Miado makes most of his off-season by training in Malaysia
NEW YORK — Esports fans are gathering by the thousands in South Korea this month to watch the world’s top League of Legends players show off their skill and expertise.
In the United States, the game’s publisher is hoping to draw a more casual crowd by starting with an important question: What is League of Legends?
TBS will air a onehour “Esports 101” special about the world’s most-played PC video game Friday night in conjunction with League of Legends developer Riot Games. Turner Sports is publicizing the production as a “lighthearted, accessible introduction” to the game, which boasts 14 professional leagues and over 850 salaried athletes worldwide.
The show is part of an effort by Riot to increase the game’s presence in America. League of Legends, a fantasy-based multiplayer online battle arena game, has been the world’s most popular esport since its introduction in 2009. But interest in the U.S. has recently slumped a bit.
“We’re trying to find ways to demonstrate that League is still here, League is still a great game to play,” said Chris Hopper, Riot’s North American head of esports. “Our esport is incredibly competitive and has a lot to add to anyone who wants a deeper experience out of their game or esport of choice. For us, this piece fits right into that.”
The game’s professional ranks have always been dominated by Asian clubs. Two Asian teams have met in every world championship final since the tournament began in 2012, with South Korean franchises winning all but one of those titles.
No team from North America has ever advanced beyond the quarterfinals, though Cloud9 could become the first this weekend.
North American team owners identified the U.S. amateur system as a concern when they met this summer, especially at the lowest levels. Part of addressing that includes attracting more young players. Airing an introduction to the game on TBS might help encourage curious teens to give the free computer game a try — and generate some interest ahead of the Nov. 3 world championship final in Incheon, South Korea.
The show will focus on the game itself, plus the culture and history surrounding it. The show will air at 11 p.m., which Hopper believes is a good time for the target audience of college and high school students. The program eventually will be available on Twitch, Amazon’s online streaming platform that has much of the world’s top esports content.
Airing gaming content on television isn’t just good for attracting new viewers. Hopper has noticed some advertising partners are hesitant to jump into digital-only partnerships, but Riot can lure bigger sponsors by presenting some content on traditional mediums. DRIVEN by the desire to become an allaround mixed martial arts competitor, Filipino dynamo Jeremy Miado travelled 1,109 kilometers to train in Sabah, Malaysia for two weeks.
The 25-year-old knockout artist briefly left his home in Marikina City to supplement his growth as an athlete by spending time at the Kota Kinabalubased Borneo Tribal Squad, which is one of the top mixed martial arts gyms in Asia.
Under the tutelage of AJ Lias Mansor, one of the finest mixed martial arts coaches in the region who is responsible for developing Malaysian sensation Ann “Athena” Osman, Miado learned invaluable tricks of the trade in grappling arts such as wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“Jeremy has heavy hands. He has knockout power, but the glaring area that needs improvement is his grappling. We focused on that during his stay in Kota Kinabalu. We also gave him a good conditioning program to maximize his stamina and endurance,” Lias Mansor said about Miado’s two-week visit at Borneo Tribal Squad.
Praised for his tremendous power in both hands, which became very famous when he knocked out former ONE strawweight world Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke this past March, Miado is fully aware the grappling aspect of the sport is his Achilles' heel, prompting him to give solid attention to his ground game at Borneo Tribal Squad.
“I admit that my ground game needs improvement. That’s why my team in the Philippines sent me to Malaysia to work on it. It was worth it, especially I had the chance to learn from my mistakes in my last fight,” he discussed.
In his most recent outing, Miado suffered a three-round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Thai wrestler Kritsada Kongsrichai in June.
“I want to achieve more in this sport, and the first step that I need to do is to acknowledge my weaknesses, and then learn and develop my skills. These guys at Borneo Tribal Squad did a great job in bringing out the best in me,” Miado stated.
Miado pointed out that Kota Kinabalu is one of the perfect places to camp for an upcoming bout as Borneo Tribal Squad’s training facility is situated near the renowned natural wonders of Malaysia, which gave him the luxury and pleasure to train both indoors and outdoors.