One of the world’s largest esports organizations, Team Liquid, unexpectedly found itself at the center of a wave of irony and criticism. The reason was a Christmas giveaway hosted by the club: Liquid offered fans a chance to win 10 Team Liquid gold stickers (Paris Major 2023) in CS2.
Formally, it looked like a festive gesture, but the community’s reaction turned out to be harsh.
“A 15-euro giveaway is just sad”
The community response was immediate. Hundreds of comments appeared under Team Liquid’s post, most of them openly ironic or critical. Here are some of the most telling reactions, reproduced without changing the wording:
ThisIsDaMatt:
Bro, they cost 2 dollars, I would rather just get one myself
mujjin:
I get that you guys haven’t won a tournament in 5 years, but a 15 euro giveaway is just sad
PookieSnowman:
Couldn’t Duelbits sponsor this giveaway?
bialyj:
Add this to the giveaway??
ICHVERACHTE:
Stop forcing people to buy premium by giving them UNICEF teammates
Two dollars is two dollars… one user sarcastically summed up in the thread, and that phrase quickly became the unofficial slogan of the discussion.
Reactions like these rapidly turned the Christmas giveaway into a meme, while the comment section became a playground for trolling.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays 🎁
we've got 10x Paris Major (Gold) stickers to gift out for Christmas!!
just RT or reply to this tweet for a chance to win, let's spread some holiday cheer 🫶 #TeamLiquid25 pic.twitter.com/w6Fk57VVWk
— Team Liquid CS (@TeamLiquidCS) December 15, 2025
A contrast with the scale of the organization
The context only amplified the situation. Team Liquid is a multi-million-dollar organization that:
- has more than 20 rosters across different esports titles;
- works with nine major sponsors;
- is considered one of the most recognizable brands in global esports.
Against that backdrop, a giveaway with a total value of around 15–20 euros looked, to put it mildly, out of place. This contrast became the main trigger for the wave of mockery.
The competitive backdrop does not help Liquid either
The criticism is further fueled by the current state of Team Liquid’s CS roster. The team is outside the top 10 of the world rankings, shows inconsistent results, and is not competing for trophies at major events. Fans directly link the modest giveaway to the lack of competitive success, which only deepens the negative narrative.
read more
Sarcasm and memes
Instead of a positive holiday news story, Team Liquid received a wave of sarcasm and memes. The Christmas giveaway, which was meant to highlight closeness to fans, instead became a symbol of the gap between the image of a “top organization” and the way its actions are perceived.
Whether this was simply a communication misstep or a symptom of deeper issues in brand positioning remains an open question. But one thing is clear: even minor marketing moves by major organizations are now scrutinized under a microscope.
