On June 29, 2024, T1 hosted the first-ever home and away match in LCK history.
Called T1 Home Ground, the most high-energy moments happened when fans cheered T1 chants passionately in unison.
Competing against KT Rolster at the Goyang Sono Arena, which departs from the traditional neutral venues like LoL Park, the T1 Home Ground event provided a unique esports experience for fans, drawing inspiration from South Korea’s popular baseball culture to envision future esports events.
You see in South Korea, baseball games are famous for their lively cheering culture, which includes coordinated chants, original songs for individual players, and interactive activities. According to Statista, 62% of South Koreans cite baseball as their favorite sport, which makes it incredibly popular.
T1 Home Ground was meticulously planned to emulate the baseball atmosphere
“We thought that when Korean fans hear the word ‘Home Ground,’ the most familiar sport that comes to mind is baseball. Not only that, we thought baseball was one of the most popular home and away sports that can inspire fans from around the world,” a T1 spokesperson told ONE Esports.
The arena, accommodating approximately 7,000 fans, was divided into home and away sections, where fans compete to cheer the loudest for their teams.
Each player had their own song when entering the stadium, much like in baseball. For example, “Legends Never Die” feature Against the Current was played when Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok walked out while “GODS” by NewJeans was Ryu “Keria” Min-seok’s anthem.
Actress Park Bo-young, known for her versatile roles in films like “Scandal Makers” and “A Werewolf Boy” as well as dramas such as “Oh My Ghost” and “Strong Woman Bong-soon,” made a surprise appearance for the rose ceremony before the start of the second half where she hand out roses to the athletes.
Adding to the event’s celebratory atmosphere, singer Ailee, a renowned Korean-American artist with hit singles like “Heaven,” sang the national anthem with powerful vocals.
Additionally, a variety of halftime activities were held, including a fan staring contest, where participants stare into the camera and whoever blinks first loses. A mirror game was played, where two attendees are given a topic and have to perform the same action.
There was even an XO trivia game, where participants are given a true or false question about T1 players and had to guess correctly. These activities, all done through fan cam that rewarded them with prizes, added to the positive audience experience.
The standout feature, of course, was the use of T1 chants for players, just like those heard in baseball stadiums. T1 worked with a university cheerleader group to create chants reflecting each player’s uniqueness.
“To combine the existing pro sports cheering chants with the progress of esports games, we needed to discuss with cheering professionals who know well about esports,” the T1 spokesperson explained to ONE Esports.
T1 chants for Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, and Keria in Korean with English translation by ONE Esports
| ZEUS CHEER | ONE ESPORTS’ ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| 우제~ 우제 우제 우제~ T1의 TOP~ ZEUS야~ (형이야) 우제~ 우제 우제 우제~ ZEUS와~ 승리하리~ (캐리) 우제~ 우제 우제 우제~ T1의 TOP~ ZEUS야~ (형이야) 우제~ 우제 우제 우제~ ZEUS와~ 승리하리~ (캐리) | Wooje~ Wooje Wooje Wooje~ T1’s TOP~ It’s ZEUS~ (I’m your hyung) Wooje~ Wooje Wooje Wooje~ With ZEUS, we’ll win~ (Carry) Wooje~ Wooje Wooje Wooje~ T1’s TOP~ It’s ZEUS~ (I’m your hyung) Wooje~ Wooje Wooje Wooje~ With ZEUS, we’ll win~ (Carry) |
| ONER CHEER | ONE ESPORTS’ ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| Oh! 너는 최고야~ (ONER!) T1의 Jungler~ (ONER!) Oh! 협곡의 주인~ (ONER!) Oh! Oner~ Oner~ (Clap x3) Oh! 너는 최고야~ (ONER!) T1의 Jungler~ (ONER!) Oh! 협곡의 주인~ (ONER!) Oh! Oner~ Oner~ (Clap x3) | Oh!Ner (You in Korean) are the best~ (ONER!) T1’s Jungler~ (ONER!) Oh! The master of the Rift~ (ONER!) Oh! Oner~ Oner~ (Clap x3) Oh!Ner (You in Korean) are the best~ (ONER!) T1’s Jungler~ (ONER!) Oh! The master of the Rift~ (ONER!) Oh! Oner~ Oner~ (Clap x3) |
| FAKER CHEER | ONE ESPORTS’ ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| 우리 MID FAKER~ 외쳐라 T1 FAKER! 오늘 또 한번, 승리를 위해 외쳐라 T1 FAKER! 협곡을 우릴 함성으로~ 외쳐라 T1 FAKER! | Our MID FAKER~ Shout T1 FAKER! Once again today, for victory Shout T1 FAKER! Let our cheers fill the Rift~ Shout T1 FAKER! |
| GUMAYUSI CHEER | ONE ESPORTS’ ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| T1의 GUMAYUSI~ (GUMA) 우리는 너를 믿어 GUMAYUSI (YUSI) T1의 효자 ADC GUMAYUSI (Carry) 오늘도 캐리해줘 GUMAYUSI 다함께 GUMAYUSI! GUMAYUSI~ (GUMA) 우리는 너를 믿어 GUMAYUSI (YUSI) T1의 효자 ADC GUMAYUSI (Carry) 오늘도 캐리해줘 GUMAYUSI 다함께 GUMAYUSI! | T1’s GUMAYUSI~ (GUMA) We believe in you GUMAYUSI (YUSI) T1’s dutiful son ADC GUMAYUSI (Carry) Carry us today GUMAYUSI Everyone, GUMAYUSI! T1’s GUMAYUSI~ (GUMA) We believe in you GUMAYUSI (YUSI) T1’s dutiful son ADC GUMAYUSI (Carry) Carry us today GUMAYUSI Everyone, GUMAYUSI! |
| KERIA CHEER | ONE ESPORTS’ ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| KERIA~ 널 위한 KERIA 빛나는 KERIA~ T1의 KERIA KERIA~ 널 위한 KERIA 오늘도 hard, carry야! 우리 support KERIA! KERIA~ 널 위한 KERIA 빛나는 KERIA~ T1의 KERIA KERIA~ 널 위한 KERIA 오늘도 hard, carry야! 우리 support KERIA! | KERIA~ for you KERIA Shining KERIA~ T1’s KERIA KERIA~ for you KERIA Today, you hard carry Our support KERIA! KERIA~ for you KERIA Shining KERIA~ T1’s KERIA KERIA~ for you KERIA Today, you hard carry Our support KERIA! |
Fans took to social media to share their enthusiasm, and the event quickly became a hot topic, spawning numerous memes and viral content centered around the chants.
The promotional video of Gumayusi’s special dance performance with Korean comedian Kim Kyoung-ook’s persona, Tanaka, also instantly went viral.
