your income at risk by showing solidarity with us. Thank you.

[@iSamsore]

This video make no sense. Did Saudi Arabia bomb Libya and completely destroy the country? Did Saudi Arabia invade Iraq kill half a million Iraqi children through sanctions? Did Saudi Arabia drone strike thousands of Pakistani villagers? Does Saudi Arabia occupy half of Syria and support violence all over that country? Is Saudi Arabia the largest block on the Palestinians having a right to self-determination? Is Saudi Arabia parking it's warships in the Mediterranean to watch over the Genocide of Gaza? Did Saudi Arabia overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953? The U.S is far and away the most destructive country on the planet.

[@bolopolar2121]

@@iSamsorebut but slideshow said that doesnt count so it doesnt!

[@oranzbowl]

@@iSamsore so what? just because the US is evil (which the government DEFINITELY IS), that doesn’t mean that people can’t talk about other evil countries. your logic makes no sense.

[@kassthered8452]

​@iSamsore Two things can in fact be bad at the same time. Why should we stop talking about Saudi Arabias atrocities just because America also does terrible things?

[@maril1]

​@@iSamsoreYeah.... and we should forget what the US did because of what the germans did in ww2. By your logic we should forget about all the homeless people in cities because people in poorer regions are suffering more.

[@mrchom]

Any time I mention sportswashing someone else goes "Oh, and the US/EU are so much better with their unethical things". All these things are bad....just because we're discussing this one doesn't lessen others, and we can discuss those too. Sometimes, however you need to point out in depth a specific thing is bad, and this is one of those times. Good work, Sideshow. More people need to be made aware of this.

[@nithin5639]

Lol are u joking?

[@mrchom]

@@nithin5639 Did anything in particular suggest I was joking?

[@mdaily318]

I think it is important to make a distinction between the US/EU vs KSA. There are unethical things and injustices in both US and EU but the difference in both public reaction and efforts and even severity are greatly different.

[@nithin5639]

@@mrchom yes , us is so much better in their unethical thing are u joking. Killing million in iraq,Syria,Libya, Afghanistan and so on just to make profit. your political leader are pedoohiles. Is this relatively less ethical than what Saudi Arabia does

[@nithin5639]

@@mdaily318 tell me one person who has been tried for war crime in iraq by the US army .show me one WMD u found, u have destroyed a entire country for.

[@LiamRyan-o8n]

Thanks, Sideshow. I appreciate your platforming the views you're championing. It's super important to spread awareness of this type of thing. Best of luck out there, bud.

[@Rockgunner28]

Every time Sideshow does one of these serious analysis videos my respect grows. I think I echo the thoughts of the community when I say that we appreciate you speaking out about this, especially in such a nuanced and well researched way.

[@physical5009]

Love seeing you speak out with a brave stance like this despite the potential difficulties your career will face as a result. You’ve got my respect and support.

[@divingbird143]

I can barely express how much I love this man

[@SuperNikio2]

Hey josh, just a quick piece of feedback: I think this doesn't just pertain to VALORANT esports, so I think it's 'worthy' of the main channel. Cheers!

[@Crucial54321]

Hey nikio, just a quick piece of feedback: I think josh is capable of judging what is "worthy" for his own channel. Cheers!

[@roshanpk9101]

@@Crucial54321 It was just a suggestion, why are you so uptight lmao

[@karthikvignesh3106]

saudi shill LMAO. don't tell others how to use their platform

[@SuperNikio2]

@@Crucial54321 i just want this to spread as much as possible, and his main channel has more subs.

[@snowpointe]

@@SuperNikio2 More subs =/= more views. The algorithm doesn't really like the flip flop of silly content and serious analysis. This channel is technically a valorant channel but pertains to general analysis, while the 'main' channel is gameplay, variety and storytimes. He has better viewership on this channel. Hope that helps explain it :)

[@Palewanderer001]

Dubai is doing this as well. They have a large migratory population of indentured slaves running the workforce, are amassing large amounts of billionaires via tourism to pump money in, and are ruled by a reigning monarchy who are trying to to build a spectacle to gain influence in world business and politics. By enforcing silence and strict enforcement of their values, they will try to curtail society and build it as they see fit through approval from the populace. I think that's frightening.

