Confirmation of a Caedrel EWC (Esports World Cup) League of Legends stream has sparked discussion amongst fans about the ethical implications of directly supporting the tournament.
Contributing to the mixed fan response are comments from Christian ‘IWDOminate’ Rivera, a content creator for UK organisation The Ruddy Sack. The creator revealed that large payments are being offered to co-streamers by EWC organisers.
On-air comments confirm Caedrel EWC stream
While wrapping up his coverage of the League of Legends Midseason Invitational, Caedrel mentioned that he will be streaming for the upcoming Esports World Cup.
The League of Legends Esports World Cup tournament begins on July 16th. The top four teams from MSI 2025 are directly seeded to the Playoffs. Eight remaining teams must start with the Group Stage.
He stated in his livestream that he “will be back for EWC” and the League of Legends regional splits beginning after the Riyadh tournament.
It is unclear whether he will also attend and stream the event in person or livestream the tournament remotely.
Fans express disappointment due to the Esports World Cup’s ethical sportswashing controversy
Many fans have responded negatively to the news that a Caedrel EWC stream is going ahead.
The Esports World Cup has frequently been criticised for alleged “sportswashing.”
Sportswashing entered the Oxford Dictionary in 2013, describing the use of sporting events to promote a positive public image. Often, sportswashing is used by countries with a record of Human Rights abuses to encourage a new, clean public image.
The Esports World Cup is both hosted in and funded by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund has direct ties to the event.
During the current Esports World Cup tournament, the organisers also came under fire for censoring LGBTQ+ imagery in Amazon Prime’s Level Up Esports World Cup documentary for Saudi Arabian viewers.
As a result, League of Legends and Caedrel fans have had a mixed response to the confirmation of his engagement.
One response stated that “him pretending issues simply don’t exist is a constant thing for a long time and that ignorance is a willingful choice.”
Commenters debated whether to support criticism of the Esports World Cup or accept Caedrel’s endorsement of the event. Both sides of the argument butted heads with little agreement.
Nevertheless, the critique directed at Caedrel for his support has been prominent overall.
A Caedrel and League of Legends-focused X (formerly Twitter) community forum was even forced to moderate discussion on the topic.
“I was offered an ungodly amount of money” – IWDominate reveals huge pay packets for EWC co-streaming
A content creator and streamer for UK-based League of Legends organisation, The Ruddy Sack, provided additional context to Esports World Cup co-streaming deals.
In a post online, Christian ‘IWDominate’ Rivera revealed that he had been offered significant financial compensation for agreeing to co-stream the Esports World Cup. He declined the offer:
“I will not be costreaming EWC. I was offered an ungodly amount of money (more than 3x what I make in a month on stream) for 5 days but I didn’t feel good about taking the offer.
I understand that I’m in a financially privileged position and not everyone can decline the ridiculous offers going around but for me I’d rather not cover the event and then restart the streams when LPL comes back in 6 days. See you all on the 19th.”
The involvement of significant financial compensation raised further questions about the ethical implications of supporting the tournament.
Overall, controversy surrounding the Esports World Cup, tournament participation, media promotion, and Caedrel’s EWC stream is likely to persist as the event continues.
League of Legends at the Esports World Cup begins on July 16th. MSI winners Gen.G will be favourites on League of Legends betting sites heading into the tournament, given their MSI victory. However, other titans will pursue them for the title.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
