AUSTIN, TX -- In a room of cameras that weren’t his own, iShowSpeed was skittish. Perhaps he was even nervous. It was a last second media opportunity, arranged shortly before the MLS All Star Game Skills Challenge.
There were whispers for 24 hours that Speed, by some distance the biggest streamer - and in some eyes the most prominent voice - in American soccer, would be willing to step outside of his usual socially curated bubble. And there he was, swaggering into the room with a “What’s up everybody?”
But once the lights were on, he shuffled his feet slightly, looked unsteady. That curated bit, the guy who loves Cristiano Ronaldo and barks a lot, briefly cracked. Then, the questions came.
Content creator: “Would you give up streaming forever if Ronaldo would be your best friend?”
Speed: “No, because I have the ability to make Ronaldo my best friend.”
Content creator: “Call out somebody you want to race right now.”
Speed (with a frustrated groan): “Tyreek Hill it’s happening, it’s happening this year, EVERYBODY want it. So let’s go.”
Some five minutes and two other made-for-TikTok interviews later, he was escorted away. And there he was, standing next to the pitch, clad in MLS All Star gear. Children gathered round, phones out, clamoring for attention. Speed stood, stoic, awaiting his cue.
And then he took over the Skills Challenge. He leapt, bounded and pirouetted onto the field, a string of noises, shouts and gestures. Every camera was on him. Every kid wanted a high five. It was, admittedly, immensely captivating. Here was a 20-year-old from Cincinnati, who two years ago was barking on the Internet and shouting about Ronaldo, taking over an event that wasn’t his.
“He actually tries a lot. He’s a fun guy. We really enjoyed having him here,” FC Cincinnati All-Star Evander said.