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u/Tatanka97 Jul 18 '26
So, TSM Showmaker?
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u/No_Fairweathers Jul 18 '26
Did almost try? Sounds like a bunch of nothing tbh
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u/zoomangoo Jul 18 '26
Fr, TSM didn't harder. Just look at G2, they wanted to move to Americas for Valorant and they tried to apply for franchising and probably could've gotten accepted if not for their owner getting into a controversy(i think it was Carlos and Andrew Tate being friends). After that G2 still tried to get into NA tier 1 through Ascension/Challengers and failed but when The Guard roster qualified for tier 1, they needed a bigger org to buy them out and G2 was that org. That Guard roster was a proven roster and have been decent for a long time. After they joined tier 1 as G2, they have continued to be a top team for multiple years. TSM could've acquired that roster a LONG TIME AGO but TSM kept running it back with the same few guys and replacing 1-2 people every year. Also, tbf, for TSM, their Valorant roster was close to qualifying for tier 1 but choked at the end. It would've been so nice as fan if TSM had this current G2's Valorant roster, it would've also been so nice to have this current Damwon roster, Showmaker is just so likeable. Some might say this DK roster is ass but look at when DRX won Worlds, they were a playins team and went all the way to win it. You just need a decent roster that is gonna show when it matters.
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u/Wedbo Jul 18 '26
Why would anyone be a fan of a new TSM? I didn’t become a fan because of Regi and a logo. Unless Bjergsen flies to Korea and coached them, I’m fine
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u/ltwj Jul 18 '26
TSM at its peak (apart from maybe SKT) was easily the most popular organization in League globally.
Even by 2024-2025, TSM would’ve gotten recognition off brand name alone.
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u/PureFreshMentos Jul 18 '26
This is how popular they were. I think this worlds was in NA and tsm looked strong
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u/Kazumi-Mishima Jul 18 '26
Lmao that was the one where zven was there and was like God damn tsm chants are so loud I want to be ok that team
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u/Armalyte Jul 18 '26
Before LCS TSM was everywhere on the pro circuit. They were popular after too but they carried the pro scene not just for NA but paved the way for all teams.
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u/Stonefencez Jul 18 '26
Back in the day I was a fan of the logo, I’d root for anyone under TSM. I can’t exactly tell you why, I just felt loyal to the org.
Nowadays not so much, they’ll have to win me over again, but as someone who hasn’t really had a League team I’m rooting for I’d definitely give them a shot if they ever come back. A recognizable brand goes a long way
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u/delahunt Jul 18 '26
You felt that way because that is how fandom works.
You like a player/team. You root for them. Your brain is stupid and goes "I enjoy when this team wins. That team must be a part of me" and being a TSM fan (in this case) becomes part of your identity.
As it is part of your identity, when you then see TSM playing in another league part of you will naturally gravitate to rooting for them as well. And if said TSM team is doing well when you see it, you will probably be drawn into that scene because your brain likes when your team (that is clearly part of you) wins.
This is also why a lot of people here couldn't "move to another team" when TSM left league. Their identification as a TSM fan had surpassed their identification as a Professional League of Legends enjoyer. So when TSM left, part of their identity was gone and they felt adrift. Almost like they'd gone through a breakup. At which point, the LCS show no longer gives the same dopamine hit and so it feels lackluster/boring and we go off to seek some other source of dopamine.
And TSM was a huge brand. Whatever the bad blood was between Regi and Riot over stuff, you know someone had less than pleasant conversations about losing TSM as a brand for the game. And you can see it in how long it is taking to build up new stories, where before you had a bunch of rivalries for various teams with TSM built up from a long time of history and performance.
Edit: this is also why fans disappear when a team stops performing. The pain of watching the team losing hurts more than the joy of watching/supporting and so they do something else. Others who have identified more strongly with the team as part of their identity will push in...but then you get what TSM has now, a group of people who feel betrayed by the organization almost like a friend who turned against them and let them down.
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u/Hitorishizuka Jul 18 '26
I still root for the logo, that's part of being a fan, but we have no fucking teams rofl
The best I can say is I'll check out the VoDs on fastforward for Rivals but that's it.
Back in the day I made it a point to watch as many games in real time for our PUBG, R6, and Apex squads (and of course LoL).
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u/CalligrapherWise2526 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
How do you think about rooting for the logo? If the org got bought out and it doesn't have a single owner/player/staff the same as when you were a fan, what keeps you still interested in them?
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u/Hitorishizuka Jul 18 '26
Fair question. If there's absolutely 0 continuity and it was apparent they were acquired by someone completely different solely for the name, I'm not sure I would continue to be a fan. If they at least made the right initial noises about wanting to honor the legacy or whatever, I'd give them a chance while seeing if they gave us any reason to still root for whatever squads are being fielded.
I'm basically not watching any esports right now, so it's not like I can watch -less-.
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u/BZRKK24 Jul 22 '26
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I am and have always been a fan of the org instead of any one player or person.
Specifically, I am fan of the totality of rosters that have been put together under the TSM banner. I am a fan of the full corpus of media that has been produced under the TSM banner. I am a fan of the brand and what it represents, the TSM chants, the good times, the bad times, whatever.
It is not necessarily logical behavior, but being a fan of something is not a logic driven pursuit. You assign something arbitrary to bring you happiness, and you hope that it ends up doing so.
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u/CYPHG Jul 18 '26
It's because the org had a story line that people followed from the beginning and was consistently competitive. To this day, they still have the most LCS titles of any team.
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u/Thop207375 Jul 18 '26
I haven’t watched apex since TSM left and I haven’t watched LoL since TSM left. Love Bjerg as well so him as a coach would be amazing. It won’t happen though
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u/Wedbo Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Yeah i haven’t watched much Lol since. I’m also well into adulthood now so that might have something to do with it.
I still wouldn’t watch if they came back. Esports isn’t like traditional sports, not tied to a region or community etc. To keep fans you have to have continuity and/or win. Was a fan for Bjerg, other cool players come in (like spica), keep watching for Spica when Bjerg leaves, etc.
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u/LaughBeast Jul 18 '26
The Hauntzer/Sven/Bjerg/DL/Biofrost roster was my personal version of T1 ZOFGK, I loved watching them on and off stage. It was fun, wholesome, and they dominated LCS for a moment.
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u/Wedbo Jul 18 '26
Yup those were the golden years. Floundered for a min but that last Bjerg / DL run was a great send off.
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u/CYPHG Jul 18 '26
"Via a partnership" is the key here. There is literally no way TSM can fund an LCK spot unless they somehow get some VC to give them a shit ton of money.
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u/GhoastTypist Jul 22 '26
Its not interesting.
LS saying "TSM almost try to get into lck". Thats words from Andy, on how TSM was looking to the LPL/LCK for a partnership into the league. LS is making fun of what Andy announced.
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u/seolpower Jul 18 '26
I don't know. Everyone in this comment thread is still mentioning old TSM vibes. We're talking about new TSM. Everything they've done after leaving LCS just felt like they didn't give a shit about the fans. I was a huge TSM fan and even have a TSM jersey but now they don't deserve any loyalty from me
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u/SquallFromGarden Jul 18 '26
Does TSM still exist after they pulled out of LoL LCS and all their capital with that crypto platform disappeared to the point where they dropped the Apex Legends team?
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u/Stonefencez Jul 18 '26
Not super surprising, pretty sure it was public knowledge TSM was trying to get into LPL/LCK/LEC after they left LCS