I don't know if I've just been busier this split or if the BO3's have bloated the schedule but I have watched the least amount of LCS this split since I first started following League of Legends
It's because this game is boring and ******. And Overwatch is permanently and significantly eating into its player base. No one wants to talk about it, but it's happening. Twitch numbers are down. Korean PC bang traffic is down. And dynamic queue isn't entirely to blame on long load times. Riot hasn't released their numbers for a long time for a reason.
League is a sinking ship, just like WoW before it. There will always be a dedicated player base, but gone are the days of 60+ million unique log ins per month. The max time a phenomenon game seems to hold a wide audience is 3-4 years, just like WoW from 2008-2011. League exploded from 2012-2013 with season 3 and the rise of Faker and esports. That luster is wearing off.
And honestly, good riddance. The developer cares only about their bottom line. The community is full of unoriginal 17-20 "dank meme" culture morons. And the game fluctuates wildly depending on what is currently overpowered. It's an overall awful and purposefully addictive and manipulative entertainment experience.
I know I'm bitter. Whatever. This game did me dirty.