TSM League of Legends division
Seven-time LCS champion and founding member of the league.
The League of Legends division of TSM was a professional gaming team based in Los Angeles, California, that competed in the League Championship Series (LCS) from 2013 to 2023. It was the founding division of Team SoloMid, established in 2011, and won seven LCS titles, including three consecutive from 2016 to 2017. The organization sold its LCS franchise slot in 2023.
Quick Facts
- Game
- League of Legends
- Founded
- 2011
- League
- LCS (2013–2023)
- City
- Los Angeles, California
- Owner
- Andy "Reginald" Dinh
Facts from the source article.
History
The origins of Team SoloMid trace to September 2009, when Andy "Reginald" Dinh and his brother Dan Dinh created the blog SoloMid.net, providing written guides for League of Legends. Both brothers had been part of the beta-era clan All or Nothing, which later rebranded to SoloMid. A group representing the SoloMid.net community formed the original TSM team: Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco, Shan "Chaox" Huang, Brian "TheOddOne" Wyllie, Choi "Locodoco" Yoon-seop, and Reginald. Team SoloMid was officially created in January 2011. By the first season of what became the League Championship Series, SaintVicious and Locodoco had left, replaced by Christian "TheRainMan" Kahmann and Alex "Xpecial" Chu. Jack Etienne became general manager that year. In June 2011, TSM participated in the Season One World Championship, finishing 3rd after a lower bracket final loss to Against All Authority. At Gamescom in August, they placed second in both the Global Challenge Cologne and ESL Major Series VIII. In late October 2011, TSM moved into a gaming house in Lindenhurst, New York, the first North American team to do so. The following month, they won their first LAN event at the 2011 MLG Providence League of Legends tournament.
Naming sponsorships
In February 2013, Team SoloMid rebranded as Team SoloMid Snapdragon after a sponsorship from Qualcomm, working alongside CBS Interactive. This led to TSM Snapdragon appearing in the weekly web series Gamecrib from February 20 to June 14, 2013. In June 2021, TSM struck a 10-year, $210 million naming rights deal with the crypto exchange FTX, becoming TSM FTX. However, Riot Games barred the new name and branding from League of Legends broadcasts, as cryptocurrency exchange sponsorships violated their guidelines. The LCS approved the deal but restricted FTX branding on jerseys. The partnership ended in November 2022 following FTX's bankruptcy.
More in Club History
Elsewhere in TSM
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced