Riot Games Crack Down on Andy Dinh and TSM: Will TSM Leave the LCS?

Riot games recently released a 'Competitive Ruling' regarding Andy Dinh, CEO/Co-Founder of TSM, which resulted in a fine of $75,000 and a two-year probation period for Andy 'Reginald' Dinh. This shocking news comes just after an internal investigation at TSM found 'no wrongdoing' by the CEO, as well as some poorly handled roster announcements. 

This all begs the question: will TSM leave the LCS?

TSM in Decline

It's no secret that TSM has been the target of much scrutiny over the past few months, thanks in no small part to CEO Andy Dinh, whose history of behavioral issues seems to be coming back to bite him. TSM Reginald (aka Dinh) has always been a vocal CEO, frequently utilizing twitter to trash talk and 'clap-back' at other owners in Esports. He has defended himself and his actions in the past on social media, but hasn't been able to hold up against an official Riot Games investigation.

It's never been uncommon for Dinh to publicly express his opinions, which made him into a polarizing figure - one that now seems to be driving fans away from TSM and towards other large Esports organizations such as Team Liquid and 100Thieves. A large part of the TSM fanbase's originally came from their LCS legacy, which has now been in decline for years.

Unfortunately, TSM LoL has greatly struggled to maintain relevance in the past 2 years or so. On top of that; franchise players like Doublelift and Bjergsen both have left the org, with the former currently involved in a lawsuit against TSM.

Back in May, we covered TSM's lawsuit with Doublelift, but obviously this isn't the first time that the two parties have had drama. In fact, Doublelift was one of the first players to accuse Reginald of workplace harassment.

Doublelift vs TSM

Doublelift, much like Reginald, is a very outspoken person. This has been his defining trait as a player and personality and aided him in becoming one of the most popular twitch streamers in the League of Legends scene. His fanbase once consisted of diehard TSM fans, but now the majority are anything but.

Now many of Doublelift's fans take his side and rail against the formerly beloved organization and it's controversial CEO. However, it's worth noting that he recently revealed his suspension from LCS Co-Streaming as a result of negative comments on LCS viewership.

It seems that many LCS fans nowadays are uncertain about the future of the league, citing viewership concerns as well as general complaints. Ex-Pro players like Doublelift and IWillDominate seem to be catering towards this audience by providing a much more relaxed viewing experience. Riot Games was willing to partner with these players rather than shut down their coverage of the events, but this may not last forever.

Will TSM Leave the LCS?

With LCS viewership declining and Riot Games cracking down on TSM, we once again return to this question: Will TSM Leave the LCS?

It sounds crazy, TSM has been an iconic LCS org since it's inception but it might not be the worst idea in the world. TSM is currently experiencing success with some of their other teams, most notably Dota 2 and Fortnite. Given how much they spend in player salaries for LoL, it may make sense for them to pivot out and keep investing in other games.

League of Legends won't be around forever, as we all know too well. For TSM, the best option may be to search for the next big game and double down on that.

Do you think TSM should leave League of Legends?