Update: Since the time of publication, Marc Merrill has posted a response to the community backlash.After a recent interview by theScore esports with Team SoloMid owner Andy Reginald Dinh, Riot Games co-founder and League of Legends co-creator Marc Tryndamere Merrill took to Reddit to respond to Dinhs complaints about the competitive scene and the impact of upcoming patch changes on the game.Just in case someone didnt read Tryndameres original comment, here you have both side by side. pic.twitter.com/hywCFhy5K5- Rulo Mercury (@RuloMercury) August 22, 2016Although Merrills response was edited, as seen in the tweet, his original response received pointed feedback from other owners within the scene and the League of Legends community, and a lengthy response from Dinh himself. Merrill not only angered the public but also has caused one of the largest Riot Games public relations disasters in recent memory. He has been openly vocal about his opinions in the past, as shown in the SpectateFaker situation in 2015, when he alleged a streamer was e-stalking another players stream.The League of Legends esports fan base has actively opposed those who disagreed with Riots business decisions and propositions, such as veteran esports journalist Richard Lewis, journalist William Turton (who was effectively bullied out) and more. Parts of the fan base have also defended some of Riot Games most mismanaged and opaque decisions, such as the recent ban of Renegades and Team Dragon Knights. But for the first time since SpectateFaker, the tables have turned -- like the Eye of Sauron, the community has shifted its aggressive gaze toward Merrill and Riot.Merrills original response to Dinhs criticism is appalling for many reasons.First, just how out of touch is Merrill with the community that the game has produced? League of Legends most beloved team, Team SoloMid, is at odds with Riot, and though this is one of the first times the rift has become public, that isnt why the tables have turned, as some have suggested. (Recently, multiple teams, including TSM, petitioned Riot to levy punishment at Apex Gaming because Apex was missing visas to compete in the 2016 Summer Promotion Tournament.) This time, the community is at odds with Merrill because of his lack of understanding of the space he oversees and his continued incompetence when addressing the public.Merrills response starts off with, Maybe [Dinh] should spend some of the millions he has made / makes from League of Legends on paying them instead of investing in other esports where he is losing money -- a statement thats not only an arrogant delusion, but a pure fallacy.While League is sometimes profitable, depending on who you are and your investment model, the recent surge of League organizations that have expanded elsewhere is a sign of future-proofing. League will not last forever, and other esports, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Super Smash Bros., allow teams to promote certain sponsors that are normally regulated by Riot Games.Two examples of this are gambling and daily fantasy websites, such as DraftKings and AlphaDraft. Alcoholic beverage companies like Bud Light recently plunged into the space as well. None of these companies is allowed to be affiliated with League of Legends teams, despite being popular among non-League teams under the umbrella of Team SoloMid and Cloud9.It seems that Riot Games esports department is selling a false idea to Merrill -- that League of Legends is esports. This has been, and continues to be, more false over time. While League of Legends was the focal point of an investment boom at the end of 2014, League is no longer the only game investors are interested in, and it was certainly not the first (Im looking at you, StarCraft II in South Korea).In fact, investors have taken a heavy interest in Counter-Strike and the recent first-person shooter release, Overwatch. Both of these games market to a different, yet overlapping, audience, a la League of Legends. With the growing popularity of both titles -- Overwatch overtook League of Legends in popularity in PC Bangs in South Korea for the first time in years -- its rare to see a major organization not involved in either game. And if these organizations arent, theyre usually pursuing a way to become involved.Second, Merrill speaks about the market value of a League of Legends pro, which he seems to not understand.There is still a long way to go to help get all of our owners into a better state where the balance of power between players & owners is a bit more equitable, he says in his response. Its not our call (nor should it be) to determine market pricing for players, but when owners dont want to shell out for top talent, thats a tricky problem.While Merrill is right that Riot doesnt directly determine that worth, the limited playing options for a talented esports athlete lead to highly competitive salaries. Ironically, Team SoloMid is reportedly among the top-paying orgs in the game. Criticizing Dinh and his organization for not paying their players enough, in turn, is almost laughable.Yet Dinhs criticism was mainly regarding the competitive patch schedule of League of Legends. The game is set to release a patch in the coming days to be used at the World Championship this year. Merrills opinion is that owners and coaches, such as Dinh, are angry because this will hide certain line up / skill deficits they may have on their rosters.Simply put, that is not what the