One of the most important eSports teams in the USA is 100 Thieves. They even surprisingly became champions in the LCS in 2021 in League of Legends. But now they are stuck in a PR nightmare after one of their managers spoke a bit too casually about the team’s future in LoL.
This is the situation: The league for LoL is being restructured in the USA. The US league LCS will no longer exist in 2025, and a new league is being formed that will also include teams from South America.
The 100 Thieves have a special role in this league: they will participate in 2025, but only have a “provisional guest spot.”
This is all very vague, but in a statement from Riot, it sounded like 100 Thieves would only be in the league for one more year and then exit the LoL eSports scene. The slot is probably already sold back to Riot, and the 100 Thieves are just borrowing the spot for 2025.
Manager talks himself into trouble
This statement has now brought them trouble: The whole situation was poorly communicated, 100 Thieves is silent on the subject, only the statement from Riot Games was in the air. The fans of the team wanted clear answers now. In the subreddit of the team, the Vice President of eSports, Maelk, spoke with the fans in a Q&A session to clarify things, and it could hardly have gone worse:
I think if you focus on LoL, and only on LoL, and your priority lies in dedicating your time and energy as a fan to a team that has the highest probability of being connected to League of Legends for a lifetime, then I would recommend you put your trust in C9 and Team Liquid.
We are so much more as a brand than just a single title, and I believe most fans are missing out when they only rally behind one game.
How is this being commented on?? Essentially, a LoL team is telling LoL fans that 100 Thieves is much bigger than LoL itself. And fans should see what cool things the team is doing beyond that.
This is roughly akin to FC Bayern saying they are now exiting football, but they still offer ice hockey and basketball. Football fans could also check that out, otherwise they would miss something.
Those really into this football thing could become fans of Dortmund or Leverkusen.
This was the reaction: Angry comments popped up on Twitter and Reddit, expressing outrage over the lack of “commitment to eSports” and frustration over the statement.
A mega fan of 100 Thieves thanked for the biggest “fuck you” in the face (via x).
100 Thieves is damage control
What happened next? Maelk has since apologized for his response. He said he had been wearing blinders. He grew up with football in Europe, takes fan culture very seriously, and would never push a fan aside like that.
Other managers from the leadership team of 100 Thieves rushed to add that nothing is decided yet. They could also envision continuing to play in League of Legends in 2026. They hope to find a long-term solution with Riot Games.
In recent weeks, 100 Thieves has also put its fans through a lot in terms of sports. Although 100 Thieves had qualified for the Worlds 2024, their performance there was not exactly convincing: LoL: World Championship claims its 1st victim in Berlin and Reddit is ruthless towards young US professionals
