LoL fans livid over Worlds 2020 finals crowd dissing DAMWON

Olivia Richman Published 31/10/2020

League of Legends viewers were excited to finally have hype around the Worlds 2020 finals, delivered by a live audience of over 6,000 fans.

But it didn’t go as expected, at least not for eventual champions DAMWON Gaming.

When DAMWON was introduced on stage for the finals, the audience was deafeningly silent. Some clapping could be heard here and there, but the Chinese audience was largely unenthusiastic as DAMWON’s roster proudly walked on-stage.

The crowd was so silent, in fact, that some Twitch viewers even asked, “Are they supposed to be cheering?”

This was a moment not lost on League of Legends fans. Many took to Twitter to express their disbelief and amusement at the crowd’s lukewarm reaction.

Twitter: IT’S GREAT HEARING A LIVE CROWD AGAIN

Damwon: pic.twitter.com/DePZ3mxoeS
— Ovilee May (@OvileeMay) October 31, 2020

For many viewers, the silence over DAMWON’s entrance only made them root for the top team even harder. It seemed like the Chinese crowd was favoring Suning, a squad from their region, to the point where they were disrespecting DAMWON. This led others to joke that the crowd should have been all North American fans so they would be truly neutral to every Worlds finals from now on.

I was like dis the whole time when the crowd was silent on Damwon’s intro. NOW I WANT DAMWON TO WIN. 3-0. CRUSH ‘EM pic.twitter.com/Xe9IR78uQl
— Riku #EsportsPHDoBetter (@RikuCasts) October 31, 2020

DAMWON possibly salty Worlds 2020 crowd

While some fans pointed out that the audio may have been “misleading” due to a poor microphone setup across the arena, that theory was dashed by DAMWON as the team discussed the silence among themselves. Either that, or they knew that the Chinese crowd would be so loyal to their home team that they wouldn’t be too excited when DAMWON came out victorious.

Translator Kevin Kim translated some in-game comms near the end of the match, revealing that the squad was well aware that the Chinese crowd was giving them the cold shoulder.

“Let’s make it a library! A Shanghai library!” Heo “ShowMaker” Su exclaimed to his team.

Ghost: You guys!
ShowMaker: Let’s make it a library! A Shanghai library!
Ghost: Hit it, hit it. They die with just one auto.
Canyon: You guys did so well
ShowMaker: Get your emotes up!
Ghost: DRX, Gen.G
ShowMaker: Stun! Let’s go!
Nuguri: I’m relieved
Ghost: Kill this guy! NICE!!! pic.twitter.com/OWVfvGy6G5
— Kevin Kim (@KevinKimLoL) October 31, 2020

A lot of League of Legends fans appreciated ShowMaker’s reaction to the silent crowd. Many felt that he was playing off of the crowd’s saltiness. Some even joked it was actually a “Shanghai funeral.” The savage comment definitely won ShowMaker and his team even more fans.

Despite the seemingly grumpy live audience, League of Legends fans still had a blast watching the intense back-and-forth between DAMWON and Suning. It was the most intense finals in years, being the first series to not end in a sweep since 2016. Suning definitely put up a good fight, but DAMWON was able to pull off a victory even without the crowd’s support.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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