[@sjg4237]

don't forget to mention that they have secret base underground the Burj Khalifa that makes experiments to turn monkeys into aliens

[@dreipunktekind]

dubai did it for different reasons as well. they got big sport events in the 90s. its a small country that is in conflict with saudi arabia, without getting more global prestige, they would be afraid to get annexed. while they still have huge amounts of oil and gas, that makes them a good target. i guess its also US/western backed to have a different (trade) partner than just saudi arabia.

[@varejao3195]

Thank you for speaking about this. In brazil we see this movement with soccer for years now, our biggest player in recent history is playing there. It became normalized, in the beggining, people used to talk a lot about it. Because of this, the brazilian cs scene doesnt see a problem at all, with the esl thing (sorry broken english)

[@tmjf7898]

É muito bom saber que mais brasileiros estão preocupados com esse assunto

[@varejao3195]

@@tmjf7898 tbm irmão. Fiquei bastante decepcionado com o Cs, e vejo pouca gente falando. Acho que se alguém tentar comentar em alguma live da tribo, fingem que não leram ctz

[@JustMatchmaking]

Nothing substantial to add here but I want to say that your English writing was super solid, to the point where the parenthetical wasn't really even necessary

[@hammerth1421]

Other than entertaining the populace and trying to sportswash their international image, Saudi and all these other oil states know the age of oil is coming to a close. Luckily for them, they sit on mountains of money that they can now spend to acquire ownership of a good part of the worldwide economy. Esports is just another sector they are buying into. It's getting geniunely difficult to find large companies that neither Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the UAE have like a 10% stake in.

[@blaze4lifedog]

while i do agree with most of what you are saying, the "age of oil" that you are talking about is not anywhere near close to ending. their reserves of oil is so huge that you cannot even fathom and every year new reserves are being discovered and being bought by them and OPEC.

[@Tential1]

​@@blaze4lifedogno, you don't get it. Lots of people believe the "green revolution" replaces oil. They don't understand oil is used for more than just energy.

[@hammerth1421]

@@Tential1 I'm literally a chemistry student. You don't need oil as feedstock, methane and Fisher-Tropsch is enough. It's a little more costly but fully outsourcing production to China and India should fix that problem. And methane can be made via a bunch of ways that don't involve poking deep holes into the ground.

[@spicesmuggler2452]

What makes you think the age of oil is coming to a close? That is pure copium.

[@spicesmuggler2452]

​@@hammerth1421You can be a chemistry student but that alone tells me why youre so naive to think its so easy to substitute oil. If it was that easy as you are making it be it would already be done. Truth is you listened to a professor that came up with a solution that is in no way a replacement but just a theory, a shitty university theory 😂

[@dmngs]

Thanks!

[@Realblack_m0nster]

Here from Richard Lewis video. I dont follow Riot stuff so i didn't really know of you. Mad respect to you sir and you hwve a new supporter.

[@Pidkai]

I'm glad you expanded on it beyond esports

[@myseglis]

Thank you so much for addressing this topic. I've had a lot of issues with Saudi Arabia for years and seeing them getting bigger and bigger especially in the Overwatch scene has been painful. Between the Saudi eLeague that doesn't seem to bother anyone to participate in and the most recent Overwatch Champion Series announcement managed by FACEIT (that I didn't know was owned by KSA before you mentioned it), it sucks to see this country establishing itself so much in the scene. Very important topic, thank you.

[@Real_Alien]

Somebody is mad lol 😂

[@pieroramirez3288]

@@Real_Alienjust cause you’re Arabic doesn’t mean you have to be delusional

[@lildoctahazn]

Thank you for calling this out Sideshow. I have massive respect for you in utilizing your platform to surface this up. I didn't pursue a job offer in the automotive industry for the same reason and I'm hopeful that'll we'll see more people step up to the plate regarding these issues.

[@FeaturedKeegan]

This is a very brave video to make and I appreciate you talking about a topic many people do not like talking about

[@tcniatcniatcnia]

Relevant again after the OW eSports announcement

[@PropaneWP]

Thanks for bringing up this important topic.

[@Systemsturz]

A much needed video from a person with your background! Thank you very much!

