IMO, entertainment value. Players like Scar have a whole gimmick around dying, which is kind of sad but makes sense when you think about it.

Some do, like Pixlriffs sometimes, but it’s mainly because they have experience not to use them.

Another issue is that it takes up a lot of the screen and it ruins FOV. Having a cluttered screen can detract viewers compared to a clear screen with full view as to what’s happening. The view was one of the main reasons why the crab claw wasnt voted in, because many viewers didn’t want to see a claw taking up the screen like a shield would.

Death = Content

For every scenario where a shield would’ve saved someone’s life, there’s another scenario where a chorus fruit or slow falling potion or instant health would’ve saved their life as well. The point is most deaths in late-game Minecraft are edge cases, things you can’t really predict or fully prepare for, or if you can, the cost for the most part outweighs the reward. If you tried to be fully prepared for every edge case scenario all the time, half of your inventory would just be full of these random items to save you, and for Youtubers inventory space is very valuable because it reduces the amount of time a project takes since you don’t have to restock as much. The current MC Youtube meta is about constantly trying to one-up your last project so time is a very valuable resource, especially for streamers.

TL;DR: Most deaths in late-game MC are edge cases and most of the time people would prefer their inventory to be full of stuff they use frequently instead of stuff they only use when they’re about to die.

I don’t even wear armor half the time man, let alone carry a shield. Dying isn’t that much of an inconvenience to me. I’ve actually noticed I have more fun when I have no xp and no nice gear

especially when exploring or resource gathering

Other than fighting Shulkers, Skeletons in the Soulsand Valleys, Drowneds with tridents, or PVP players, 99% of the game’s combat just doesn’t need a shield.