Recently, the team T1 officially announced the successful extension of their contract with player Teddy. This contract is considered a long-term deal as it lasts until 2022.
For LoL, very few players choose to extend their contracts mid-season because at that time they are not allowed to interact with any other teams except their current one, meaning they cannot consider salary, benefits… Some cases of mid-season extensions like Faker’s are due to a long-standing relationship with T1, or Jankos because everything at G2 is suitable, with nothing more to consider.
In fact, T1’s contract with Teddy was leaked 2 weeks ago, but we either didn’t notice or thought it wasn’t true. When Faker signed his extension with T1, Korean fans were eagerly awaiting Teddy’s re-signing, calling him Park Jongshin (Park for life) with the hope that Teddy would stay for a long time.
– On June 3, Teddy mentioned Park Jongshin: Park Jongshin is a bit… since I’m still young, I still have a lot of time, and I have to look to the future.
– On June 4, signed the contract.
– On June 6, Joe Marsh hinted about Teddy’s commitment on his personal stream.
– On June 15, Teddy changed his ID to T1 Gomtangi (In Korean, it means T1 Bear and he wanted something to confirm his belonging to T1 on his account).
Many believe that if Teddy placed higher value on personal benefits and money than on feelings, he would not sign at this moment, so fans are encouraged to support Teddy even more in the upcoming time. “Teddy came to T1 and passed up offers from other regions because ‘there’s Faker there’, now Teddy stays, accompanying his teammates, which is something very commendable” – shared by Lee “Faker” Sanghyeok Vietnam Fanpage.
To clarify this, let’s revisit an interview with Teddy:
Interviewer: How did you come to join SKT?
Teddy: SKT was once the dominant team in LoL and I really wanted to know how they could achieve that. In the past, I dreamed of playing for SKT, and now that they made an offer, I agreed.
Interviewer: Surely there were many other offers, but why did you still choose SKT?
Teddy: Of course, because SKT made good conditions, but above all, I wanted to play alongside Faker. To me, he has always been number 1, Faker is my idol.
Interviewer: So will you play in Faker’s style?
Teddy: I haven’t had the chance to practice with Faker, but I’m still very excited. We both play in the most important positions: Mid Lane and ADC, and I want to perform well in front of him.
Clearly, Teddy’s contract extension at such a sensitive time and for such a long duration demonstrates his dedication and feelings towards T1 in general and Faker in particular. Fans wholeheartedly support Teddy’s decision, and let’s look forward to the impressive performances of the entire T1 team in the upcoming seasons.
In another development, The LCK Summer trailer has also officially been released. This is the first time that the LCK trailer does not feature direct player appearances but rather digital simulated images.