[@Derperfier]

8:56 it literally does though? Just because Saudi Arabia does certain bad things doesn’t mean the USA can’t be ignored. By and far the USA is the worst in the world, and even though “direct involvement” doesn’t happen, the whole concept of entertainment is to distract from their war crimes and daily evils. Saudi does just simply cut the bullshit and the ministers fund it directly, but surely you can understand that the same investors who invest in sports, esports orgs, US companies, blast, etc etc are the same people who are invested in oil, and are with a vested interest in primarily destroying the infrastructure of the third world and exploiting it, invading countries, imperialism, while at the same time creating markets alongside distractions in every entertainment industry so people don’t actually realise what’s happening and mindlessly sign up for drafts for their destructive wars. If you seriously do believe that Biden, Trump, Obama or any president ever actually did anything, or the elected officials actually do anything is a joke, because they don’t, look at all of their financed before and after, for people who started poor, and for people who were rich already only expand such wealth/already have vested interests in their own finances, as well as keeping the “bread and circuses”. No, I am not saying Saudi Arabia is a good place. But the USA commits worse daily, and if ur neoliberal drivel for esports wants to mean anything you must side with Saudi Arabia and ignore the evils they do. If you want to criticise their “sports washing” you must realise that everything in the US or Europe is by in part, also sportswashing . Fundamentally in capitalism all entertainment is literally sportswashing and you need to realise this- Yes I agree KSA invading Yemen is horrid, but the USA literally backs it btw, and the same people who benefit from the esports industry, or moreso sports industry and entertainment industries also are behind the invasions of Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine. As the Roman saying goes, “bread and circuses, bread and circuses”. Maybe you want to be moral, but esports fundamentally thrives off of exploitation and is never self sufficient. If you want to criticise Saudi Arabia, you must criticise everything (which I personally wouldn’t mind). For the record to make things easier, Joe Biden essentially orders people gunned down daily, with the invasion of Somalia etc, but it wasn’t actually Joe Biden who decided this was needed, it was the holder of capital who wanted to invest in Somalia and expand capital there, but militias and the Somalian resistance was in the way. These same people who want to expand capital here and make the decisions for every president, also hold capital in every industry including the entertainment sports and esports industries. Sure there’s a technical difference but in substance there’s no difference between the USA and Saudi Arabia- if anything the USA is worse in how deeply rooted and under facade the complexity of it is-which is the point, it you can so easily see it be done in Saudi Arabia, why can’t you see it be done by the the USA ? Sorry for the truth.

[@cryzzalis7939]

Heard about this video on Summoning Insight with MonteCristo and Thorin and got a recommendation to check it out. Mad respect for not only being in the industry, but actively working for Riot Games as you're saying this. If more Esports people were like this the industry would be in good hands, huge respect to you Sideshow.

[@MyselfTheThird]

Incredibly rare Thorin W

[@zWraithh]

The Saudi government dipping their fingers into every pot possible with sportswashing and into the video game industry has been concerning me for quite some time now so seeing this video from you is amazing thank you so much for putting a spotlight on this issue and explaining so well why people should care about it!!!

[@itzsleazy6903]

Mad respect and sad to see it working

[@m8m0m8]

Saudi Arabia reads the comments and laughs on the ignorance and lack of knowledge of the country country starting from the video creator and comments writers. The world needs educated people!. Don’t let hate, envy and fear control you. You gonna miss out a lot in the future. STOP being shallowed thinker. Saudi has the right to invest everywhere! There are people from everywhere not just you WEST😂. Saudi is bold and confident and has even Brighter future ahead Inshallah for everyone!

[@mooncalf_4534]

Yo I didn't follow you after you left the TF2 scene but I always remembered you fondly for your time in the community and how chill, fun and real you were. It's nice to see someone you liked actually doing well, and it's even better to see you're still being a genuinely good person despite any potential consequences of it.

[@gwen7575]

Thank you for speaking on this topic. For a relatively online community, the gaming space can be ignorant or just not care about the political issues that exist within and outside of the community. I especially appreciate you highlighting that it doesn't actually matter if you're a hypocrite; it's still better to speak up. Hopefully this taught people smthg and resonated with people.

[@dawnmann7328]

Having looked up to you since the tf2 days this is a massive show of respect to put your livelihood at risk to spread the word, I hope people watch this video and take it seriously

[@darksplash873]

Such an important topic, thanks for spreading awareness about this and I will try to as well after seeing this.

[@createprince2093]

hi sideshow I watched the first two seasons of OWL intently and you killed it there, but havent encountered you since. cool to see this pop up from you, thanks for making this!