owners, coaches or players are frustrated about. They are frustrated with the timing of the patch, and with not being included in the process of making large, sweeping, in-game decisions that will drastically affect game play and players careers. Riot Games did not notify the community before the changes were announced, and refused to allow the players the chance to push back on the timing.The solution? Transparency.This is only the tip of the iceberg, but Riot Games needs to do a better job of involving the teams and players in major changes. While the risk is potential leaks of changes, that risk is not nearly as terrible as the potential of putting some of these players careers in jeopardy by negatively influencing their play. That could make some players lose their spots on their teams, which would be a direct result of Riots lack of awareness.Additionally, Merrill needs to at least appear better-informed. His comments, as many have said, make him seem utterly disconnected from the game he helped create. This isnt the Riot that helped push esports forward by offering salaries, arenas and a world tournament tour. To get back on track, the esports side of things needs a massive overhaul. Up the player salaries, have an open discussion on benefits of regulation vs. franchising, start getting competitive with freelance caster rates (and look to treat the in-house talent better), increase the prize pool, start bringing in sponsors ... the list goes on, but one thing is for certain: Something has to change. And change starts at the top.Custom Phillies Jersey China . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Custom Richie Ashburn Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. http://www.customphilliesjersey.com/custom-richie-ashburn-jersey-large-76h.html . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Cheap Custom Phillies Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Phillies Jerseys China . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Lewis Hamilton may have driven himself into trouble with his Mercedes team after defying direct orders near the end of Sundays gripping Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the British driver lost his title to teammate Nico Rosberg in a nerve-shredding finale.Hamilton won the race but needed Rosberg to finish outside of the top three in order to retain his title.In order to further this bid, he used a technique known as backing up. It was designed to slow Rosberg down and allow pursuing drivers Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Dutch teen Max Verstappen of Red Bull to catch up.Had they both overtaken Rosberg, then Hamiltons win would have been enough for the title. Vettel and Verstappen were right on Rosbergs tail in the closing stages as Hamilton refused to accelerate -- even after Mercedes asked him twice.First of all, Hamilton ignored a race engineers request for him to speed up and then even rebuffed executive director Paddy Lowes explicit order to speed up.Im in the lead right now, he responded to Lowe. Im quite comfortable where I am.Wolff described Loews intervention as the highest escalation (procedure) we have.And he appeared to issue a warning.Anarchy doesnt work in any team or any company, he said. Undermining a structure in public means youre putting yourself before the team.Asked if Hamilton could face punishment, Wolff said: I need to form an opinion, which I havent yet and everythings possible.Rosbergs view was diplomatic.You can understand the teams perspective and you can understand Lewis perspective, the German driver said. So thats it.Mercedes wanted Hamilton to speed up because it was concerned that Vettel was gaining ground and could have won the race.Hamilton was totally unapologetic over the incident in the post-race news conference.IInstead, he openly complained about what he considered to be overly zealous interference.dddddddddddd.I dont know why they just didnt let us just race. There was never a moment where I thought I was going to lose the race, Hamilton said. Its a bit of a shame they wouldnt (just let us race). Its clear (what) their thought process (is).Hamilton wasnt finished.We had already won the constructors championship, so it was down to me and Nico today. However, they still felt that they needed to make comments, Hamilton said. Im in a position where Ive had a lot of points lost in the season, so for me Im out there fighting.Hamiltons latest reference to lost points is a continuation of previous complaints throughout the season with regards to the engine problems that cost him vital points. None more so than during the Malaysian GP, when his engine failed as he was closing in on an easy victory.When I look back on the season, if theres anything to be negative about (it) would be cars failing in certain places, Hamilton said on Thursday. (With the same engine) as the car that wouldnt stop during testing.On Thursday, Hamilton had also brought up another issue that still rankles with him.Prior to the start of the season, Mercedes swapped several mechanics around from each side of the garage in a bid to end the divide that had been growing between the two drivers groups.Youll have to buy my book ... down the line ... in 10 years time when I tell you exactly what happened, the British driver said. It will be an interesting read.In the immediate future, it will also be interesting to see how Mercedes handles this latest incident with Hamilton now that the season is over. ' ' '