Dein erstes Forum » director of esports Whalen Rozelle told ESPN.com.You ma

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Forty-eight hours, they said, and theyd be ready. Ready to fight for a medal of the wrong color.Nothing against bronze medals, but thats not what the U.S. womens volleyball team intended to bring home from Rio, and it was not what anyone expected the top-ranked team in the world to do as it sought the first gold medal in the programs history.In one of the bigger upsets suffered by the U.S. in these Games, the 2012 silver medalist fell Thursday to Serbia, playing in its first Olympic semifinal, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 15-13.This one stings, for sure, [but] we have a great example set for us. Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross responded really well after their semifinal loss, and we plan to take that same approach, said team captain Christa Harmotto Dietzen, referring to the American beach volleyball duo that lost in the semifinals before beating the top-seeded Brazilian tandem for the bronze.The obvious difference? Walsh Jennings had never lost in three previous Games.Right now this loss is deeply disappointing. It cuts deep, its very painful, and thats OK. When you care this much, its going to, said U.S. coach Karch Kiraly, the most successful Olympic volleyball player in history, winning gold medals in beach and indoor.Kiraly went to his bench often after an unspecified leg injury early in the second set sidelined Foluke Akinradewo, who had led the U.S. with six points and three blocks in the first set. Experimenting with different lineups, the error-prone Americans were helpless to contain the sudden momentum of the Serbs, who won the second and third sets.Yeah, it was tough when Foluke went down, said Harmotto Dietzen. I think we were a little distracted there for a second because we care so much for her. We obviously wanted to turn this around for her and for everybody thats part of this program.The Americans rallied in a one-sided fourth set in which they converted on a whopping 12-of-18 spikes. They led 12-10 in the final set before Serbia reeled off the next three points and five of the final six. A U.S. serve into the net to set up match point for Serbia was the most devastating point in that match-winning Serbian run.In a topsy-turvy tournament, Serbia will go for gold against either China, led by former U.S. coach Jenny Lang Ping, or the Netherlands, returning to Olympic volleyball competition for the first time in 25 years.What I can say after this game? said Serbian coach Zoran Terzic, whose team lost to the U.S. on Aug. 10 in a pool-play four-setter. I dont have words definitely because this is a historical moment for me, for Serbia volleyball, the first Olympic medal in our history. In this moment we are very happy, very proud, especially the way we played against maybe the best team in the world.Serbia may have been the underdogs, but the Americans, as has been the case in all of their games here, faced a loud majority of fans rooting against them.While Kiraly praised his teams ability to face adversity, he stopped short of using the crowd as an excuse.It had nothing do with the noise, he said. I love the energy in Brazil. Whether its loud against us or for us, that kind of energy and that atmosphere is why were all doing this. We love passion like that.Kiraly, an assistant coach in 2012 who was hired shortly after the London Games to take over a program on the upswing, led the U.S. to the 2014 FIVB World Championship, its first international title. And he was determined, by stressing team as family, to win its first gold medal.Weve built something special over the years. ... 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League of Legends publisher and developer Riot Games announced significant plans for its esports initiative Thursday, addressing long-term league partnerships with teams, increasing prize pools and team profits through digital revenue streams, and focusing on sponsorships and media relations.Riots statement comes in light of recent public criticism and disputes involving the publishers esports division and its players and teams. This includes an unprecedented ban of three teams and a multiday public dispute between Riot co-founder Marc Merrill and Team SoloMid owner Andy Dinh. The statement was made via a news release.Riot says its changes are intended to put more money in the pockets of players and give more power and responsibility to team owners and organizations. Increased investment from big-name athletes, celebrities and investors have engorged player salaries and team costs, making it increasingly difficult for leagues and teams to keep players, and for organizations to keep up with the quickly changing landscape.Starting with the League of Legends World Championship this year, Riot says that 25 percent of Championship skins and Wards will be put toward the Worlds prize pool, and 25 percent of the Challenger skin will go toward the Mid-Season Invitational prize pool. Had this been applied to last years Worlds, the prize pool would have more than doubled. This model is similar Dota 2s The International, which raised an industry record $20 million.Teams that win Worlds will be compensated with 25 percent of their championship skins sales going directly to the players, team and league. Riot said this move is retroactive to Season 1 champions, Fnatic.Esports promotions, in-game team-branded items, increased revenue share on Summoner Icons and other opportunities are mentioned in the news release, with each of Riots 13 regional leagues guaranteeing a minimum amount to each team to help address an immediate gap in team revenue. In its example, Riot stated that each European LCS teams would have a minimum guaranteed reveenue of €100,000, with 50 percent of that going to players as supplemental income.ddddddddddddTo address the issue of team stability, Riot stated that it is looking for long-term partnerships with teams that will allow for more roster and player consistency from one season to the next. While the concept of franchising versus relegation has been a hotly debated topic in the LoL community, Riot owns the game League of Legends, and it has not revealed any plans to offer teams an ownership stake in LCS the way an NFL team has an ownership stake the league.The idea of a long-term partnership is a major step. That allows teams to think on a longer time frame ... the future [that we want to build] will be highly unlikely without the teams thinking on the same time frame that were thinking, Riot co-director of esports Whalen Rozelle told ESPN.com.You make different decisions when youre thinking in the short term and the long term. And the increased economic activity in the scene will ensure both security long term and give teams the confidence to sign players to longer-term contracts.With each of the 13 League of Legends leagues around the world at different stages of growth, long-term partnerships could look different per region. Riot looks to take the partnership step in 2018.Riot said it has been working for over a year on expanding the way it tackles sponsorship sales and media distribution, but would not share details while the deals get finalized. However, Riot does say team merchandise as resonated well with fans, and it will continue to work with organizations to get gear into the market.Permanence matters, Rozelle said. Having long-term partnerships matters a great deal. But also that were a unique sport and were going to have to chart our own path as well.The League of Legends World Championship kicks off Sept. 29 in San Francisco with stops in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 29. ' ' '