[@sandhikneaj7029]

Huge respect for Sideshow for making this much needed video.

[@elaainex]

this is why you’re the goat - great vid egg, clear and informative while hitting the key points

[@okidokiboomer]

always loved u sideshow, respect for not selling out in exchange for morals and extra respect for wearing tip of the hats shirt

[@callmechris345]

Great video! Commenting for the algo so that more people can see this. Sadly, there are so many cases like these and they are becoming more frequent

[@mush_bl]

Thank you for speaking out. Ever since discovering you in owl I always thought of you as one of the more important voices in esports and this video, and your bravery on taking on such a complex and controversial topic, just reaffirms that belief.

[@CaptHB]

Great video. I'm hoping this gets picked up in more peoples' algo.

[@SirDrJM-]

This was a very well put together discussion on the topic. Thanks for this and thanks for speaking up Sideshow.

[@Vivek-Goel_Superfan]

Sideshow, thank you for this video and for displaying courage to state your position in the industry. This video was poignant and very well constructed. I empathize with your points and I feel the same, but I have trouble reconciling the that people in this industry can turn a blind eye to other controversial actors in the e-sports industry. As a Chinese person who has immigrated to Canada, I can acknowledge both the power that Tencent has over the China AND China's violations of human rights. If the modern categorical imperative of sanctioning human rights violators applies to Saudi Arabia, shouldn't we also be responsible to apply such logic to China or Dubai? I hope that this subject is something we can hear more about from you. For people like us, fans of e-sports, who want this industry to grow, stabilize, and prosper, I sincerely believe that these conversations are necessary as well. Whether or not you ethically agree with these points, adopting a position and vocalisation of it, is an exercise of privilege that we have to push the industry.

[@colecampbell7201]

this is such a well thought out and well researched video. thanks for your work on this topic

[@trueMAXIMUS]

sorry i was recommended this video on twitter, and began watching without checking to see who had posted. i didn’t realize it was SIDESHOW until he said his name several minutes into the video. i hadn’t kept up with OWL for years before he was let go, but it really warms my heart that someone so prominent in the overwatch, and now val scene, is so outspoken on such a huge issue. very, very scary that saudi arabia has got its claws in such a huge part of competitive gaming, and there’s been news that they’ve acquired an even larger event for 3 years in a contract. insane!!

[@MissUnfamousGirl]

These longer analytical videos are such a treat. Very well done. The esports industry is better for having Sideshow in it.

[@yeahno555]

Here from Monte and Thorin - amazing video. Very happy to hear another figure in the space speak out about this.

[@evif9377]

Your moral position and clarity is so admirable. Please keep up the good work! ❤

[@bubblebeamm]

I had no idea about any of this going on. thanks so much for making this

[@holysword876]

The main issue I have is the whataboutism point was never properly addressed. I am no fan of Saudi Arabia but its very weird when people are extremely critical of countries investing in esports when other countries who have commited far more human rights crimes and have started and funded far more wars are already supporting/hosting esports. You have talked about how America is not trying to 'repair its reputation'. The fundamental issue with this point is it doesnt need to repair any reputation because in most of the Western World it isnt a 'bad' organization. The reality is it is the indirect/direct cause for a lot of the wars happening in places in South America, Middle East, and even in Africa. The ramifications of US foreign policy has done faaaaar more damage than what Saudi Arabia has done, and let me reiterate, I am no fan of Saudi. To add on top of this point the US army has an active esports team, and is involved in the video game industry to a large degree (not as large as Saudi Arabia obviously). Even though I mention this, its like comparing apples to oranges. Saudi Arabia has a lot of its investing come from the main sovereign fund while the US mainly have corporations doing the investing. Saudi investing does not only come from a place to wash away their human rights violations, but also as a desperate bid to diversify their GDP. No matter where Saudi Arabia decides to invest its going to be considered in a bad light. Its fine to think negatively of this but you will soon realise that if you are actually objective about it most of these investors usually have shady dealings/come from governments who have a spotty human rights history, and at the end of the day being angry at every investor ever will not really do much good. Saudi Arabia also is more incentivized to invest in these forms of entertainment because most of their citizens are under 35. The reason the king gets to directly get all the oil money is because he has a social contract to his people to provide them with what they want. And what more to distract the citizens than shows, esports events, sports, etc. Keep in mind the US and a lot of other countries employ the same tactic of distracting their citizens to hide whatever shady dealings they might have, but making an hour long video on why Saudi is bad is just silly. Overall the main issue I have isnt with the points you made in the video, but that almost everyone who subscribes to this way of thinking and is overly vocal about this will continue to be hypocritical to their own countries/more favourable western countries. Saudi Arabia is not a great country to live in and has a lot of issues, but being a hypocrite in my eyes is still really bad.

