Paid by Steve is one of those memes you don’t instantly get. You might have seen it and scratched your head instead of getting the joke. Still confused? Read on to know more about this niche but very funny meme.
Every once in a while you’ll come across a meme that you don’t really get. The reference might be too obscure. It could also be from a very specific niche. But sometimes you just can’t help but wonder: What’s so funny about this?
paid by Steve – E-Sports and Memes
Paid by Steve originated from the world of e-sports, which is a competitive sport involving video games. The e-sports community usually makes variations of already popular memes. Every once in a while, however, fans will come up with their own memes.
About Paid by Steve
Paid by Steve is a reference to League of Legends (usually abbreviated LoL), which is a team based strategy game where the objective is to destroy the opponent’s home base.
Steve Arhancet is one of the most notable figures in e-sports. He used to play support on Team Curse until it merged with Team Liquid in 2015. Steve managed the team, and it became one of the most recognized global e-sports teams of all time.

On June 10th 2017, a fan of Team Liquid kept cheering for them even though they were losing the series. Others mocked the fan for doing so, claiming he was just being paid to cheer for Team Liquid.
Later, the phrase “paid by Steve” started popping up. Jack Etienne, the CEO of Team Cloud 9, even referenced it on Twitter.

Popularity of Paid by Steve
Paid by Steve started becoming popular after the exchanges on Twitch and Twitter. The joke gained even more legitimacy when Team Liquid added more players to their roster.
This reinforced the joke that everything in the universe could be paid for by Steve since Team Liquid obviously increased their financial capability.
Though it was popular in the gaming community, it’s hasn’t gotten as much attention as it did in 2017.

Most of the Paid by Steve memes are now left in obscurity. Unless you are an LoL gamer, there’s not much that you will be able to find. Here are a couple that we unearthed:


Paid by Steve’s Legacy
However, the meme is not lost forever. It is still referenced on platforms like Discord or Twitter. Though it isn’t as popular today, the Paid by Steve meme is still alive and well.







Memes come from all sorts of different beginnings. Whether or not you’re part of the gaming community, we hope that you were able to appreciate and laugh at this meme. And before you ask, no – this article was not paid by Steve.
Related articles: