image credit: lol-esports
The LCS have always tried to attract the best players in the world to their league. It is true that they are still trying today, but the biggest proposals have had place during the creation of the League of Legends franchise league on the New Continent.
Top players like Bang or CoreJJ arrived in this league, but they were not the only ones to have received offers with an almost indecent amount of money to be part of these organizations. Apparently, teams like TSM and Team Liquid approached Faker with an offer more than dizzying and for which many would have accepted without hardly batting an eyelid.
Just a blank check
As discussed on this podcast with Scarra, Yvonne and Kobe as guests, Faker reportedly turned down dizzying offers from North America. Moreover, the interveners claim that certain organizations allegedly even offered a blank check to try to convince him . For those who don’t know what it is, when you give someone a blank check, it means that the player or the person who receives it can put in whatever amount they want as their salary. For many it’s an offer that can’t be refused, but not for Faker.
Money doesn’t buy happiness, and if it doesn’t, discuss it with Faker. Many players put their club and its sporting project before a better economic future, even if this remains quite rare today in both esports and traditional sports. Faker loves T1, to the point of being one of the company’s shareholders today. A good way for him to have a ready-made conversion when he puts an end to his sports career. The South Korean has never hidden that he considers he owes a lot to his structure, and it is not surprising that he decided to link his destiny to the latter. Even if this could put him in a weak position with regard to negotiations (complicated to go to another club when you are a shareholder of a competitor), he remains today one of the highest paid players in the club. League of Legends ecosystem, proof that his club honors his loyalty.
A new challenger?
If the offers of the LCS teams have been revealed, it should be remembered that they do not are not necessarily the richest league. The LPL is also known for his incredible salariesso that several Korean stars have revealed that the pay is much higher in China than in South Korea. Since they weren’t necessarily second-tier players (Peanut, PawN for the old ones, and there were also rumors of offers received by Rekkles at the time), you probably have to give some credit. Nevertheless, the situation is quite different in China and South Korea, compared to Europe or North America. Several teams are tied to big boxes, and therefore have quite significant resources. As it is only showcases for these companiesthey do not necessarily need to be profitable, since they are there to brand imagemuch like Ferrari’s Formula 1 team doesn’t necessarily need to generate money (we’re not saying it isn’t, or that LPL teams aren’t, we’re know nothing. We just note that direct profitability is not mandatory, given the prestige generated by good sporting/esports performances).