[@Huszuh]

USA commited do many crimes and yet no one complains about them.

[@IsaaaValorant]

insane how this is the first bit of journalism i have seen about this problem.

[@connorrheoa]

Great breakdown, sportswashing is such an important subject to speak about in this industry, I’ve got a couple friends who aren’t informed about this but love esports so this video is perfect for them too

[@ethanneuhart7880]

Putting a comment here for the KZbin algorithm. Keep up the good work!

[@H017.]

Saudi Arabia is trying to show its true image not polish it as you say. Saudi Arabia is changing for the better, and what you mentioned about human rights, your talk indicates great ignorance or a lack of information. I would like to clarify some of the points you mentioned. Regarding workers in Saudi Arabia, it is forbidden to take their evidence or even force them to work, and the government Saudi Arabia punishes bosses who commit these crimes with imprisonment or financial fines, and anyone exposed to such situations can file a complaint against the boss. As for what you mentioned about women’s rights, I will speak as a Saudi woman about our situation here and say that women in Saudi Arabia are treated with the best treatment they could get. Any woman in the world, I am not exaggerating. I am telling the truth, and since we are a conservative Islamic society, most people are very satisfied with the rule of the royal family over us. As for the Ki.lLing of Ethiopian immigrants, I will tell you that Saudi Arabia is full of illegal immigrants and did not ki.ll them as the Houthis did when they imprisoned hundreds of them in a house and bu.rn them alive ( u can see the video on KZbin). The Human Rights Commission did not move and publish a statement against Houthis because the Human Rights Commission, unfortunately, has become politicized. Since you mentioned that Saudi Arabia is the cause of the famine that happened in Yemen, you should ask the Yemeni people about the person who prevented the payment of salaries to the Yemeni people for 9 years and to this day, they know the answer well and know the extent to which the United States has overlooked the culprit. BTW Saudi Arabia has the largest Yemeni community in the world , in addition to that, it provides them with relief and is rebuilding their country. I know that what I wrote is so long, but the amount of lies in this video is unbelievable, and it was As a Saudi citizen, I must clarify the matters.

[@Melavaaa]

Can you list some of your sources? I'd like to read up on this.

[@hafooz]

​@@Melavaaashe literally said she is a Saudi woman.

[@eyadsalman9089]

@@Melavaaasources 😂😂😂 she’s a Saudi citizen, I am Saudi citizen, my father is Saudi citizen, my whole family is from Saudi and everything she said is true, the amount of lies and mis-information in comments is really crazy

[@AHondaCivicEX]

@@Melavaaabro can you read? 😭😭😭

[@gibbywin6201]

Really eye opening stuff, good on you for being brave enough for talking about and bringing attention to these issues! I think the only thing you could do better is either cite sources in the video or at least leave them in the description box. Would help solidify your points. Love your videos!

[@tiger5869]

You underestimate the amount of positivity there is right now towards speaking out against oppression, and your comments section reflects that.

[@tingasthefriendlyfish2902]

I agree about how we shouldn't blindly accept these sorts of capital investments in the industry but the casual acceptance of gambling related sponsors has also gotten out of hand in esports (and sports in general) and you could make the case they are equally as bad, its just harder to get a visual representation of their impact on society.

[@ItsDoritoAgain]

sideshow you are a legend for this man, you are not scared to speak out even in your position. HUGE RESPECT

[@ItsDoritoAgain]

how the F was i not subbed, thanks for the reminder :)

[@daveathor]

Thank you for making this video.

[@kybar7055]

Bro must’ve heard rumors and dropped this 2 months ago to have it blow up later. Such an incredible video with a great analysis and great insight. Thank you sideshow

[@blyakeprice9771]

Here from Summoning Insight. Thank you for the clarity provided on this situation. Hard to know what exactly is going on as a fan so this was very helpful.

