For a few years in the beginning of the 2010s, it felt like a game that every single gamer person I knew online and offline played. I met a lot of people and became friends with people on the other side of the country as well as coworkers. Somewhere in the middle of that decade, maybe earlier, Riot really lost the magic and it just felt less like a fun game and more of an aggravating e-sport.
I always liked Phreak's broadcasting personality, though it has been years since I followed LoL. I hope he's doing well.