Why we work with Richard Lewis

It’s not a straightforward decision to choose your partners in the world of esports. Every handshake is a statement of values and placing your logo on a site can leave a long-lasting impression. At Rivalry, we pride ourselves on the fact that the people behind the site genuinely love esports and care about the health of the scene, which is why we’ve partnered with Richard Lewis to support him in telling tough truths and highlighting great talents in collaboration with us.

In a scene where “esports journalism” as a term is becoming more and more of an oxymoron, we value supporting people with an ironclad commitment to excellence and prestige content. Richard’s stellar track record as an investigative journalist speaks for itself, breaking stories from the iBUYPOWER saga to a multitude of wrongdoings at Riot, being a part of the scene for longer than most of us were even aware of the existence of esports.

There’s also no getting around the fact that the man is just an excellent writer. In case you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, check out his informative yet acerbic and hilarious interview with Sasa Bulic, the man behind perhaps the worst-ever CS:GO event, and while you’re doing so, take a moment to read his heartfelt obituary in the memory of TotalBiscuit.

There’s also the myriad of interview and podcasting content he pushed out over the years, including longform discussions with Dekay, blameF and fl0m among many others.

It also helps that whenever he isn’t busy spitting fire or uncovering uncouth truths in the world of esports, he’s a lean, mean, memeing machine, with gems like Crinja, the Rat King or the perfect storm of editing and bureaucratic calamity that is BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.com, the way our very own site has to be referred to on the VODs of By The Numbers.

We also believe in the importance of a safe and legitimate betting environment, one where you can be safe in the knowledge that your experience is regulated by internationally approved standards. As such, it was a straightforward fit to partner with someone who's been in the trenches for the entirety of the skin betting charades, highlighting the shady practices behind such endeavors.

So, you know, he’s good at this stuff. His prediction game could use a bit of a boost though! (Kappa)

Photo credit: Esports Awards