[@hunniebunnie1425]

i didn't notice if you mentioned this in the video but this happened in the r6 esports community, ubisoft/the TO at the time announced that they would hold a major in the UAE and many of the talent/players/fans protested the announcement, mainly because one of the more popular castors, captainFluke, is a trans woman and she would not be able to work the event due to her identity, and ubisoft changed the location of that major. community response does matter.

[@Exyile]

thank you for talking about this but im worried for your safety

[@Sirclassic]

Thank you for speaking up about this topic

[@multifanhq8899]

so many other people have written comments that convey what I'm thinking so much better than I can rn, so I'll just add another thank you so much for taking this stance and this video. It means a lot

[@sonatine3266]

The oldest E-Sports league in the world and at the same time biggest European E-Sports platform - the German ESL (Electronic Sports League) - has been sold to a daughter company of the famous Saudi-Arabian gov. controlled "Public Investment Fund" as well (January 2022). It still has it's HQ in Cologne, Germany - but all the rights and basically the control are now are in Saudi-Arabia.

[@NiyaCathrel]

It's so important that people engage with the politics around esports. Thank you!

[@calebwilliamson-lv3hr]

Although the US does not act against human rights domestically with the same intensity that Saudi Arabia does, it commits itself to funding human rights violations and committing human rights violations abroad of similar intensity. Obviously attending events in the US doesn't fund these efforts- but it is important to also stand strongly against US army esports divisions or esports events as well.

[@bol0921]

but the US isnt habited by majority brown ppl and they "support" lgbtqa so ALL GOOD!

[@rank1562]

Although I agree, it has nothing to do with valorant and sadly no one on this channel would watch a video that’s that political with no tie to the gaming scene that’s pretty long

[@Warpenguin55]

@@bol0921 cringe

[@watermage25]

I was somewhat on the whataboutism train of thought. However, your video changed that for me. Just because other countries commit crimes against humanity, doesn't mean we shouldn't care about issues such as this.

[@TheMarineFighterz]

“We treat women and people in general better than your countries, which are always trying to break up families and promote homosexuality. We saw this at the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics and in Hollywood movies and series. As for Yemen, Yemen is in our hearts. We fought the Houthis, not Yemen. Why don’t you talk about Israel and its killing of innocent people in Gaza?”

[@waliul280]

God clearly said to us that the disbelievers won't become satisfied with you as long as you don't compromise your religion. They don't respect the cultural,societal norms of other people. They say big time about freedom, independence but want want impose THEIR bastardized worldview on to other independent countries as if its some divine law. Typical average white hypocrisy.

[@ambarishsengupta]

Great video sideshow! It’s great to see someone like you speaking up about this. Thanks for shedding light on this very important topic and encouraging more people to do the same.

[@mattlozinski1700]

I appreciate so much you being willing to take a hard stance and risk your career by speaking truth to power. You are putting your own skin in the game, and that means so much to marginalized folks like me. Much respect and appreciation

[@hermescaretta74]

great video as always, egg!! really important for influent people in the scene to be vocal against this type of situation

[@maza8437]

so you made a whole video about saudi arabia human right abuse but ur not talking about usa and israel killing all those childrens and what about UAE funding a war in sudan the only reason i see u making this video is just u getting paid by someone

[@bestShef7]

goodwork sideshow, big W for talking about this

[@buriburicorp.6199]

Sideshow I think you link all your sources mentioned in the video in the description, just for clarity and educational purposes

[@a77725]

love this video and great respect for u. richard lewis been covering this plenty as its very relevent in cs.

[@hachiyusi]

insanely massive and increasingly common Sideshow W

[@MrTeg319]

Genuinely one of the best journalists in the entire scene glad you’re here

[@Zniglish]

This is a crucial topic to talk about, and more eyes need to be drawn to it. I myself was clueless about this topic not far in the past, and some of the things I've come to learn while informing myself are appalling and downright hard to believe. Thank you for bringing this topic to a wider audience.

[@iyxon]

Signal boosting this. Good work Sideshow

[@ethanwebber7854]

I wasn't surprised when CS took money from the Saudi government but I am shocked that Riot folded. I hope that big companies actually think about what partnering with such a governing body does to their scene and the people involved.

