Travis Gafford, an esports journalist reported that the LCS conducted a vote to remove the Academy requirement, but this turned out to be untrue. This is according to the league commissioner Chris Greeley, who made a statement denying exactly this. Now, there is a chance that this is also untrue, so we have to take it with a grain of salt. There may in fact be some changes in the coming seasons to the LCS and the Academy, so the players can find something that works, but for now, an actual vote does not appear to have taken place.

There is always a chance of things changing, at the very least. While it’s not impossible that the team owners are talking about trying to make changes for the future, no official vote has been made to the LCS Academy requirement according to Greeley. While that is semantics, it is still an important piece to the discussion. To claim that a vote was made when perhaps at best, some talk was had, is misleading at best.

Here’s what Chris Greeley had to say on Twitter: “LCS teams can’t vote away Academy requirements. Multiple owners have confirmed for me that no vote actually took place. We are still very early in discussion with teams and the PA on what Academy/amateur looks like in 2022 and beyond. We’ve worked hard to continue to build out the developmental system. We haven’t gotten everything right, but LCS teams have supported the changes and iterations and we’re working together (and w/ the PA) to build something great.”

It’s not controversial to say that the Academy system doesn’t seem to be working very well. There’s no attention on it, and it doesn’t seem to be utilized wisely by many of the teams. The fans want to be interested, but Riot’s not giving us a reason to be. So changes are definitely a good idea. Reportedly, Gafford received a statement from the LCS Players’ Association. Some of the orgs conversations with teams “indicated that at least some teams will pursue measures that reduce or remove costs associated with the Academy system.” According to Gafford, the LCSPA would also excuse teams from their financial responsibility to protect the “future of the LCS.”

Some of the orgs sound like they want to make the Academy optional. But Greeley’s statement seems to contradict that. What is also confusing about this, is that the NA LCSPA has not made an official statement about any of this. While not every org is failing the Academy, some have been building an amateur/Academy scene. Cloud9, TSM, 100 Thieves, and Evil Geniuses are solid examples of trying to build up younger talent. So, right now, there doesn’t seem to be a vote to remove the LCS Academy requirement, but there’s certainly a chance it could change as 2022 or 2023 come forward. 

We hope that if it changes at all, it’s for the better. Simply eliminating the system without attempting to improve it and build young, up-and-coming talent is a serious waste. So while no vote apparently took place, Greeley does point out that people have been talking about the future, so Gafford’s report to that part seems accurate. We’ll just have to see how this develops.