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I do not cheer for LMQ, they are not North American.

ShahabNet·7/21/2014, 1:45:39 AM·13 votes·2,424 views

I am going to try to make this sound as non racist as possible. Maybe my background should help in that. I am 100% Persian in blood, but I was born and raised in The states. The states are my home. I care for no other country as much as I do my home country. However, from the looks standpoint alone you can tell i'm full middle eastern, so I know racism first hand.

With that out of the way, I just want to express (again) my disinterest in a Chinese team. I don't identify with them, I have nothing in common with them, I cannot speak the same language as them, in short, I do not root for them. In fact, when I watch this game, I find myself so desperately wanting any team they are against to beat them. What is the purpose of having these different regions compete in their own mini-verse until the big show? Because they live in that region, because people identify and cheer for their home countries. I mean let's be honest, with all the traveling players do to be apart of different teams, couldn't all players be chauffeured to a central location, cameras be turned off, and the only way we root for a team or player is by name. That will never happen. Why? Because you get more engaged with those of your home country. Riot knows this (Every sports company does), and so far have kept regions separate, and kept rivalry up and running, with the qualification to worlds being region based, not stat based.

So to my previous point come full circle, I don't identify with this chinese team. I am rooting SO HARD for anyone, ANYONE, to make it to worlds but them. If I watch a chinese team, vers a chinese team from NA, vers Korean teams? You got me distanced before the match even begins. I spend money, I am a consumer, I watch your shows. I am your customer.

36 Comments

Boots3Pots7/21/2014, 2:32:29 AM13 votes

I am going to try to make this sound as non racist as possible.

Well, you failed at the title, imo.

LMQ isn't a Chinese team. They're a North American team. They uprooted their lives to move to the U.S. to work on becoming a League of Legends team good enough to compete in the world scene. They moved from their original homes, their families and friends, everything they've known for a chance to better their lives. Sounds like the good old American Dream, doesn't it?

It's not like they moved to NA because they feel it's a free ticket to worlds. Many view China as the weakest region of the big four and feel NA is stronger. LMQ must feel the same, because beating up on a bunch of bad teams (and cloud9 and TSM) isn't a very good method of practice.

If you're such a huge fan of NA then you should be glad LMQ is choosing to play for NA. The more Worlds-quality teams a region has the better as a whole that region gets, not just because of the increased talent pool but because the teams feed off each other through practice and the LCS games. The top teams all have gotten better as a result of LMQ being here and CLG and DIG not playing like idiots anymore. Having TSM and C9 go to worlds and fail because they didn't have good teams to practice against during the LCS was getting pretty tiresome. NA is the strongest its ever been, and LMQ gets some credit for that.

"We have always been a nation of immigrants who hate the newer immigrants." -- Jon Stewart

12tales7/21/2014, 1:58:54 AM4 votes

Huh. Personally, I like teams that are fun to watch. Don't really see why 5 dudes from the west coast should be more entertaining than 5 dudes from china.

Nekowaifu7/21/2014, 3:12:41 AM4 votes

America = Diverse

LCS = No diversity allowed?

Every other sport does this same thing, there are people all over the world playing on american sports teams, so why can't LCS teams do the same? The USA offers an opportunity for these athletes, so they come overseas and play here. You don't have to like them, but that's just how sports work.

MazerRackhem7/22/2014, 10:23:42 PM4 votes

I agree with the OP here. I'm sure 90% of the people who read what he/she wrote will probably dismiss it and say "Racist," but if you stop and really think about it, he/she has a very good point. I have had similar feelings about LMQ. Despite what some people have replied to this thread LMQ is NOT a North American team. Their team BIO even states "LMQ is a Chinese team who qualified for the NA LCS in..." They ARE and always will be a Chinese team. (Seriously, stop ignorantly saying they are a NA Team and go read what they say about themselves.)

My question this whole season has been: why bother with NA, EU, etc. if any team that wants to can simply change regions? Curse isn't going to make worlds this year, but if they moved to Brazil, they'd probably be on top, so why not? In the current system, any 4th place team in one region could (as LMQ has done) simply shift their "home" to a region they can win in. Never mind they don't have any cultural ties to that region, if that's how they get to worlds then that's what makes sense.

Only problem is: no one wants World's to look like that. Think about the Olympics. Should the 2nd best 15 players in America play for the Spanish basketball team and pick up the silver medal? Should the 4th through 6th place finishers in the Jamaican 100 meter dash just shift regions and compete under the Russian flag instead?

