Remember that letter from a few months back, that almost all the LCS team owners got together to sign to try and make the competitive League Of Legends scene better? Slingshot esports managed to get a copy of it themselves and it is not looking good for these teams. According to the letter, signed by every team owner but Rick Fox of Echo Fox, teams feel that there is little incentive to invest in an EU or NA LCS spot because of a lack of security caused by relegations.
According to the letter, teams feel that these are the serious problems plaguing Riot’s competitive League Of Legends scene:
1. The lack of job security, fair compensation and longer careers for players caused by insufficient compensation and relegation;
2. The damage to the Teams’ ability to invest in LCS players caused by insufficient compensation and relegation;
3. The weakening relationship between fans and LCS caused by relegation;
4. The harm to Team sponsorships caused by relegation and LCS’ restrictions on sponsors;
5. The effective elimination of the path to pro caused by the Teams’ need to redirect resources
from LCS to Challenger as a result of insufficient compensation and relegation;
6. The financial hardship suffered by the Teams caused by insufficient compensation paid to the Teams.
Since the letter got leaked, the community has been in an uproar about the “entitlement” of these franchise owners. Reginald and his band of LCS partners want a safe space where they don’t fear losing their position of power and they are using the fans as a bargaining chip. One of the top posts on reddit is “I don't want the LCS to franchise, I don't want a ‘league’ with no relegations, and I don't want people lobbying for it using this community as leverage.” In the post, fans are debating about whether this leak was intentional, to try and get Riot to cave to the owner’s demands or at the very least make them answer the letter publicly.
Overall, I think this letter is total bullshit. LCS owners shouldn’t feel safe from relegations when embarking on a journey in competitive esports. It’s a very volatile business and if you aren’t willing to commit to it 100 percent, there are plenty of other business ventures your money might be better suited for. Whenever a team owner starts a split, he or she expects the team to do well; nobody throws millions of dollars at teenagers and expects to lose.
If the LCS was franchised, like the NBA or NFL, the game’s would suffer. At the end of a split, when all the playoff spots have been decided, the team’s on the bottom of the bracket won’t even try because their jobs are safe. Relegations keep the LCS interesting and there is no reason for Riot to bend to the whims of a few venture capitalists worried about their return on investment. Riot should pay the teams more money, but that isn’t what the main issue is here.
The one silver lining in all of this is that Rick Fox refused to sign the letter, and the fans love him for that. The number one post on the League subreddit right now is “Shout-out to Rick Fox and Echo Fox organization,” which is full of players expressing gratitude to the ex-NBA star. Even after nearly getting relegated, the biggest complaint on the letter, Fox appreciated the spirit of fair competition.
How do you feel about the letter, should the LCS be franchised or should Riot ignore the letter? Tell us in the comments.
