LEC host Sjokz responds to “disheartening” Worlds 2020 talent comments
Michal Konkol, Riot GamesPopular League of Legends host, Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere, has responded to “disheartening comments” from fans after the Worlds 2020 talent lineup was revealed.
With all of the teams for groups now locked in and the official theme song released, Worlds 2020 is fast approaching, with the Play-In stage scheduled to kick-off on September 25.
In the last few days, Riot’s talent lineup has also finally been revealed, with members from the LEC, LCS, and LCK all confirmed to be contributing to Worlds 2020’s English broadcast.
It was previously announced that Riot would be hosting a bubble system for the major international tournament and, as a result, this year’s commentators and analysts will be hosting the event remotely from Berlin and Los Angeles.
Michal Konkol, Riot GamesWith this unusual layout, the LEC team will host all of the pre-game analysis and the LCS talent will wrap everything up with the Cooldown show, once the games have concluded.
However, this did not bode too well with some North American fans, as it meant veteran League of Legends host, James ‘Dash’ Patterson, would be featured in a different role than usual, with Sjokz set to appear as the broadcast’s lead host.
The decision sparked a lot of debate on Reddit, with plenty of controversial comments from fans comparing the two, but LEC host Sjokz has now responded to the bizarre backlash and revealed that the comments were “disheartening” to see.
Ah man. Feels bad. I‘m sure it‘ll pass but it‘s always very disheartening to see the Dash vs me comments and instead of what I think is cool – that we have a different style – it‘s apparently just not what people enjoy and I‘m perceived much worse.
— Eefje Depoortere (@sjokz) September 20, 2020
“I‘m sure it‘ll pass, but it‘s always very disheartening to see the Dash vs me comments,” she admitted before pointing out that the pair just had different styles of hosting their region’s league.
The LEC host followed up, explaining that she always puts full effort into trying to improve and claimed that she is still “seen as not professional,” before apologizing to disappointed viewers.
The Worlds situation is just what it is, and due being in the LEC studio I‘ll be hosting. I‘m sorry it‘s not what most want, but I am really excited for it in these trying times and as always I’ll put on the best show I can with the team.
— Eefje Depoortere (@sjokz) September 20, 2020
Despite her comments, the efforts of Sjokz and the LEC broadcast team has led to record growth for the European league since its move to franchising, with creative segments such as the LEC rap battles being well received by their viewers in recent years.
After responding to the unusual backlash, Sjokz received tons of support from different LoL fans and personalities — with many claiming that only a select few were actually upset with Riot’s decision.
However, with Worlds getting underway soon, the popular host revealed she was still quite excited for the international event and is looking forward to putting on the “best show” with the LEC team.