Riot refuses to answer questions about Worlds relocation

Riot Games has refused to address questions regarding the relocation of the League of Legends World Championship semifinals from Toronto to Atlanta.

On June 30, Riot announced that the semifinals of Worlds 2022 would be moved from Toronto to Atlanta, citing a desire to avoid Canadian visa issues. However, the move has raised questions about Riot’s stance on reproductive rights, questions that Riot has refused to answer.

Riot Games and the abortion situation

On June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled Roe v. Wade as part of a ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For those unfamiliar with American politics, Roe v. Wade was a 1973 Supreme Court decision that protected the right to have an abortion in the United States. With Roe v. Wade overruled, individual states were free to pass their own legislation regarding abortion. Many states went on to pass total or near-total bans on abortion in the hours and days following the ruling.

In response to this, many companies publically announced that they would offer assistance to employees who would have to travel outside their home state to seek abortion access. Riot was not one of the companies to make a public announcement. However, employees were reportedly informed that Riot would provide assistance for out-of-state abortions.

Why Georgia contradicts Riot’s stance on reproductive rights

The state of Georgia, in which Atlanta is located, has been controlled at the state level by the Republican Party since the early 2000s. As a result, the state has often been at the forefront of controversial state laws, such as the 2019 law that would have scaled back abortion access in Georgia from 22 weeks of pregnancy to six.

Given that a majority of pregnant individuals are unaware they are pregnant at six weeks, the legislation is considered to be a near-total ban on abortion. However, the law was blocked by a judge and has remained in limbo ever since. With Roe v. Wade overruled, Georgia’s enjoined law could be implemented at any time.

And yet, Riot chose to relocate the Worlds semifinals to the state of Georgia, despite their reported commitment to employees. With live audiences expected to return to Worlds for 2022, the event is likely to generate significant revenue for both Riot and the state of Georgia. This is especially relevant given that State Farm Arena, where the two semifinals will take place, is owned by the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, as opposed to a private investor.

With the stadium hire and related revenue generation from fans, Riot will be directly benefitting the state of Georgia with this event. This can be viewed as a tacit endorsement of the state’s politics regarding abortion, despite the policy Riot communicated to its employees.

The move, which was announced after both the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Georgia’s push to enact its injuctioned 2019 law, raises questions about Riot’s stance on reproductive rights. A clear dichotomy has been created in which Riot will support employees seeking an abortion, but also patron a state looking to limit the ability to seek said procedure.

Furthermore, Riot has appeared unwilling to defend or explain their decision. Fragster made multiple attempts to communicate with Riot about the issue but received no response from the company.

Sports & political action

As a private company, Riot Games is not obligated to support or condemn abortion (or any political issue). Nor is the company obligated to consider the wider ramifications of their decisions. However, the world has seen sports and politics become increasingly intertwined in recent years, with several organizations taking action over political issues.

In 2016, North Carolina passed a “bathroom bill”, legislation that prevented transgender individuals from using public gendered bathrooms that match their identity. The NCAA, which oversees a majority of collegiate sports in the United States, responded by placing a ban on postseason or championship events from taking place in the state until 2022. The National Basketball Association also relocated its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans in protest. The bill was partially repealed in March 2017.

Similarly, Major League Baseball relocated its 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver to protest legislation passed by the state of Georgia that severely limited voting rights.

It remains to be seen if Riot will take any further action concerning Worlds 2022. However, for the time being, they seem content to remain silent about a ruling that affects millions of Americans and hundreds, if not thousands, of their own employees.

Header: Senate Democrats, Riot Games, David Cole, Fragster