People of course change countries from time to time, this is not a problem, indeed it's welcome. America welcomed Beckham when he came to play on an American Soccer team. But there is a difference between Beckham joining an established American team, and a football club from Germany moving over to Japan en mass so that they as a team can play in the world cup.

As the OP has said, we want teams we identify with, teams that are "our" teams. LMQ has members that when interviewed post -game have to use a translator because they don't even understand the language the game is being broadcast in! How are NA fans supposed to identify as "ours" a team which does not speak any language which can be considered "lingua franca" in NA (English, Spanish, and French). If a team in NA, (say CLG) recruited a South Korean jungler that would be both within the spirit and letter of the LoL LCS rules. If they recruited 3 South Korean players however, that is AGAINST LCS rules. (Go look it up!) Yet somehow, despite this an entire team can move from China, call itself a "Chinese Team" in its Bio and still be considered a NA Regional team.

Yell at me and plug your ears, call me a racists and sick the PC Police on me, fine whatever. The point is your feigned offense at the OPs pointing out the obvious dosn't change the facts. LMQ is NOT an NA team and I agree completely with him, I don't want them winning the NA LCS. I want to be represented, good or bad, by C9, CLG, TSM or another NA Team. This is the NA Regional, and it should be won by a NA team, not a transplant who felt they'd have a better shot at world's on this side of the Pacific.

MrBuffington7/21/2014, 2:26:49 AM3 votes

I felt the same way you did when LMQ first came to NA. I felt the same way about all the Korean and European players that are playing on NA teams (ex. Helios, Seraph, Bjergsen, Dexter, Amazing, etc.). With China, Europe, and Korea all having huge scenes for LoL, why wouldn't they just play over there? There's plenty of talent coming from NA (Altec, for example, coming from the challenger scene, and is doing great things on EG), so why the need to import players, much less a team, from another country?

From what I've seen thus far, I think it's because they want to play in NA. Looking at LMQ, they seem honestly like players who enjoy playing in NA, they're working hard to learn English, to be able to communicate in interviews. They're working to be an NA team, not a Chinese team in NA. Imagine if you (or your parents, or your parent's parents) were denied opportunities because non-Persian Americans "didn't identify with them". By the way, not everyone in NA is a born-and-raised American, and I'm not just talking about the people I mentioned before. WildTurtle, TheOddOne, and Shiphtur are all Canadian (and probably a lot more players that I missed).

As for not being able to relate to them, here's something you have in common; you play the same game. My point is that they really aren't as different from you as you think. They're not competing from China; they live and play in NA. They are a North American team.

S1nton7/22/2014, 12:33:09 AM3 votes

Who would hate LMQ and Vasili? their lomo train will make it all the way to worlds

KingSmizzy7/21/2014, 2:38:25 AM3 votes

I was like that at first but LMQ look like genuinly good people. EG on the other hand, they 100% came to north america for some 'easy' compettition, they thought they were better than NA and look at them now, bottom of the standings with losing records vs every other team.

Im not disliking them for their origins or their homecountries, bjergsen is one of my favs as well as seraph. the reason i dislike EG is cause they thought NA would be easy.

Solumindra7/24/2014, 6:02:39 PM2 votes

I completely agree with you OP. I'm all good for a few players here and there, but NA LCS is the only one with a team that should by all accounts be in the Chinese league and NOT the NA league.

Angry Monster7/21/2014, 2:37:15 AM2 votes

So to be fair they did earn their spot. LMQ went through challenger league. So they earned the spot.

That said China requires 3/5 of any squad to be a Chinese national. So its not like any american team can go there and compete.

I do not care if other regions come over as long as we can go to theirs can compete. This why i am ok with korean and Eu players coming to N america. CLG was in korea for a year back in season 2. Hell Broken Shards left america and went to EU. I am kool with with this kind of player movement. Each scene is still isolated cause its 8 teams playing and in house meta is evolving.

Its when we have to aspect teams form other regions but they do not have to our teams is where the issue should arise

Semisleeper7/21/2014, 8:08:13 PM1 votes

I root against LMQ, but not really for the same reason. I haven't connected with the guys from LMQ. I watch a couple streams at night and see individuals from random LCS teams. And because most speak English in stream, I'm able to get a vibe of what kind of gamer/person that individual is.

I'm pretty new to watching streams/LCS, but I am to a point I've watched a few streams of at least one or two of the players from all of the NA and even EU teams, except LMQ. I feel it is just easier to root against the people you don't know.

The Lexer7/21/2014, 3:08:34 AM1 votes

In my opinions, it seems like the Asians are better than us americans, which is why I don't like them. Unfair advantage?