The Rise and Fall of TSM LoL Esports: The Story of Andy Dinh
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Team SoloMid (TSM) is the most valuable esports organization according to Forbes. The team started out with humble beginnings. Originally the TSM website was just a place League players would go for guides on how to play the game better. Back in 2011 The team consisted of 5 players that had just placed 3rd in the League of Legends Season 1 Championship. After the defeat Andy Dinh or ‘Reginald’ the leader of TSM had decided to invest in one of the first ever gaming houses. Back then TSM’s brand was just 5 ‘friends’ having a good time and traveling to tournaments all over the world. They posted vlogs and streamed on the regular.
The gaming house would eventually pay off as the team placed 1st and 2nd in their next two events. But that didn’t stop TSM’s first controversy as a few months later Reginald would replace one of his teammates that was supposedly his friend. Citing attitude differences between them. That wouldn’t be the last time that a disagreement would result in an employee leaving TSM abruptly.
Overall TSM dominated the scene for the next year except for the World Championships. But that didn’t matter as TSM had qualified for the North American League Championship Series (NA LCS). Season 3 marked a change in TSM, from a bunch of friends having a good time to an actual corporation dedicated to giving fans content, and above all else, winning. TSM had started producing weekly documentaries, complete with a cameraman on staff to give insight into what the team dynamic was like. On more than one occasion Andy could be seen insistently arguing and blaming teammates. Eventually another scandal would take place as another member would again be replaced due to attitude differences. However, they would go on to win the first NA LCS Spring split.