An idea for LCS/CS Restructure

If LCS wants to take the next step in infrastructure, I think there needs to be a complete overhaul of NALCS/CS.

Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but what I would like to see is vertical structure between the two leagues. In most professional traditional sports you have a major league team and a minor league team affiliated with each other. New talent is brought into an organization by draft, rather than tryout (aside from PTOs and whatnot). Players are then groomed in minor leagues before being called up to major leagues.

What would this look like in esports? LCS teams do not get relegated. Challenger teams do not get promoted. Players are brought into an organization through a draft/scouting/tryouts I don't really care (ultimately I think draft would be amazing as it would promote growth in the industry). But then that player would develop experience playing on stage, experience in communication, and experience in strategy playing in the Challenger scene. When the LCS team has an opening, they have the ability to simply call up a player from their minor league team who has already been trained in their system. Or if an LCS player is under performing, there is potential for sending him down on conditioning assignments. Team chemistry would be an issue, but that is not an excuse as every professional sports team is about communication, trust, and team play and they deal with call-ups all the time.

Think about traditional sports. NHL, NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. They all work like this. No traditional sports team is going to say "hey you were the worst team this year. Sorry, we are demoting you to the minors". If this was the case, my Chicago Bears would have been relegated long...long ago.

By switching to a more traditional sports model, you create stability for players, teams, fans, and sponsors. There is internal competition which will push players to be better or get replaced. Fans don't have to worry about their favorite teams getting relegated. Organizations get to train players in their own system and have them ready for call-up (think about how much C9 could've used this at All Stars instead of borrowing Link from CLG). It also creates solidarity for sponsorship. In my experience working with the NHL/AHL, sponsors are more at ease when there is more stability within their investments.

Just some random thoughts I had. Don't expect this to get much discussion, but I wonder how we could improve the system over time so that esports can continue to evolve...