The horn for the Second Season is about to sound, and a comprehensive management system must be established before the tournament officially begins. In the regulatory conference room at Riot Games headquarters, Qin Feng convened the company's legal team, Tournament Operations Director Zhao Dong, and specially invited legal experts from the sports industry to jointly discuss the foundational system for the professional league.
The draft of the "league of legends Professional League Player Registration and Management Regulations" was displayed on the giant projection screen. This was an important document that would affect the future of the entire industry.
Seat Confirmation: Transparent Admission Mechanism
"First, regarding the confirmation of league seats." Zhao Dong pulled up the final results of the seat bidding. "After rigorous qualification review and bidding processes, all 12 seats for the inaugural LPL have been finalized."
The list of 12 teams was displayed on the screen, including established powerhouses like Star Sea Team and three brand-new teams backed by new capital.
"The final transaction price for each seat exceeded 12 million," Zhao Dong reported. "This surpassed our initial expectations and proves the market's strong confidence in the esports industry."
Qin Feng nodded. "The scarcity of seats guarantees the league's value, but the subsequent management is even more important. We must ensure that these investors genuinely want to operate an esports business long-term, rather than engaging in short-term speculation."
Player Registration: The Start of Standardization
Next, they moved to the core topic —the player registration system.
"All participating players must complete official registration," explained Legal Director Li Ming. "We will establish a unified player database, including basic information, match records, contract status, and so on."
Sports legal expert Professor Zhang added, "Considering the professional specificity of esports players, we recommend setting the minimum age for registered players at 16 years old, and requiring parental consent for minors."
"This setting is very reasonable." Qin Feng agreed. "But we must focus even more on protecting the players' rights and interests."
Health and Safety: The Uncrossable Bottom Line
Qin Feng specifically emphasized the issue of player health.
"The regulations must clearly stipulate that all teams must provide players with regular health checkups, including vision tests, wrist CT scans, and psychological evaluations." His tone was very serious. "Daily training time must not exceed 10 hours, and players must rest after two consecutive hours of training."
Zhao Dong raised a question: "Will such regulations affect the team's training effectiveness?"
"Health is the greatest benefit," Qin Feng stated firmly. "We must change the stereotype that 'esports equals burning out one's youth.' Only a healthy professional environment can foster longer-lasting careers."
He continued, "In addition, all tournament venues must meet safety standards, including sufficient emergency medical equipment, appropriate venue lighting, and ergonomic competition equipment."
Player Rights: A Fair and Transparent Contract System
Regarding the protection of player rights, Qin Feng put forward revolutionary requirements.
"We will implement standardized player contracts," he said, displaying the contract template. "All contracts between players and teams must be filed with the League, and key terms must be made public."
The contract template included several important innovations:
1. Minimum Salary Guarantee: Minimum salary standards set according to the league tier
2. Image Rights Revenue Sharing: Players are entitled to 50% of their personal commercial endorsement income
3. Transfer Autonomy: Players have the right to freely choose their next team upon contract expiration
4. Dispute Arbitration Mechanism: Establishment of an independent Dispute Resolution Committee
"Won't these terms be too harsh on the teams?" a legal specialist asked worriedly.
"Fair contracts are necessary to establish a healthy relationship," Qin Feng replied. "We need to prevent players from being bound by unfair contracts, and also prevent teams from arbitrarily discarding players. This is two-way protection."
Salary Transparency: Breaking the Industry Black Box
Due to Qin Feng's insistence, a highly controversial clause —salary transparency —was added to the regulations.
"The salary range for all registered players will be made public internally within the League," Qin Feng explained. "This allows players to understand their market value and prevents malicious bidding and 'yin-yang' contracts."
Professor Zhang praised, "This approach is rarely seen even in traditional sports. CEO Qin truly has great vision."
Youth Training System: Sustainable Talent Pipeline
The regulations also made detailed provisions for the development of young players.
"Every team must establish its own youth training system," Zhao Dong introduced. "Youth trainees enjoy the same rights protection as official players, including minimum wages, health insurance, and basic education."
"We must also establish a Player Education Fund," Qin Feng added, "to help players who choose to retire complete their studies or transition careers."
Supervision and Punishment: Guaranteeing the System
To ensure these provisions are enforced, the regulations established a strict oversight mechanism:
· The League has the right to randomly inspect team compliance at any time
· Establishment of an anonymous reporting channel for players
· Non-compliant teams will face heavy fines or even the revocation of their seats
· Establishment of a player credit rating system
"The purpose of the system lies in its execution," Qin Feng summarized. "We need everyone to understand that professional esports is not above the law."
Industry Reaction and Impact
When this set of management regulations was announced to the public, it immediately caused a strong reaction.
Active players expressed their support:
"Finally, someone is speaking up for the players!"
"Health protection is too important; many veterans have suffered chronic injuries."
"Public contracts give us the confidence to negotiate."
Team management, however, reacted complexly:
"Management costs have certainly increased, but it's a good thing in the long run."
"A transparent environment is more conducive to healthy competition."
"We need to re-adjust our team operation model."
Industry insiders commented, "This system will push the entire industry toward standardization and professionalization. It is a milestone."
At the Star Sea Team base, Lin Haoming held the new regulations and told his team members, "It looks like we have to raise your salaries and arrange regular physicals. This is a good thing; it shows that esports is truly becoming legitimate."
Su Xiao looked at the contract template and whispered, "With these protections, more young people can confidently pursue their esports dreams."
Laying the Foundation for the Future
Night fell. Qin Feng stood in front of his office's floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city lights. He knew that the systems established today would safeguard the esports dreams of countless young people.
Although the road to professionalization is long, today they took a solid step forward. A healthy, standardized, and sustainable esports industry is slowly rising upon the foundation of these systems.
And the war drums of the Second Season are about to beat.