The LCS is too busy marketing their own Cast and not their Players
When you watch a sport, why do you watch the sport? Do you watch it for the broadcast, or do you watch it because you love the analyst desk so much? None of the above. Obviously having a good analyst desk and broadcast is always good to have, but it isn’t what entices you to watch that particular sport (cough cough LCS).
When you watch the NBA for example, you’re not going to watch the Los Angeles Lakers versus Los Angeles Clippers on TNT because you love to hear Reggie Miller say cheesy things as an announcer. No, you’re watching the NBA on TNT because it’s freaking LeBron James facing Kawhi Leonard in the battle of LA. That is why you are watching it.
Also, TNT does an awesome job of hyping up these games and marketing certain matchups. As great as their four-man desk of Shaq, Chuck, Kenny, and Ernie is. You don’t see TNT hyping their four-man desk before a game, they hype up the rivalry, matchup, and significance of the game. After all, the product is the game, not the cast.
Lack of narratives hurts the league
Now let’s get into why you watch the LCS. Ask yourself, why do you watch it? Are you a lifelong TSM fan because it was the first team you were exposed to and seeing Bjergsen dominate on assassins was what inspired you to be a silver Zed main, or perhaps you love C9 and how they approached the game and took many risks when Hai was still leading the charge.
Whatever reason you fell in love with League and watching the LCS, it is because of the players and teams you fell in love with. The TSM versus C9 rivalry that was always super close. The Doublelift is a choker on the big stage and CLG will never win a championship while he’s there.
These were narratives that kept us so connected when watching the LCS. The way they built up rivalries and their production focused on the players and teams. The TSM versus C9 rivalry from 2013 to 2017 was the equivalent of the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors from 2015 to 2018. The Doublelift is a choker narrative is sort of like when Dirk Nowistki was being called a choker up until he won in 2011.
As I’m writing this, the LEC is talking about the old Fnatic and Origen rivalry they had in 2015 as a preview between the matchup. Not only does this make fans feel nostalgic, but it also adds extra meaning to the game, even for a casual fan.
It feels as if the LCS completely abandoned the idea of narratives, which is sad because that’s how sports build and pull fans together. The only narratives they form are for meme purposes and there is no actual meaning or significance to the LCS and the product itself (the players and teams).
Friday Night Failure
The biggest narrative the LCS has going for them is trying to make “Friday Night League” work. They already failed with “Monday Night League” and now Friday night league seems to be an even bigger disappointment. Why is making a meme of the broadcast and LCS their biggest prioritization. It’s not even good banter, it feels so forced and awkward, and completely ignores all the matchups of the day.
Montecristo says it best on his VOD, where he reviews the Friday Night League summer split opener. “It’s as if they completely forgot that they are on a sports analyst desk,” Montecristo says. On the first day back after spring split ended, they talk about Pr0lly’s cooking problems and not the actual LCS itself. God forbid mentioning Doublelift to TSM or any other roster changes that are going to impact the LCS (Kobe tries but it’s shrugged off).
They focus so much on their own little gimmicks having LeTigress rapping, Shrimp Ninja dancing, talking about Pr0lly’s kitchen problems… All things we as fans are not tuning in for and things that have nothing to do with the LCS.
Yes, some banter and jokes are good from time to time, but it should not be the ENTIRE focus of the broadcast. The broadcast is about the LCS games we are about to watch.
Can you imagine the TNT analyst desk on opening night discussing Shaq and Chuck's summer, and having a segment with Chris Weber dancing on the side, and not talk about the NBA whatsoever? Okay maybe that would work since we love those characters so much, but the point is, they don’t do that because the focus of their show is the NBA, then the jokes.
The focus of the LCS broadcast seems to be the jokes, Shrimp Ninja, THEN the LCS. I understand that the LCS wants to differentiate, which is fine. Its how great businesses and companies standout. But you have to remember what your main product is.
Differentiating yourself while completely ignoring what your main product is (discussing about league of legends) just not differentiation anymore. That’s just Riot Games wanting to make their own entertainment network.
Comparing Intro split teasers with other regions
I know there is a lot of easter eggs that are fun to watch and this is a great video on its own. But did this video leave you with any sense that the Summer split was starting? Not for me at least. Usually, teaser videos to the beginning of a split are hyped and exciting. They make you feel excited that the league is coming back.
For example, just watch this LCK summer split intro:
You see all of the league’s best faces and they all have a unique look to the champion they enjoy playing. It makes you feel as if you missed the LCK even more, and seeing Faker as the Godlike figure with the Azir wall at the end. It just makes you feel so hype for the LCK to come back, even if you don’t even watch the LCK.
Now let’s look at the LEC’s Spring split intro:
So there are two parts in this video which I find very fascinating. The beginning starts off slower and makes you feel very emotional. Then the second part of the video just reminds you that you NEED LEC in your life. It shows all of the league’s best players and teams with hyped music.
Now, think back of the one the LCS made. How many players did you actually see. Just Doubelift. Did it make anyone feel particularly hyped about the LCS being back? Not really. We saw more LCS casters and segments than we saw actually players.
Yes, there were team references, but you probably have to watch it a few times to catch them all.
But you know what you did see after watching it the first time, you saw the “This or That” on the socks, you saw DL looking at his phone and listening to “The Dive”, and then you saw Phreak and Kobe at the end, sitting with Doublelift. So yea it took me a while to see CLG written in small font on a container, but hey, they did a good job showing they care more about their own segments and podcasts than the team and players.
Like I said the video on its own is great, there are so many references from the beginning of time like the Dyrus pillow. But as an intro video, I think it fails to hype up fans and display the current faces of the league which may leave lots of confusion for newer fans.
An intro to a split should appeal to everyone and leave them excited that the split is coming back. Not looking for easter eggs they might never understand.
It just shows that the league is not 100 percent invested in their players and teams like they used to be.
Some ideas for LCS broadcasts
Perhaps having the biggest game of the week on Friday Night would be a good way of having differentiation. Have a night dedicated to the rivalry and history of both teams. That way fans can be nostalgic or either learn new things, whether it’s about the history of both teams or how a team plays.
For example, hyping up a matchup of TSM versus C9 and bringing a nostalgic twist from the 2014 summer finals, or bringing up C9 against Team Liquid and their recent rivalry. Have a Rivalry Friday type of thing where fans won’t miss such a hyped event.
Another idea is to maybe stop treating the audience as if they are eight years old. The cringe memes forced jokes, and lack of seriousness at times makes it really seem like they are trying to please a younger audience. I understand if the LCS wants to take a different approach than a regular sports league, but at least try to make it natural and funny. And also try to actually implement it with actual LCS news and not what Pr0lly was cooking in his kitchen.
So yea maybe they can do what they are currently doing better, but they have to stop forcing it and stop being cringy. The focal point of the show is the teams and players playing against each other, not bad jokes, and someone dancing on an awful green screen.
Of course, there are also many other problems such as their UI, but I won’t touch on that. I just wanted to express how the LCS production team is placing their analysts and casts before the players and that isn’t how you market your league. Taking an example from the LEC and other regions is the LCS’s best bet if they want to improve as a region. Because as of right now, they are viewed as a complete joke by viewers and I can’t blame them.
We can only hope the LCS start learning from their mistakes from now on. There are tons of great leagues they can learn from and they are a very wealthy company. There is no reason that the LCS should be viewed as a joke, and perhaps going back to the fundamentals of how a league is run would be best.
You know like marketing their best players and teams before marketing The Dive or This or That or showing Shimp Ninja dance without context. Just learn from the other big leagues, such as the NBA, the LEC, the LPL, anyone who is running their league properly really.
