Bringing LCS to the Mainstream

More Collegiate and High School Participation

As of now there are very few Collegiate League of Legends teams and even fewer High School clubs as compared to the many of the top mainstream sports programs. While I don’t pretend to have grand aspirations of League joining the NCAA, I do believe that setting up a framework for League players to find and cultivate talent here in North America is very important. As of now most LCS players are faced with a really tough decision. Go to school or attempt to go pro in LCS. It’s no wonder so many parents and outsiders are on the fence when it comes to e-sports. Imagine other top athletic sports organizations offering this choice, it would be unheard of.

For LCS and the North American scene to truly grow we need make it so that League players don’t have to put the rest of their lives on hold for this short and not even guaranteed shot in the LCS. RIOT should become more involved with these schools who are willing to take these first steps and help break the stereotype that being a “pro gamer” means not staying in school.

In game coaching

As of this year LCS team coaches are now allowed to be on stage and participate in the pick ban phase. I for one believe that this is only a first step in growing the sport and helping it become more mainstream. As coaches get a more hands on ability to affect the outcomes of matches LCS teams will have to start seriously considering who they hire and how much these positions are paid. This not only opens the opportunity for former players to have an avenue of employment after retirement but also help gives these young kids and better structure in their already chaotic and stressful lives.

It’s very rare in any other team sport that the coach helps with so much preparation but come game time has to take a step back and not participate. This new coaching role could also be implemented into the games client as well for Ranked 5’s. A sixth player on each team who doesn’t control and champion and only has the same team vision as their players. This will also help go into my next point and that is having LCS streams contain Live in game voice comms.

Live voice Communications during LCS broadcasts

Many LCS fans are already asking for it and as of now we have only been satiated by the LCS “sounds of the game” segment thus far. Hearing the team communication really helps immerse fans into what is actually happening on the Rift. I would compare this the most to the sport of Racing. For any of the major races a fan can watch the race live while at the same time having a separate broadcast for a specific driver or team in which the camera only follows them and we hear all of their team communication. For me, this can help in the next logical evolution for LCS streams.

Whether it start with just game time spent listening to the players and not the broadcasters or even have full independent streams in which we see the purist form of the game with only the players (and their coaches) themselves speaking. RIOT Games needs to find more ways for LCS fans to enjoy the games the way they want to enjoy them.

Official Merchandise Store

This might seem like a less than important detail but many fans of other sports can easily see the void right now that RIOT games is completely missing. Official merchandise can go a long way to help not only legitimize but grow fandoms for LCS and it’s teams. Yes, most teams have their own websites and stores but there are still many who do not. Not to mention the disparity in quality and quantity of merchandise of the teams that do. As of now RIOT recently launched their own online retail store and while late to the game this is only the first step. There needs to be an official LCS Store with similar offerings for every LCS team.

This can go a long way to help increase revenue for both LCS, the teams, and even the players. A place where fans can buy high quality team merchandise for any team is how it should be if LCS wants to be talked about in the same sentence of any of the more mainstream sports organizations.

Traveling LCS Schedule

Everyone knows that all regular season LCS matches take place in Los Angeles but few realize how much this actually hurts the sport in the long run. First off as the most obvious problem, it severely limits how many actual LCS fans get to ever see a live event. For most sports fans going to a live game is what helps create that memory that they will always have and brings the sport to a more personal level. As for how this affects the current teams, it’sbecause every single LCS team has to be located in Los Angeles. If the LCS could instead adopt a more diverse traveling schedule there would be room for LCS teams to choose where their base or “home” would be.

Just imagine, different LCS teams in different parts of the country. To most outsiders it seems almost arbitrary how most fans pick their favorite LCS teams. However, if we could create a logistical system in which different teams were from different parts of the country we could in effect create “home” teams for different states and cities. Imagine DIG moving to Texas and gaining that fanbase, maybe Cloud 9 migrating to Seattle, or Evil Genius’ taking residence on the East coast. With a traveling LCS schedule this would be more possible and could go a long way to create clustered “home team” fandoms that communities and regions could rally behind.

Plus, with a traveling LCS schedule this would go leaps and bounds to help promote League at a more micro level in each of the hosting cities. Whenever RIOT games comes to town with LCS it could be an event worth talking about on local TV and radio broadcasts. The revenue and exposure would help many people who would otherwise never bat an eye at LCS actually begin to notice and maybe even want to find more ways to get involved. This could go for promoters, sponsors, venues, schools, and many other organizations. More involvement from the rest of the country in actual LCS events would be the most prolific way to take League from “just a video game” to a mainstream and legitimate sport.