Collegiate League of Legends and Valorant champions must pay for their own trophies
For the past year, students and esports players from Texas A&M University and St. Louis University have combined schoolwork and video games with one goal in mind: bringing home the championship trophy. On June 9, five Texas A&M Brave players held up a stunning trophy made of glittering red shards after winning the College Valorant Championship; the day before, St. Louis University had League of Legends players held aloft their own trophy, a striking red gem surrounded by polished silver, after winning the College League of Legends Championship.
After their respective victories, League of Legends And Brave collegiate champions were told that the trophies weren’t theirs anyway. If they wanted one of their own, they would have to pay. The price? Each trophy would cost about $10,000. For the League of Legends players at St. Louis University, which is one-fifth of the $50,000 in prize money they received. But for the Brave players at Texas A&M, it’s double their $5,000 prize. Since then, the teams have tried to reach out to Riot Games and its third-party partners for help, but several members of the community are also trying to help: JT Vandenbree, who led Riot’s university esports program until he was fired in January, started a GoFundMe to raise money for trophiesSo far, nearly $2,000 has been raised of the $20,000 goal.
“When I heard that the teams had to pay for the trophy, especially knowing that TAMU is a club team with no institutional support, I was devastated,” Vandenbree told Polygon. “Without the resources to do anything within Riot, I figured I could do the next best thing and see if there was another way to get the students their trophies.”
The lack of a trophy to commemorate a win doesn’t take away from the students’ accomplishments, but it’s a huge disappointment for the players and staff who support the teams. Pierce Ray, president of the Texas A&M esports club, told Polygon that the win is huge for these players, who have dedicated so much of their lives to esports, And to college. “These players have practiced for hours and have come out as winners, and now they are blocked by a paywall,” he said. “I find it unacceptable.”
Both teams have now been without a trophy for over a month with no resolution. Vandenbree said Riot Games simply no longer has a team supporting scholastic esports; everyone has been laid off or reassigned. Even before the layoffs, Riot esports employees wanted to ensure the esports program would thrive under GGTech, the third partner organizer. That included dedicating employees to the first collegiate championship so winners could take home their trophies, beautiful creations by Volpin Propsa manufacturer specializing in video game props and esports trophies.
Neither Riot Games nor its tournament partner GGTech responded to Polygon’s request for comment.
“What I love about scholastic esports compared to the pros is that it’s about the bigger picture. It’s rooted in community, competition, and preparing students for lifelong success,” Vandenbree said. “The trophies are a symbol of the students’ hard work, a permanent representation of their success to their school and community, and an aspiration for anyone who wants to give it a shot next year.”
He continued: “They have the rest of their lives to become disappointed adults. I don’t want them to start here.”