Before the Esports World Cup 2024 officially kicked off, the surrounding information about the tournament attracted the attention of the audience. Notably, the most controversial factor among them is the “key exchange and key smash” element, which is considered unprecedented in the history of any sport, from traditional sports to Esports. This format has also divided the community into many supporting and opposing groups. One side argues that this will bring higher entertainment and competitiveness. Meanwhile, the opposing side views this as unsportsmanlike behavior that lacks respect for opponents.
The images of players exchanging keys after the match have highlighted all the concerns fans have. Whether they are gentle players like Zeus, or strong personalities like Bin, APA, and Humanoid, when facing opponents they just fought against, all four players displayed a certain level of awkwardness. Even a player known for frequently teasing opponents before matches, like APA, felt extremely tense when confronting Humanoid – who he had just defeated a few minutes earlier.
In fact, forcing one of the two teams to show respect to the other, even if they are rivals, is a normal occurrence in traditional sports, such as football. However, it’s clear that even at that moment, the losing teams are certainly not happy, but the teams that achieve the title are also not overly enthusiastic about it.
Specifically regarding Esports in general or League of Legends in particular, players can be rivals on the competitive stage, but in real life, they can sometimes be very close friends or at least have had fun chatting and ranking together many times. Not to mention, compared to football players, the egos and personalities of gamers can sometimes be much higher and more prone to explosive reactions. Therefore, the act of having two players exchange keys right after a match reveals many shortcomings.
Fans may view these actions as heating up the intense atmosphere. Even professionals seem excited. But for the players, facing off against their opponents after the match is not at all easy, especially when they are merely rivals and not enemies.