Twitch streamer Agent has stirred up a heated online debate after claiming that being an esports pro is more difficult than some Olympic sports.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, with top athletes from around the globe testing their might in an international tournament of skill and strength.
While the Olympics is widely hailed as the peak of athletic competition, there are some who believe the sports included in the highly-esteemed event aren’t as difficult as they’re made out to be.
AMP co-founder Agent00, otherwise known as ‘Agent,’ is a prominent streamer on Twitch, where he’s garnered just shy of 2 million followers. Like many broadcasters, he streams a variety of content, including video games, Just Chatting, and IRL adventures.
During an August 6 stream, Agent made a claim that left his audience divided: “I think being a pro gamer — sh*t’s probably harder than curling, bobsledding.”
“I’m being deadass, too,” he continued. “I’m so serious. I stand on that. That’s how I feel. I was trying to think of more examples, but I literally ran out of Olympic sports in my brain.”
It’s worth noting that those are all events in the Winter Olympics, and aren’t included in the Summer Games, which features disciplines like gymnastics, footraces, swimming, and other sports.
Agent’s statement has sparked quite the conversation on social media as some netizens take his side, while others are left gobsmacked at his thoughts on the Olympic Games.
“Harder than sports?” one user wrote on Twitter/X. “You know how many kids play games and be cold asf at it?”
“Playing video games and competing in the Olympics are two completely different ball games,” another said.
“Athletes could never win a CS2 1-5 with bomb planted on Dust 2,” yet another argued in his defense.
Still others accused Agent of trying to copy FaZe Lacy, another popular streamer who recently stirred up debate after claiming that being an online entertainer is harder than real-world jobs.
“You guys have to understand it’s way harder to stream,” he said. “And I have to go around and mog everybody, walk around in public, talking to people, trying to interact. It’s hard to have those social skills.”
Agent and Lacy aren’t the first streamers to make such a divisive claim, by far. In February 2024, Twitch star Hasan made similar comments — remarks that fellow broadcasters like Asmongold agreed with.
“Yes, a real job can be gruesome, a real job can make you very tired, but a real job doesn’t suck the soul out of you the same way that nine hours of streaming absolutely will,” Hasan said.
The situation created a spiral of reactions to Hasan’s comments, and it’s clearly a discussion that won’t come to an end anytime soon.