[@aditomasik5933]

I'm sorry but thinking riot is somehow morally above other companies is a bit delusional, they are owned by a chinese company ffs

[@miffedmeff7302]

It's the money. Like whatever amount you're guessing is being exchanged, you might need to add a bit more zeroes behind it. It's a life-changing amount of money that is incredibly hard to refuse, and SA often likes to add cherries on top to the deal as well, like paid-for luxury tours and VIP access to a lot of their events. The benefits of having the government make these decisions, rather than a corporate body, is their near infinite amount of swaying power. I'm honestly not surprised to see Riot cave to it, when wealthier organisations have caved under similar deals.

[@Drakshl]

Riot is a terrible organisation with an awful history of treating women like pure shit. Honestly the executives probably fit right in with their new overlords

[@luanlang795]

Wait did riot take their money??? Are we gonna have a tournament there soon??? What happened?

[@AwesomeS64]

@@luanlang795 not yet for valorant but league is going to be at the esports world cup in Riyadh

[@patrickmorrison7161]

Very important video that taught me a lot on the topic. Already felt the way you do just through my peripheral knowledge on the subject but this gives a much greater perspective on the topic. Thank you for making this:)

[@kira862]

Coming here from the Overwatch community. Refreshing to hear somebody talk about the issues with Saudi Arabia that actually understands geopolitics.

[@atayilmaz6308]

It is really important of you as a public figure in esports to address this problem and situation because as casual viewer it is really easy to overlook the porblem of these accuring discussions of esport events in Saudi Arabia. Really good video.

[@imper8740]

Huge respect for this video

[@nor3a74]

Great Work. Thanks for the information. I had heard a little about this before but never was able to connect the consequences to the actions.

[@Zeleqian]

Amazing video ❤ telling it how it is. Always respected you Josh.

[@NaruBrilu]

In light of the recent ow esports announcement with the new circuit this video needs to be recirculated again so people can know about this

[@Rikimaru_tm]

55:00 The problem with the boycott in esports is the average spending of esports fans. It is so low that orgs don't have enough money and, like you said, without investing they have to go to the worst possible place to get it. My point is, if people doesn't spend in esports because of a boycott, what is the difference with what they were doing before? What kind of economic pressure are they going to have to stop making deals with Saudi if their own fans weren't paying shit before anyway? I mean, at the end of the day I think that is the core problem. Unless people (me included) start spending more money in more ethical orgs and TOs, those orgs will eventually either go bankrupt if they can't secure investment or go to Saudi. Not saying here a boycott is not a powerful weapon in general but given the esports economics are the way they are, at least what I hear from experts, I can't see it working. And I'm not saying this as an excuse, I didn't watch almost anything from ESL since the PIF ownership announcement, and the little I watch I try to watch it through costreamers. It's just that I'm not hopeful that it will achieve much 😅 Anyway, sorry for the rant. It was a great video!

[@chimosgameclub9765]

The issue is that esport orgs did not have to take that kind of moeny. When VC money started to get into esport people took so much it was insane, people were already concerned about the economical issues we would see down the line when the VC money was going to run dry. Essentially esports used to be sustainable enough, then we got a lot of money and not it isnt. People are just afraid of downsizing. We should boycott cause that will make other sponsors leave, while we might not use that amount of money on the esports team themselves, we do use money on them when we buy things like a razer mouse.

[@yeslikestarwars8824]

Absolutely huge sideegg W thank you for speaking about this

[@raymond9079]

this whole conversation can be very annoying to have. Half the time whenever you talk to someone about the conflict in israel and palestine they'll refer to it as "drama". People truly dont understand the scope of what truly is happening

[@penguinmaster2423]

Based egg move. It's great to see important figures in esports and in the wider fight for equality talk about how important it is to care about things that might not seem important to us and help to start change.

[@Kaygu_]

This video keeps getting more and more relevant

[@itachiUchiha-kv2hi]

My friend, you are brainwashed by the media. They breathe lies. Please check the facts The bots you are talking about are mostly Saudis defending their country. Would you accept it if someone came and said that America funds terrorism? ……

[@nothingness863]

aged like milk

[@Kaygu_]

@@nothingness863 how so?

[@nothingness863]

@@Kaygu_ EWC organized by them was a success once again, pathetic ankle biting of worthless activists is proven impotent again.

[@Cakeftw24]

good to see someone talking about this

[@Reason7322]

Great video, very informative, i learned from it. Please do more.

[@mr.inconsistent1631]

keep spreading this topic pls! This is so important for all of esports