The award for “Streamer of the Year 2024” was presented in Riyadh. Once again, a person from the Spanish-speaking community won, and for the second year in a row, Twitch streamer Samantha Rivers. But in 2024, this is causing a stir and heated discussions in the USA.
This is the controversy:
He was a favorite for many to win the award. YouTube streamer IShowSpeed:
He barks at 6-year-olds and sets his room on fire – Who is IShowSpeed?
More videos
Autoplay
xQc says: If it were up to numbers, he should have won 4 years in a row
What is the controversy? We reported on August 27 that Asmongold, who was not even nominated, criticized the award for only allowing Rivers to win because “she is a woman.” He said it was a pure “diversity pick” – Rivers is not even one of the top female streamers.
IShowSpeed or Kai Cenat should have won.
xQc has stated that if you stick to the pure numbers, he should have won four years in a row from 2019 to 2022. Because he was always way ahead. It’s pure mathematics.
However, such an award ceremony is not based on numbers, but is biased, i.e. determined by prejudices, and is therefore often wrong – and that has always been the case (via xQc Clips YouTube).
This is a bit reminiscent of the reaction of MontanaBlack, who also once complained about a prize he didn’t win.
The Spanish-speaking community is astonished
Who defends them? Rivers is backed by the Spanish-speaking community. El Rubius, the Spanish counterpart of xQc, says: If they, [die US-Streamer]wanted to win prizes, they would have to wake up.
He stresses that Rivers cannot be blamed for winning an award that is decided by a community vote.
The Spanish-language site 3DJuegos adds that a streamer from the Spanish-speaking community had won the award for the fifth time in a row. But in 2024, Americans were the first to get upset about it.
Who won the prize? The list of award winners looks like this (via Dot Esports):
For four years, English-speaking streamers won, but since 2020, Spanish-speaking streamers have won.
Rivers herself says: She didn’t want to win the prize
What does the winner herself say? The situation is apparently extremely uncomfortable for the 26-year-old. She wrote in a tweet on August 27:
The comments, messages on all my social media full of hate and harassment and even death threats that I have been receiving for days from other communities make no sense. I don’t know what could justify the hatred towards me.
I am not a controversial person, I always avoid problems. It is an award that is 100% given by voting. For those who don’t know, my community always votes for me to support me.
I tweeted asking them not to vote for me, it’s not my fault and it’s not their fault that a vote decides who wins the award. This year I was not able to attend the awards ceremony nor did I have anything to do with it.
It’s depressing and scares me how shitty people can be to someone without thinking about how that person will feel and without even knowing them or speaking their language. People I admired are now throwing shit at me for something I didn’t ask for. I apologize to the Speed and Kai community, but it wasn’t my fault.
And for people with such a large community that they don’t mind saying bad things about a person without knowing anything about them, I hope they realize the impact they are having and that they are only fueling hatred for someone who has done nothing. In my 4 years on the internet, this has never happened to me, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Rivers accuses US streamers of stirring up hatred against her without knowing her
This is what’s behind it: It’s a very unpleasant situation. By “person I admire who is now saying bad things about me without knowing me” they obviously mean Asmongold.
He has an enormous reach. And he is criticized for stirring up hatred without caring in the slightest about the consequences of his actions or being aware of his responsibility. His Twitch clip, in which he complains about Rivers’ victory, has now had 187,000 views: 26-year-old beats 9 men in the vote for streamer of the year – Asmongold rants: “Just because she’s a woman”