Esports share many features with traditional sports, and in this sector, some teams have conquered public favor over the years. Below, you will find the stories of some of the most important international teams that have built a solid fan base in the panorama of the esports.
T
The Team Solo Mid, known as the TSM abbreviation, is one of the most recognized teams in U.S. virtual sports. Its history has roots in the community of League of Legends, the world-famous exhibition title. The founder, Andy “Reginald” Dinh, started the activity in 2009 with the community website called Solomid.
After a two-year commitment to the web portal and some competitive experiences with other teams, Reginald took the initiative to form a competitive team under his leadership. This group, made up of community veterans, was successful by placing third place at the League of Legends World Championships. Reginald's passion for the competition led him to create one of the first game structures in the West, consolidating TSM as the best team in North America.
In 2013, Reginald chose to abandon the competitive goals to devote full time to the management of the company, and Bjergsen, a young Danish, took his place becoming the main face of the team. With the CEO focused exclusively on the corporate side, the TSM achieved new goals: in 2014 important sponsorship agreements were signed, and competitive presence extended to Hearthstone, Super Smash Bros and, in 2015, to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).
2015 was a crucial year for the brand, marked by the first international success at the League of Legends IEMs. Meanwhile, the CS:GO team dominated the competitive scene by winning numerous events throughout the year. In the following years, TSM continued to expand its roster, becoming a reference team in North America. However, in 2017, problems occurred when historical players such as Dyrus and Doublelift left the organization, risking fan loyalty.
The situation reflected not only on the performance of the team but also on its media visibility. In 2020, Bjergsen became a coach, leading to a decline in performance in the League of Legends division. Despite the challenges on the field, TSM founded ICON, a separate talent company but within the same company group, dedicated to managing influencers in North America to offer their services to brands and sponsors.
In 2021, the team changed its name to TSM FTX, underlining an unprecedented sponsorship agreement of $210 million in 10 years with the FTX cryptocurrency agency based in Hong Kong. This partnership has broken record in the exhibition landscape, competing with the most significant sponsorships in traditional sports.
Although TSM is no longer the dominant team, it remains a giant in the North American export industry, waiting for the moment to return to the summit.
Clan
In 2014, FaZe began to develop a real corporate structure, with Thomas “Temperrr” Oliveira taking on the role of CEO and Richard “Banks” Bengston as COO. Thanks to their efforts, the first Clan gaming facility is inaugurated in the same year, where teams do not just create content related to gaming, but also explore their lifestyle. FaZe’s gaming house becomes a kind of reality TV, allowing a daily snapshot of the life of players through team social media, going beyond just video games.
In the following years, FaZe became a significant presence in the CS:GO and Call of Duty championships, but its fame is distinguished above all by the innovative use of its athletes and influencers in generating media content, unique in its kind in the world of esports. In 2017, FaZe created a YouTube House, where talent can collaborate in creating content to maximize media impact, thus establishing a “standard” for esports teams and media agencies.
In 2018, Greg Selkoe, founder of the Karmaloop clothing sales site, became president of FaZe, and at the end of the year, Clan received its first round of investments, attracting the attention of characters such as DJ Paul, Pitbull, NBA players including Ben Simmons, and some members of the world of cinema and entertainment. In less than two years, FaZe Clan collects over $40 million.
For FaZe, gaming and reality TV have always been interconnected, but it is in 2020 that the company officially expands into the entertainment world with the opening of FaZe Studios, dedicated to creating independent media projects, such as films and songs. In 2021, FaZe merged with B. Riley Principal, becoming the first exhibition company to be listed on the NASDAQ with an initial $1 billion rating.
Following this merger, FaZe Clan changed its name to FaZe Holdings Incorporated, maintaining its influence as an influential voice in youth culture.
Fnatic
Fnatic is one of the longest-lived Western organizations in the history of esports, founded in 2004 by Sam and Anne Mathews. Over the years, he became the most renowned company in Europe thanks to the numerous exhibiting successes. Fnatic's first steps in the competitive world take place with Counter Strike and Warcraft III teams, leading titles in Europe in the early 2000s. The initial success contributes to the conquest of the first fans, laying the foundations for the consolidation of the brand.
