https://esportsinsider.com/2018/10/millenium-announces-the-end-of-its-esports-team/
With Against All Authority being disqualified for roster shortages in season 3 and rebranding into a news-focused organization, and Milennium shuttering its League team in June and just shutting down, sOAZ has outlived both orgs.
He's probably not the only one to do this--it's amazing to think on just how many of these players on Cloud 9, Fnatic, and elsewhere are seasoned vets. It brings a totally different perspective to the competition when you realize players like Sneaky have been around since season 2. His handle was SnEaKyCaStRoO. If you look up what a sneaky Castro means on urban dictionary, the result is kind of hilarious in hindsight.
Having put eyes around season 3 myself I still have all these perspectival incongruencies surrounding the League esports scene. WildTurtle isnt a poppy main anymore, ZionSpartan's relationship with his high school teacher isnt really farfetched, and Azingy isnt running Karthus jungle making me want to int on it. The bronze to challenger craze was in 2014 yet it feels like those days are ongoing. There was so much crosstalk back then between streams, and League was still a game where channels like FissMortune archived footage based on HERO, LEGENDARY, whatever ranks.
The community "matured," or moved on from these fodder games, however. Bronze to Challenger is seen as abusive, competitiveness matters far more to many viewers than outright stomps, and games without stakes--recorded by youtubers more focused on the funny little details of their matches rather than its outcome--are all but auxiliary.
The idea of a pro League of Legends player is evolving. We're so used to the idea of young, inexperienced players running to reddit and twitlongers with manifestos, that this place self-destructed waiting for Cody Sun to attempt the same. But professionalization is happening everywhere and in a couple years, a player pleading their case on reddit like PowerofEvil might receive a segment on the old sports ticker.
League of Legends is a completely different game from season 1--yet in many aspects, things about it never change. Every season it sheds its molt and tries something different, opens the door to new content entities... while often maiming others. Is it good, is it bad? I'm just a rambling guy, but I want to give props to the company who manages League's identity, and also to the professional players who have adapted year after year in the face of dozens of new champs, jungle changes and Ryze reworks. League has continued to be, through thick and ADC in 2016 lul, interesting.
In my opinion? The community has always catalyzed, directed and determined the course of this evolution. That's why it is important to recognize when the past starts crumbling away in the far-back: if Against All Authority and Milennium esports are forgotten, the trade is hindsight for nostalgia. Do you personally, reading this thread, want to be another poster who just pines for something they cant describe anymore? Then pay some attention to these happenings. So next time there's a thread wishing for a season 3 game mode you know what exactly that entails--good AND bad.
Anyway, that's what this news prompted me to say. I'm gay by the way. Above all Authority, Milennium, and sOAZ are all functional crucial aspects of this momentous, developing title.
