The 2nd league in North America is struggling in League of Legends. Fewer and fewer viewers are being attracted, which can cause issues for sponsors and the youth scene. However, a new sponsor for a team could bring a revival. It is a well-known fantasy author.
What is the problem with the 2nd league? North America has a harder time compared to other countries. This is particularly true for the 2nd league, the NACL. Last year, there were already issues, as many pros from NA went on strike due to a rule change.
This results from the problem that the NACL attracts fewer viewers, leading to fewer sponsors and, in the long term, a big problem with the youth scene, as there are fewer opportunities to train talent without the NACL. This is already evident in the fact that many LCS teams rely on import players. (via. Dot Esports)
Riot wants to change this, and one possibility would be sponsors. The first team has now even announced their new sponsor, and it is a well-known fantasy author.
The partnership is supposed to save the NACL
The Maryville Esports team announced on X that they are entering into a partnership with DragonsteelBook. The company belongs to Brandon Sanderson, a well-known fantasy author who has written successful series like Mistborn. The partnership starts with the next Summer Split of the NACL.
Travis Gafford revealed some background about this on YouTube. He established contact between Riot and DragonsteelBook. He says that Riot wants to make it easier for NACL teams to form partnerships with cool
companies. According to Gafford, the partnership fits perfectly, as Sanderson is himself a big gaming fan, and the team in Maryville consists of fans of his work.
What exactly the partnership will look like is still unclear; many fans under the Maryville post seem to be responding positively.
- @dillonpomeroy:
This is wild, very sick. I am excited to see more
- @juv3nileow:
Okay, this is one of the coolest crossovers for me, I am a big Brandon Sanderson fan
- @CarlosIvanYT:
I just started reading Stormlight Archive, this is insane
When asked if Dragonsteel jerseys will come, the official account only replied: soon
.
Such sponsors can really pay off, as you receive money, can tap into a new audience, and generate a lot of attention through jerseys and other crossovers.
It is currently unknown if other teams have such sponsorships. However, if Riot’s efforts bear fruit, there could be more to come. The Korean league has hardly any such problems, as they have the big icons of the scene: LoL stages a 28-year-old who doesn’t say a word as an epic hero
