LCS All-Star Event: Glory To Gain And Everything To Lose

I am a huge football fan. I love the strategy, the passion involved. The amount of coordination required to march the football 100 yards down the field with eleven players on the field and another 41 on the bench is staggering. In addition, the players are working their hardest, going all out, on every single play. Sometimes they get knocked down, hard, and are expected to show the same passion and enthusiasm on the very next play.

I say all of this because it is necessary background information for understanding my disappointment in the NFL All-Star game. The NFL All-Star game is a joke. It is a joke because nobody who plays in the game actually tries to win. They are there to have fun, to soak up the Hawaii sun, and to chat it up with the other professionals from around the league. Nobody tackles hard, you do not really see any of the suspense, the strategy, or let alone the passion from the All-Star game. The league has even seriously considered getting rid of the all-star game.

Watching the LCS All-Star weekend, by comparison, has been exhilarating, entertaining, and has met every expectation for an All-Star event. Watching “my” team, North America, commit to these games has been inspiring to say the least. Its fan service on an international level. There is no question these guys are having fun. More than that, they look like they are having the time of their lives. “hooks for days” from Saintvicious and “everyone else is trash” from doublelift come right out from the whole team at will and with a smile.

The NA All-Star team know they are in China on house money, and they know they are underdogs, and so they act cocky and strut their stuff. And why not? They are the best in north america, but the world does not respect them, they need to go out there and earn that. Beating EU was impressive, and a step in the right direction, but Dyrus wants to prove he is the best top laner in the world, and Scarra truly cares about the NA scene and knows what this would mean if they win.

The passion, the energy, the strategy, it is all there in spades. This weekend has been what an All-Star weekend should be so far, and I don't doubt it will finish strong. I know that this is one of those events where NA could have not cared. It is just a big popularity contest after all right? They could have not taken this seriously and just got drunk in China and enjoyed the ride. Instead they set out to prove something, and to go down fighting if at all.