*By Brandon Brathwaite*
League of Legends' Korean scene has a new look.
While the region's SK Telecom T1 has remained the dominant force in competitions, other contenders threaten its position. In particular, last season saw teams like Griffin and KT Rolster take advantage of a weakened SKT T1, which missed the Worlds Finals in 2018 for the first time in several years.
So what's next for LoL ー and will SK Telecom T1 make a triumphant return to glory?
According to League of Legends analyst and reporter, Emily Rand, last month's KesPA Cup 2018 provided a glimpse into the the future of the game for the upcoming LCK Season. Rand said that the new season will likely involve a resurgence of SK Telecom T1 "demon king" Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
"He has a good team around him," she told Cheddar Sports.
But, she added, "now it's going to depend on the team coming around him as a whole."
The team is in a tenuous spot after landing in eighth place in the KesPA Cup, falling to DAMWON Gaming. Griffin had a stellar outing at KesPA, nabbing the first tournament win.
Other teams like Gen. G, the former World champions and second place finishers at KesPA Cup, showed they'll be part of the conversation once the new season begins later this month.
New Jersey is on track to overtake Las Vegas as the new sports betting mecca, Darren Rovell, senior executive producer at The Action Network, told Cheddar in an interview Friday. With fewer than 7 months of sports betting on its books, New Jersey is expected to hit $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in bets by the end of the year, Rovell said.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White says the mixed martial arts league's five-year deal with ESPN puts it in a position to go the distance despite declining linear television trends. "Everything is going digital. Cord cutting is real. It's happening and we see it in all aspects of the business, whether it's pay-per-view or television," White said in an interview with Cheddar Thursday.
Two-time Call of Duty World Champ JKap talked with Cheddar Sports about why he's so excited to play with his new team, eUnited, and his thoughts going into Black Ops 4's first major, CWL Las Vegas.
A group of former NFL stars is launching an alternative professional football league for the offseason that will give players and fans a financial stake in their team's success. “We looked for markets where there was not a professional team, but a big enough market to support a team,” Ricky Williams, former two-time All American and one of the founders, told Cheddar in an interview on Tuesday.
We journeyed to Las Vegas this weekend for two huge events: CWL Las Vegas and LoL All-Stars. Featuring interviews with Optic's Scump, Dashy, Karma, Crimsix, and CEO Hector Rodriguez, G2's Blazt, Flyquest midlaner Pobelter, Vitality midlaner Jiizuke, and journalist Travis Gafford.
We cover the Game Awards from the red carpet, Smash Ultimate releases, Black Ops 4's first tournament starts in Vegas, and Zane takes on the rest of the Cheddar Sports team in a Smash Ultimate 1v3 showdown. Featuring IMT, MIBR, and LA Valiant CEO Noah Whinston, CLG COO Nick Allen, and interviews with Dominique 'SonicFox' McLean, Imane 'Pokimane' Anys, Lia 'SSSniperWolf' Shelesh, and OWL commissioner Nate Nanzer.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.
Riot expands its collegiate efforts, Overwatch League hits the road, Fortnite Season 7 drops, and we open a whole lotta Rastakhan's Rumble packs. Featuring Esports Awards Broadcaster of the Year Clint 'Maven' Evans and Logitech G Esports Business Development Head Andreas Schicker.
