Why every year league loses players that they could be keeping

Over the years I got better, learned macro play and managed to get my micro about as good as its going to get for my age and individual potential. When I first saw toxicity in the chat, I always found comfort knowing that the tribunal, a peer-based judgment panel, would always take the time to punish only those who started the flame wars. Then after a few years, they got rid of it and installed bots to punish people. They then expanded these bots to punish for typing keywords, even if in the context of use was not toxic or at anyone. The end result was I started getting punished, but nothing had changed since my first games of League, I just got better at the gameplay, not my conduct. I can say that I never considered myself toxic since I never said KYS or get Cancer or any other death wish like thing. If someone called me names, I would just call them names back. If I cursed, it was usually to get people to stop ignoring my chat and make the team plays.

So why does this matter now?

Well, it used to be that if you got heated in the early months trying to climb you could still get your honors if you toned it down. If you crossed the line, there was redemption. The new honor system is a hellish grind and one that doesn't forgive infractions. It used to be even if someone reports you but it wasn't grossly offensive, you would be given the benefit of the doubt and not lose out on rewards. Now if you get demoted in honor, you have a slim to none chance of getting back unless you just stop talking altogether. I honestly don't know why they have all chat in the game since that is only used to flame, it's like giving us a rope to hang ourselves with and then Riot claims they want to reform the community. They really just want to low key manipulate us into being soy boys that never lash out even in defense and just mindlessly play the game so we can show off the skins we bought. Used to be, the community reformed itself and it was compassionate, now its bots and a cold corporate drone who may or may not even play the game competitively and thus doesn't understand you.

I only played to get better and earn the bragging rights for that, but I can't promise that I will never flame back if attacked without reason. As such I will most likely have a bad day, then get demoted in honor and won't be able to get rewards which makes the game pointless for me. So I am quitting league for good as I am not about to pay time and money into a product that doesn't reward me or care about it. A Corp. that engages in gender and racial discrimination but says I am toxic for trying to explain to someone that their understanding is flawed because I "spammed the chat" and "hurt their feelings " with facts. Here is the log that was "so toxic" it and others like it cost me a chance to get my rewards.

[5:45] Hecarim: good [7:06] Hecarim: just report them [7:16] Hecarim: I lost my jungle fight because they are bad [9:13] Hecarim: that's why [9:18] Hecarim: because liss lost top [9:29] Hecarim: then I go to kill graves after he stole my red early [9:43] Hecarim: riven roams down and saves graves with 20 hp [9:46] Hecarim: so yeah [9:52] Hecarim: its pretty much all top [10:05] Hecarim: but flame the guy that stayed [10:14] Hecarim: since the dc guy can't see your cries [10:50] Hecarim: really [10:58] Hecarim: ok kid [11:08] Hecarim: no I am just behind [11:19] Hecarim: and you are flaming me for not trying to get things done [11:26] Hecarim: tell me what should I do [11:31] Hecarim: mr I am silver [11:34] Hecarim: tell me [12:40] Hecarim: nobody cares [12:45] Hecarim: I proved myself in ranked [12:50] Hecarim: you are afraid [12:55] Hecarim: or hard stuck [13:02] Hecarim: hard to tell by just looking at rank [13:25] Hecarim: I guess for you [13:31] Hecarim: this norm game means a lot [13:47] Hecarim: kinda sad to get so upset over the casual game mode [14:28] [All] Hecarim: basically my team right now lol [14:51] [All] Hecarim: sivir is hard stuck silver, thinks norms are something to get salty about' [15:29] Hecarim: the sad part is sivir is mad at liss, which to be fair I am to [15:47] Hecarim: I am just not flaming random people to let my rage out [16:09] Hecarim: lol [16:32] [All] Hecarim: ggwp [19:05] Hecarim: liss has 11 cs [19:14] Hecarim: right [19:19] Hecarim: and yet you blame me [19:25] Hecarim: the guy that didn't rage quit [19:39] Hecarim: do you not see the sad part of that [19:54] Hecarim: you are basically telling me, that rage quit is better than trying [20:00] Hecarim: that is why you will be silver

For context, I was playing normals to get my honor back without having to worry about losing my LP by spamming games in ranked when I might not be in the best condition to win all those games. We had a Liss top which was troll, but I didn't care since it was normals. Liss dies in the first five mins and then DC's. I said good at that point because it was just such a classic situation. I then got my entire top side jungle taken from me. Mid and bot proceed to feed even though their jungler and top was busy hunting me down and not ganking, but I got blamed. I tried to point things out to them and explain that I was trying to get back in the game, but the silver players decided to insult my skill and call me trash, which is like me calling challenger players trash. So I checked their egos by explaining I at least earned the respect of a plat player and they have done no such thing and thus shouldn't insult my skill. It's the one thing that is objectively true, and I guess that is considered toxic, defending my skill and the respect that should come with it from plebs that are still learning the ropes. The rest of it was me just trying to explain how their rage has blinded them and how they are only attacking me because I can hear it and that it was the wrong attitude to have. But I guess that is considered arguing and also toxic. So senior players are allowed to be disrespected, and if they point out skill gaps that is toxic and if they try to help people understand their rage, from personal experience, that is toxic. It's not a community at that point, it's just random people who are basically bots, and if they express individualism in the chat, then bam, toxic. Someone flames you, don't bother trying to help them understand, report them and let Riot ban them without much explanation on how they could have gotten better. What do they learn from that, that chat is dangerous and will get me banned so I better not talk? That's the saddest anti-fun thing I have ever heard, and that's another reason why I am done.

TL:DR League and ranked rewards are like going to a dinner, paying for a steak, being told that you have to go get the cow, kill and butcher it, cook it and then right when you are about to eat the steak you worked so hard for, they tell you that you should have just ignored that guy that insulted you back at the farm and so you don't get to have your steak. Riot dinner employee then says, "Please come again next time and try again." Pretty sure that dinner would go under in a heartbeat, but I am only an Economics minor and not a Major, so maybe I am missing the hook that keeps people coming back. Perhaps they just enjoy the process of making a steak and don't want to eat it. Sounds dumb, but maybe that's just me.