It shows a surprising amount of sportsmanship, but it's kind of weird, no? I like friendliness in competition, but every other sport I can think of has separate benches for each team. What's the reasoning behind that decision for you guys?
I agree, it seems really weird. Like, imagine if your team is getting stomped, it would be hard to save face in front of the other coach, especially when having to sit next to them for near half an hour. Then again, its nice to see their reactions is extremely tense, close games.
The coaches aren't separated because after champ select, they don't interact with their teams at all. I would imagine they sit together because they choose to watch the games together, bouncing commentary, commiserating, sharing the experience of the highs and lows with someone who also has no power over the situation after the pick/ban phase. The league pros have been around each other an awful lot, and friendships form. Friendly rivalries, good-natured trash talk, laughing at the silly misplays your team does, etc. -- all of these things make the experience more social and more enjoyable. I'm willing to bet that if someone doesn't want to sit with the other team's coach, they don't have to.
**BECAUSE THEY CAN??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
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