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In days go to 2026 World Cupvideo of IShowSpeed, one of the most watched people in the world, who sometimes moonlights as a rapper – released a music video “World Cup (Professional),” a song about changing the pride of the country where he mentions all 48 groups.
Like everything Darren Watkins Jr. 21-year-old acts, the video was right there everywhere. The song has over 7 million views YouTube within 24 hours. The Internet rushed to christen it as a sports anthem, even though the World Cup already has it. FIFA, following the ridiculous outpouring of fans and perhaps realizing the temporary exposure it would bring, added the song to its official album.
That’s the power of Speed—one man, always on network TV.
Running started posting on YouTube as a teenager in 2017. But it wasn’t until Covid 19 closing, in 2020, which the native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is committed to showing regularly. His passion for football, especially his passion for his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is what led him to start broadcasting where he played. FIFA and NBA 2K while people were watching. His challenge stemmed from the sometimes-controversial screams that the internet loves, but after a while Speed a gamebook of the stereotypical streamer. The future of his nation lay outside his bedroom.
As his audience grew, so did his work. Advertisers win by getting fans to sit down and watch. Speed does not. The goal, he tells me, is to be a way to boost his nearly 55 million subscribers. When he started interacting with people outside of his computer, it gave him purpose. He wants his audience to have that too. So in 2024 he settled down and started recording tours from different countries, turning his movements into an international group where he introduced his young audience to different cultures. He once ran a cheetah in South Africa. I met Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines. He was captured by fans in Jamaica and Barbados. While in Indonesia, he hit 1 million simultaneous views, making him the first English-speaking person since the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing to break the record on YouTube. Last year, he embarked on a month-long, non-stop tour of 25 US states, without turning off the camera once, even while sleeping.
Its rise coincides with a radical change in the way sports are consumed. A dead movie. Advertising services struggle to keep viewers locked in due to high costs. People are their social media platforms now. Few have made this change with more courage and reach – than Speed , who is inseparable from the world’s football storytelling tools at the moment. For generations Z and Alpha, he is almost ESPN.
For this year’s World Cup, Speed brings his love of the game to travel from the various host cities. FIFA estimates that the 2026 cup will attract more than 6 billion people worldwide to the tournament every month. Speed
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
JASON PARHAM: You got into the game early on, but now everyone wants to be a showrunner or a podcast host. Is your profile still available?
SHOWSPEED: It is possible. Obviously, I have played a big, big part in the current generation, but years from now there will be people who are better than me. There is a huge history behind it, with YouTube and Twitch, but the industry is still in its infancy.
What does your generation mean?
I belong to the first generation of social media. We are common. I mean, I would say the way to have 50 million subscribers is 100 percent online. Even a channel with 1 million subscribers or 500 – that’s why advertising is so popular. This industry is a game, but at the end of the day, you can’t beat anyone else. I have to continue to be okay with who I am.
