Earlier this year, the North American League of Legends community was in turmoil upon hearing that representatives from multiple LCS teams proposed to Riot Games to abolish the foreign player limit.
The underlying reason is speculated by the community to be that many North American teams “have lost all sense of honor,” as everyone wishes to obtain a trophy on the international stage to make this region “equal” with the LCK, LPL, and LEC. Moreover, in recent years, LCS has heavily invested in players, yet the results have still only yielded disappointment at MSI and Worlds.
This almost shatters the dreams of those teams that proposed to abolish the foreign player rule. Considering international achievements in recent years, having a North American team reach the knockout stage has already been a miracle, while winning a championship at an international tournament seems far-fetched.
On the contrary, many players and fans support Riot Games’ decision. They believe that this is necessary to maintain the identity of each League of Legends region; if the foreign player rule were abolished, tournaments would become boring and monotonous.