For many years,League of Legendshas gotten a reputation for having a passionate community. This has led to some cool moments, likeBTS playing with T1 Esports, but it has also led to that popular professional team receiving backlash for recent changes.
After T1 failed to qualify for Worlds, the team’s former coach Kim Jeong-soo left. Not long after, one player on the team leaked a Discord conversation pointing to new hires. The leak namedLeague of Legendscaster LS and formerStarCraftpro Polt as potential coaches.
RELATED:Apex Legends Should Expand Outward Like League of Legends Has
When T1’s fans heard the news, they were not pleased. Many took to social media to implore T1 to reverse its decision for a few reasons. LS has been disliked following previous cheating scandals inStarCraft, and some KoreanLeague of Legendsfans have levied racism allegations following several past tangents. However, some of these fans have responded with personal attacks not just on LS, but on his grandmother after she was doxxed. While LS' behavior has gotten himbanned from Twitch, similar toLeaguestreamer Voyboy, the response targeting his family seems unnecessary and overblown.
News of LS' grandma being targeted was relayed byLeagueplayer Nemesis during a stream, who clarified he had LS' permission. The abuse was apparently bad enough that LS deleted his Twitter account. T1’s fans have gone so far as to rent a truck and use it to protest T1’s decision outside its headquarters. It’s understandable that fans would be upset if their favorite team didn’t even qualify, leading to a season whereDAMWON won the League 2020 World Championship,but few coaching decisions for a video game seem to warrant this level of negative action.
The other half of the anger is directed at T1 for looking to hire Polt. Polt has had little presence in theLeague of Legendscommunity, and fans are disappointed that someone with more experience was not brought on. It’s not likehiring Tyler1 as a content creatoreither; Polt was brought on as head coach.
As of this writing, it’s not clear whether or not T1 will reverse its decision. It is worth noting that should T1 prove successful with its new coaches, fans may change their tune regarding the hiring of LS. While something likeSeraphine’s marketing campaign led to a negative response online, this incident is causing people real harm in their daily lives.
