Summit1g announced the dissolution of his partnership with Monster Energy, heavily insinuating that he was dropped by the sponsor. The news follows what many are dubbing the Twitch streamer’s “bong incident,” accidentally revealing part of (what looked to be) a “recreational” apparatus, shall we say.
Before I get into the meat and potatoes here, two things should be made clear. First of all, the theory that the object in question was a bong is only speculative. He didn’t fully reveal anything on stream, just part a glass object (call it a flower vase). Additionally, Summit never claimed that he lost the Monster sponsorship due to the incident. That being said, viewers pieced together a story pretty quickly, and it does seem quite likely.
Even though the loss is undoubtedly a big financial hit, Summit unveiled the information gracefully and calmly, assuring his audience that everything would be alright. The streamer has enjoyed a massive influx in viewership thanks to VALORANT’s beta key craze, so he ain’t lying.
If nothing else, the incident produced some entertaining memes. Fans found a video of what appears to be Summit’s identical twin sitting in a parked vehicle. The twist? The car had more smoke in it than a 90’s laser-tag arena. Clearly, even Summit’s doppelgängers like to toke up.
His chill reaction and down-to-earth attitude demonstrates a big reason as to why so many love him. People tend to admire entertainers who can roll with the punches. He’s not perfect by any means, but it’s hard to find people who absolutely hate Summit.
Speaking to that point, other streamers swiftly identified the irony of the (supposed) situation, pointing out the horrific health effects that energy drinks cause. Chief among these reactions was Asmongold’s, tearing into the company for their hypocritical decision.
Asmongold really hit the nail on the head here. If these events are true, then Monster really didn’t do a great job saving face. If anything, the company simply proved how out-of-touch they are by cutting ties with a substance that is nowhere near as dangerous as the very product they market to children.
Sources: Twitch, Twitter
