Today’s cartoon is about the Worlds 2020 finals and its radio silent crowd.

After COVID-19 made the live fan interaction aspect of LoL Esports disappear this year, it was quite refreshing to have a series with a live crowd in the venue. The series is quite a fierce one. For the LCK fans, the three years that it took for the LCK to bring back the Summoner’s Cup must’ve flashed back in their minds. While their cheers must’ve roared across their TV screens, the crowd at the venue were radio silent. 

The term, ‘library’ is commonly used to mockingly describe situations like such. It’s not only used to describe how silent the venue is, but also to describe how the fans only cheer for the home team and blatantly ignore the other. LPL fans have a lot of pride in their own league, so as DAMWON Gaming lifted the Summoner’s Cup in front of the Chinese crowd, the empty seats in the stadium felt even colder.

Of course, it’s completely unfair to pressure people to cheer for the opposing team, as the feeling of seeing the crowd favorites lose must be devastating. However, is it too much to ask to show a little bit of respect for the team that won fair and square? Is it really too much to ask to just enjoy the birth of the new world champions, and just enjoy the moment? They're all part of sportsmanship 101, and the lack of it felt like the series was just the same as without a crowd.

Worlds will take place in China again in 2021. LPL teams have the potential to become so much stronger by utilizing this year’s loss. With how strong they looked this year, they're likely to make it to next year's finals as well. When that time comes, it is the writer’s hope that their cheers towards the opposing team be heard louder than this year.