The development of Fnatic has been slower compared to other realities, as exports begin to gain popularity since 2010. However, even before this date, the organization had decided to expand to other titles such as Dota and World of Warcraft.
Since 2010, esports and Fnatics have been gaining more and more, culminating in 2011 with the World League of Legends title, the first of many successes on this game. League of Legends quickly becomes the most followed digital sport in the world, and Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, the flag holder of the organization, represents a key element. The young Swedish joined the main team in 2014, becoming the face of Fnatic for several years and leaving a significant void in the brand after abandonment in 2020.
Despite its more corporate and formal brand image than other teams, Fnatic has continued to be the protagonist in numerous titles over the years. Thanks to these performances, it attracted more than 55 million dollars of investments between 2017 and 2021. Over the years, Fnatic has solidified its corporate image, stringing long-term sponsorship agreements with companies like Hisense and BMW.
Although it is not considered one of the most spectacular organizations, the results on the field and the long history of Fnatic ensure the brand a special place in the hearts of spectators.
G2
G2 Esports represents the second European organization that has written the history of esports, distinguishing itself clearly from the above mentioned Fnatic. His story began in 2014 with the name Gamers2, founded by former League of Legends player Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez Santiago and Jens Hilgers. Initially, the team was successful in Spain, especially thanks to the fame of Ocelote in the national scene. In 2016, Gamers2 qualified for the European League of Legends, and officially changed its name to G2. The team, emerging rapidly in the first positions of the European competition, immediately establishes a rivalry with Fnatic.
In the following years, G2 became the team to be beaten in the LLC, achieving international success against oriental teams considered unbeatable until then in the eyes of the public.
The influence of G2 is not limited to a single title, and the team soon incorporates divisions dedicated to CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege and, more recently, Valorant and Apex Legends.
What makes the story of G2 unique is Ocelote's approach to the public: the owner never took the camera, keeping contact with fans through comic and auto-ironic videos. This approach to social media has made Ocelote the face of the team, in a way similar to how Elon Musk is the face of his corporations, guaranteeing the brand an excellent presence on social media.
The relationship with fans is crucial to the G2, so that in 2021 the team launched a NFT project on the Solana platform, aiming to make the tokens an entry ticket for the G2 fan club. Despite the absence of other media projects parallel to the exhibition, G2 has narrowed sponsorship contracts with big brands such as BMW, Pringles and Adidas, consolidating the brand as one of the largest in the world scene.
T
You can’t argue about exhibit teams without mentioning at least one representative of the East: T1 is an association born in the cradle of esports, Korea. Founded in 2012 by the largest telecommunications association, at the time under the name of SKT (South Korea Telecom), T1 created an ambitious project that planned the creation of two League of Legends rosters to participate in the League of Legends regional championship. The first team was formed at the end of 2012, while the second team took shape at the beginning of 2013. The latter, Team B, boasted in his rose a young promise that would prove to be the greatest player of League of Legends of all time: Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok.
The success was immediate and SKT1 won the 2013 World Championships, marking the beginning of many other triumphs. After a short false step in 2014, SKT1 won the World Championships in 2015 and 2016, entering its name in the League of Legends Hall of Fame and, more generally, esports. Faker's mastery and the success of the team in the field attracted a large number of fans, extending even outside Korea despite the linguistic barrier.
The organization remained entirely dedicated to League of Legends until 2019, when Comcast, an American entertainment and telecommunications company, invested in SKT1, which then changed its name to T1. Thanks to the new American partners, T1 began to look beyond the borders of Korea and expanded its stable in 2020, including a team of Fortnite, Apex Legends and Valorant. In the same year, Faker renewed the contract with the team becoming a shareholder of T1.
Towards the end of 2020, T1 announced a partnership with BTS, the very popular group of K-pop, in what is the first step towards a complete rebranding of the organization. In 2021, T1 opened the T1 eSports Academy, a school offering courses for amateur and semi-professional players.
SKT1 was already a pillar in the world of esports, and the new direction taken with rebranding at T1 is placing them as a world-class industry leader.
