Apex Legends caster eviscerated for esports hot take: ‘Casters are least important part of broadcast’

Apex Legends caster Brad ‘im_b_rad’ Lusher decided to wade into the waters of controversy by posting a hot-take Tweet saying esports casters are “the least important part of a broadcast and should be paid like it.”

Esports Twitter was set ablaze on July 11 as Apex Legends caster im_b_rad posted a hot-take on Twitter. The take ruffled the feathers of many in the community as it seemingly belittled the role of commentating in esports production and put casters at the lowest end of the totem pole.

“Esports hot take. Casters are the least important part of a broadcast and should be paid like it. Admins, observers and production are more essential to a broadcast,” im_b_rad said.

The post has racked up almost 500 replies and quote retweets at the time of writing as the esports community, and his fellow casters, largely disagree with the opinion.

“I think this might be the most ignorant thing I’ve read about not just esports, but broadcasting in general,” veteran multi-esports caster Erik ‘DoA’ Lonnquist said in a reply.

Esports caster hot take sets community on fire

Another veteran caster Mitch ‘Uber’ Leslie also decried the post, saying im_b_brad comes across as a “pick-me.”

“If you’re in that much of a hurry to devalue the craft of casting just go and undercut your peers. More effective and produces one less utter tripe opinion on the internet,” he said.

Even some esports players got in on dunking on the post. Notably, The Guard Valorant player Michael ‘neT’ Bernet chimed in saying casters make highlights “even more special.”

“Great casting makes the experience as a fan so much more enjoyable. I can still recall early CS highlights just because of how much more the casting emphasized the importance of the moment,” the pro player wrote.

Another industry leader in the esports broadcasting space, Alex ‘Goldenboy’ Mendez, poked holes in the post’s logic by revealing the work he has had to do as a caster over his career.

“I’ve had to block cameras for a show because production didn’t consider rotating casters for breaks and didn’t prepare for that,” Goldenboy replied. “I re-wrote an entire run of show hours before we went live because of incompetence. I know I am worth more than the rate I’m paid. Period.”

Some behind-the-scenes esports production people also chimed in saying that casters often put in hours of unpaid work in preparation and video review sessions before matches, unlike other members of broadcast production.

One person argued that his post fits best within Apex Legends esports, but not the wider esports ecosystem. Im_b_rad, however, disagreed.

“Most other esports I’ve watched have been live when casting I think is irrelevant as you cannot hear them and simply need a stage host, where it is more akin to traditional sports with no commentary in the venue,” he said.

Im_b_rad has not responded to some of the more high-profile community figures reacting to his tweet, despite sharing his opinions with others in some replies.