Cover-Credits:
Team SoloMid (TSM) is one of the most celebrated and famous esports organizations in North America (NA) and its inception dates back to the very beginning of League of Legends esports. SoloMid.net was founded by Andy “Reginald” Dinh and his brother Daniel “Dan Dinh” Dinh in 2009 and was serving as a League of Legends community website and play guide resource. It started fielding players in 2011 in League of Legends tournaments and the rest is history. The organization played a vital part in transforming North American esports into the industry giant that it is today. But according to a report by Richard Lewis, the organization considered selling its League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) spot.
Why did TSM consider selling its LCS spot?
Sources revealed to Dexerto that TSM recently considered selling its LCS spot owing to three major reasons. They are as follows:
Reducing the costs of the team’s various esports projects.
The level of competition North America offers in the League of Legends circuit.
The falling popularity of the game as a whole in NA.
Additionally, sources also claimed that the organization was not entirely leaving the League of Legends Esports scene but was looking to move to the League of Legends European Championship (LEC). It was eyeing Misfits Gaming’s slot in the league and also reportedly enquired about the possibility of a sale. Still, Team Heretics succeeded in finalizing the deal for reportedly $45-$50 Million USD.
Moving to the European league would mean that TSM would have the opportunity to play in an environment that is constantly evolving and growing since the LEC has grown multifold in terms of viewership and success in the last three to four years. One of the major points to note is that the LCS viewership has steadily been decreasing over the years. Former pro players like Doublelift have been nudging Riot Games to take an alternative approach in terms of broadcast to revive the league.
Dexerto also revealed that TSM is cutting budgets across the board in all its esports divisions and will reportedly sell more assets in the future.
The TSM League of Legends team that once was on top of its game constantly struggled throughout the 2022 Spring split and it seems like the troubles have not completely vanished. The team is in 8th place in the LEC standings with a 3-8 record. The once-heavyweight of the LCS has also undergone numerous roster changes and management issues in the last few months.
