As the rumors began to murmur of a new LCS commissioner, the LCS YouTube channel uploaded a new video. Titled, “Next Chapter,” the thumbnail was that of on-air personality Mark Zimmerman standing in front of the Riot Games Arena, staring off into the distance.

In the first minute of the video, if you lacked prior knowledge, it was one of him reminiscing about his time with League of Legends. And then at 57 seconds, the music drop hits and it is him facing an office labeled “Commissioner.”

Did we just get a f***-ing video package for the new LCS commissioner?

It is a stark contrast from the previous LCS commissioner, whose face we never saw, hidden behind a LEGO figurine on social media.

Mark Zimmerman is now the new face of the league, looking to capture previous magic that has escaped esports as a whole. While inexperienced when it comes to the financial side of things, Zimmerman brings a wealth of experience as a content creator and an employee of Riot Games – prominently featured on their broadcast as an analyst. Long ago are the days when he was an analyst on Team Liquid.

But now he is tasked with a role much larger than the on-screen product.

He is responsible for the long-term vision of the product – defining goals and expectations to meet. He is responsible for managing the partners of the league – most of which find themselves unhappy with the current state of operations, searching for a means to exit unless improved. He is the spokesperson and the salesman of the product to the general audience and potential sponsors. And he’s also the man who has to look at Profit and Loss Statements and make educated decisions based on his understanding of said statements.

It is why Riot Games and others have often turned to “suits” for this position. The person that can step in front of a table, dressed in business attire and walk through a PowerPoint presentation likely constructed by junior analysts yet read with detail and prose that lead one to think otherwise. Someone who can read financial statements and understand what they mean. Someone who has business acumen.

Chris Greeley was the first to take the position and arguably set forth a standard of what is to be expected with the position. He would usher in the new era of esports, balancing partnership with product improvements. And while often seen as a lapdog for the parent company, he did so in a manner that acted in the best interest of the league. He navigated through less-than-ideal situations – the COVID-19 pandemic – and walked the fine line of difficult partner situations – such as the removal of Echo Fox.

His successor unfortunately would not meet similar expectations. With a background in product, Jackie Felling would be tasked with re-branding the LCS – which like many other esports products – was struggling to recover from the complications of COVID-19. Viewers were simply not tuning into the product. And despite making changes to the broadcast and how audiences were able to view matches, viewers would continue to not turn into the product, unable to connect with the content on their screen. Meanwhile, partners were beginning to revolt – scrambling to persuade investors that there was a future in the league.

Felling would depart in April of 2023 due to health complications yet the only words that felt right to define her tenure were describing how she appeared to be a nice person. The tea leaves read of someone who was in over their head when it came to the position. Three LCS organizations would follow her lead – one of which in TSM was a pillar for the region, whose loss still feels somewhat under-discussed and underrecognized – centered around the notion that the league simply wasn’t worth it.

Zimmerman’s hiring in turn feels like a commentary that a dramatic change was recognized and needed.

…

The video would primarily search for positive spins on somewhat drab realities. While fans cheer for shorter desk segments, it comes at the cost of future jobs and future sponsored segments. The time on the desk is also being traded for future-created content – most of which has not been well received by the public. The region’s developmental league — the North American Challengers League – was arguably the biggest loser, now given the graveyard shift to promote North American amateur talent despite community praise for the ‘Fearless Draft’ change and the success of the previous year. There is also the announcement of teams playing on the live patch and drafts taking place off stage – both of which do not feel like the correct decisions when it comes to competitive integrity and best for competitive play, more “hype” than actual entertainment value.

On January 9, Zimmerman would star in a video titled 2024 LCS Address, commenting on the changes to the region for the upcoming split. Matching his cheery tone in his announcement, he would read through decisions that may have already been in place before his hire.

While fans applauded Zimmerman’s first address – and the first address of its kind for the region – it felt one noted. The repetition of quotes that the league will heavily value community input – meant to inspire confidence from fans – can be argued that senior leaders are unsure of the future vision. The experts aren’t the experts.

Zimmerman and company also haven’t necessarily addressed the key problems impacting the state of the league – the biggest of which being revenue opportunities for organizations and the financial stability for partners in the league. Organizations still aren’t making money. Nor are they addressing the biggest factor involved with viewership numbers – fans want to watch good games. A broadcast only does so much when you’re watching bad teams or bad performances. The league is so focused on the marketing of the product, that it is struggling to remember that the games themselves have been the biggest issue. Fans aren’t connecting with bottom-of-the-table teams and the league has struggled to support teams on the rise – such as Golden Guardians, who exited last split.

The biggest concern is what if things don’t improve, what if things continue to go wrong? Even with years as a content creator, facing public criticism or backlash for quotes or takes, business is a different beast. Not only is your credibility on the line, so are the jobs underneath and to the side.

Then again, this is why you make the exciting pick for the boring role: to distract.

Mark Zimmerman’s hiring is the tragic reminder that esports is an industry of friends. It is one of fawning over and admiring from a distance, aspiring to become a part of one day. And one to harbor deep resentment over when scorned or turned away.  The LCS doesn’t want to succeed, make money. The people apart of it just want plans for the weekend.

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/league-of-legends/the-exciting-pick-for-the-boring-job-how-mark-zimmerman-must-balance-hype-with-business-reality/2024/01/19/