In League of Legends, there were protests from the moderators and casters of the EU professional league LEC. They spoke out against a deal the league made with the megacity project NEOM. They were willing to risk their jobs for it, says Indiana “Froskurinn” Black (29).
This was the uproar: On Twitter, the LEC announced on July 29 that it had secured a new main sponsor with the Saudi Arabian project NEOM. It is a great project with many wonderful benefits, and the deal helps the league to be future-proof.
The mega-city project NEOM is said to cover an area the size of Belgium and cost around 500 billion US dollars. It is meant to become a mecca for e-sports, among other things.
Within a short time, massive resistance formed in the LoL community against the deal. Especially the casters and hosts of the league, the people you see on air, vehemently opposed the partnership on social media.
This was a deal that apparently no one wanted to be associated with. Because the project is suspected of violating human rights.
Only 14 hours after the LEC announced the deal, she canceled it. The resistance was too great, as they admitted: A “rift in the community” had formed.
They tweet just so they don’t have to do anything
Here’s how it continued: After the decision, the topic was widely discussed. In the podcast “Crackdown,” Duncan “Thorin” Shield said that the host Froskurinn had only expressed her protest on Twitter so that she “doesn’t have to do anything else.”
Thorin is considered a controversial figure in the LoL community, repeatedly known for provocative theses.
Caster outraged by accusation
Thorin’s statement prompted Indiana “Froskurinn” Black to respond: She was very disappointed with the podcast, which had attacked her integrity and principles.
She wants to make it clear now: The commentators and hosts had refused to go on air until the deal was rescinded. They had done much more than just post on Twitter:
“I put my damn job on the line.”
Froskurinn
LEC staff threatened Riot Games with strike
Well-known LEC faces supported this statement from Froskurinn:
- Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere said: Froskurinn is always the first to give everything for the right cause and risk it. They told Riot that they would refuse to make the show until the deal was withdrawn.
- Travis “Quickshot” Henry said he was proud of how everyone behaved. The team had not just posted on social media and then stood up and walked away, but they had loudly expressed their concerns and were willing to cancel the show over the weekend.
Here’s what’s behind it: The LEC’s deal with NEOM has failed due to the resistance from its own employees. That much can be said.
Riot Games apparently underestimated the determination of the casters and how much they feel connected to their product and want to determine what the LEC stands for and what it does not.
The hosts and commentators are, after all, the figureheads of the league. Some of them comment on large accounts on social media: Belgian Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere has 685,000 followers on Twitter. That is quite substantial.
The LEC is aware of the impact of its figureheads. In three clips at the start of the new LoL season in the LEC, they released some hilarious ads featuring league stars, the players, but also their own hosts:
The EU League of LoL released 3 brilliant video clips for the start – Watch them here
The title image shows Froskurinn. It comes from her Twitter account.
