Here Are 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About LoL Esports

Since February of 2013, gamers have gathered together to watch professionals play one of the most popular games of the decade, League of Legends. But there are some things that fans don’t realize, a few ins-and-outs that we aren’t aware of, but still find interesting. Here are a few facts about LoL eSports:

1) More Viewers Than the Average NFL/NBA/MLB Game

Thousands of people watch LCS in person each year.

Everyone knows that sports are tremendously popular and have been for years. But, not many know exactly how many views the modern day game receives. Let’s see, as a comparison, the MLB World Series in October had 14.7 million viewers in 2016. The NBA finals in 2010 had 18.14 million people interested. Even America’s most popular sport had an average of 16.7 million viewers each game.

So how about LCS? Ten million? Twenty million? Nope! LoL eSports pulled in over forty-three million unique viewers in 2016 and averages out at about 30 million each year.

Check out this chart from Riot for more numbers and statistics: Infographics

Check out some highlights 

2) Patches Make LCS Players Frustrated

Looks like Talon is in a depression after hearing about the newest update.

Imagine you’ve spent hours upon hours perfecting a certain element. You feel like you have completely mastered your favorite character. Then, all of a sudden, there has been a complete rework. You have a margin of time to relearn what you worked so hard to accomplish.

Frustrating, right? Well, just implement millions of dollars into the mix, and you just might have a total meltdown, especially if your competitor’s go-tos weren’t touched. Sure, LCS players have the expertise to play any champion, but the seesaw of changes is hardly balanced.

Sure, LCS goes by a different system than the rest of the world, but the still instill patches into it, just at a different pace. These guys have spent all year training just for there to be a sometimes complete turnaround.

Go ahead and read about all of the changes that have been made, and how frequently they are enforced: Patches

Players talk about patches 

3) Some of the Players Have Dropped Out of High School to Pursue Their Career

The most well-known LoL player dropped out of high school.

We’ve heard it time and time again, people dropping out of high school to pursue their career. But, with LCS the numbers seem to be surprisingly higher than the usual.

Many of the top players have dropped out to focus on gaming, such as TSM TwistZZ and Maxtrobo. Even the “best League of Legends player in the world” SK Telecom T1 Faker has abandon his education. Some have done so for other reasons. Bjergsen, was bullied and became depressed, causing him to withdraw. He turned to gaming as a source of therapy, and look where he is now.

Dropping out of school is never endorsed or encouraged, but it is something to look at. You see, there are many players who have done this, and only a very small fraction of them have made it in the gaming industry. Surely, they themselves will tell you to stay in school. This is a risky business and can wait a few years. The ones that never made it big regret their teenage decisions.

On a lighter note, check out Bjergsen’s success story: Facebook Post

League in schools? 

4) Pro Support Mains Don't Always Like Playing Support

  Often the most despised role.

You may assume that every LCS player has been playing their acquired role since the game’s release. But this is simply untrue. Sure, some of the pros really thrive on support, but some were stuck with the role after transferring teams or filling. Supports like Adrian and Piccaboo seem to adore the role but ZEYZAL and Aphromoo were locked into it. That doesn’t mean these particular players don’t enjoy it now though.

Some unnamed players have even said that they really don’t prefer the role, but are happy to do whatever it takes to lead their team to victory.

Some of the top players are Support: Top 20

5) Not All Pros are Challenger

A popular streamer, Pants Are Dragon, reaching Challenger in 2013.

When you barely have time to eat, it’s a little challenging to take the time out to climb the ranks. In fact, not many of the LCS players are actually challenger on their main accounts. Many of them, such as Faker, will succeed at peaking Challenger each year. But to maintain such a ranking is very difficult. Most only make it to Diamond or Master.

During LCS of course, fans will surpass their masters while they are busy in finals! Though even when they are training in ranked, the road to Challenger is a tough and daunting path that even the pros have trouble completing, let alone maintaining.

Climbing the ranks is especially difficult when you have to balance every account on every server.  This just puts your rank into perspective. That, you know, if the best players in the world have trouble sticking in Challenger or even Master, then it’s understandable when you don’t.

See how many pros are currently at the top of the boards: Challengers

Check out this challenger

6) They Spend Up To 100 Hours a Week Training

Team Liquid is known for their intense training.

People forget that this is their career, their life. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that most players spend over forty hours a week playing League of Legends. It is a full-time job, after all. But, you may be shocked to hear that some pros dedicate one-hundred hours a week to their cause. Players say there is no time off. They barely get a chance to talk to families or maintain a relationship.

Even during the off-season, when LCS is not at its peak, players must play every day to ensure they do not decay. They have to keep up with the Meta, and it’s imperative they remain the best.

A more in-depth article about training: Regimens

Hardcore training

7) Sponsor Work Gets in the Way of Their Life

Redbull is a big sponsor for LCS.

Although you may know that becoming a pro requires hours of practice, something that League of Legends players don’t expect is the sponsor work required. They have to earn their money somehow, and with so many sponsors, that cuts back on game time, which cuts back on their personal life.

Without sponsors, the gamers wouldn’t have housing or the high-end gaming equipment they do. From Alienware to Lootcrate to Twitch, these companies sue these teams to advertise. In return, they provide them with money and products. Reports say that players must spend ten to fifteen hours each week on sponsor work alone.  You can see how this can really interfere with the player’s lives.

See a story covering sponsorship: Ruiz Speaks out

A little taste

8) There Has Only Been One Female LCS Player

Remi with her team, the Renegades.

You would think, after five years, there would be more than one female LCS player. It’s not as if girls don’t play League, and they also have what it takes to keep up. But, as sad as it is, there has only been one. Remi.

She jumped between teams for the extent of her career. She has peaked as Challenger I. Sadly, in 2016, she stepped down. The anxiety and judgement were too much for her. This is especially true due to her being transgender.

We’d all like to see the gender roles opened up for LCS in the future and we welcome anyone to join. Hopefully, we see this very soon.

See her page here: Remi

Remi's team

9) Players Do Not Recommend Their Off-Meta Champs/Builds

People are trying Miss Fortune support after pros succeed with her.

Occasionally in LCS players will strategically pick someone who isn’t typically played for the role they have chosen.  This works, because they are the best, and frankly, they can do whatever they want.

But these same players are warning us not to try and recreate these off-meta builds, champions, and match-ups. When you’re playing normal or custom games, sure, give it a whirl. But, in ranked, they believe it is unfair to test out these picks. So they encourage you to stick with the Meta while in ranked. Do not make your team suffer do to experimentation or just because you want to be like the pros.

The big plays by ROX Gorilla: MF Support

The man behind Miss Fortune support

10) Will Ferrell Will Soon Star in a movie About Esports

Pro-racer to pro-gamer.

In 2016, producers have announced that a movie about eSports is in the making.  This movie will feature games such as Dota2, Overwatch, Counter-Strike, and of course, League of Legends. There have been hints that Will Ferrell will play the main character, who will be an older eSports pro. With most players being under twenty-five, you can see how this action-packed comedy is soon to be highly anticipated.

Here’s a lead about the movie: Will Ferrell

eSports movies are about to reach new heights 

As you can see, the life of an LCS player is difficult, and there is a lot you don’t know. League of Legends has become one of the most popular games in the entire world and the competition is fierce. But I encourage you to keep doing what you live, regardless!

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