{"rewrite":{"id":"r_706fce3991eea4a001586c17","clusterId":"c_d8e6f209132fb9e16a8e6642","slug":"faker-named-to-time-magazine-s-100-most-influential-people-in-sports","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Faker Named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in Sports","summary":"Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, the T1 'League of Legends' player, has been selected for TIME100 Sports 2026 in the Icons category, alongside Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, and LeBron James. Time introduced him as 'widely regarded as the best esports player of all time,' citing his six world championship titles and his role as a symbol of esports industry growth.","whyItMatters":"The selection places an esports player alongside traditional sports icons on a major global influence list, marking a formal recognition of competitive gaming within mainstream sports culture.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eFaker, the T1 \u0026#39;League of Legends\u0026#39; player whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, has been named to Time magazine\u0026#39;s TIME100 Sports 2026. The list, first published this year, selects 100 of the most influential figures in sports, including athletes, coaches, and executives. Faker appears in the Icons category, a group that also includes soccer\u0026#39;s Lionel Messi, baseball\u0026#39;s Shohei Ohtani, and basketball\u0026#39;s LeBron James. Time\u0026#39;s profile calls Faker \u0026#39;widely regarded as the best esports player of all time,\u0026#39; noting his six world championship wins and his status as a symbol of the esports industry\u0026#39;s development. In 2025, Faker and T1 won the League of Legends World Championship, securing the first three-peat in the tournament\u0026#39;s history and giving Faker his sixth title. He was also the first inductee into Riot Games\u0026#39; Hall of Legends in 2024.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Time's Icons category puts Faker in the same rank as Messi and Ohtani. Esports no longer needs a separate list; the gatekeepers folded it into the main bracket.","twitterPost":"Time folded esports into its main sports list. Faker in the Icons category with Messi and Ohtani is the signal.","threadsPost":"Time put Faker in the Icons category of its sports list, not a separate esports or gaming section. That is the real signal: the magazine's gatekeepers decided esports belongs in the same bracket as Messi and Ohtani, not off to the side.","newsletterBlurb":"Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, has been selected for Time magazine's TIME100 Sports 2026 in the Icons category. The T1 'League of Legends' player joins Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, and LeBron James on the list. Time introduced him as 'widely regarded as the best esports player of all time,' citing his six world championship titles and his role as a symbol of esports industry growth.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"KAI-YOU\",\"url\":\"https://kai-you.net/article/95640\",\"title\":\"'LoL' Player Faker Selected for TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People, Alongside Messi, Shohei Ohtani, and Others\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4099,"outputTokens":663,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781066014,"createdAt":"2026-06-10T04:25:51.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-10T04:30:33.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-10T04:30:33.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_d8e6f209132fb9e16a8e6642","canonicalTitle":"『LoL』プレイヤーFaker、米『TIME』誌による影響力のある100人に選出　メッシ、大谷翔平らと並ぶ","representativeArticleId":"a_c0c8f62e6be068c511f288a6","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Faker\",\"Lee Sang-hyeok\",\"Lionel Messi\",\"Shohei Ohtani\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-10T03:49:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-10T11:30:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-10T11:42:07.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"KAI-YOU","url":"https://kai-you.net/article/95640","title":"『LoL』プレイヤーFaker、米『TIME』誌による影響力のある100人に選出　メッシ、大谷翔平らと並ぶ"},{"source":"Inside","url":"https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2026/06/10/182768.html","title":"Faker、米TIME誌の「スポーツ界で影響力のある100人」に選ばれる―大谷翔平やメッシ、レブロン・ジェームスらレジェンドプレイヤーと並びリスト入り"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Faker","Lee Sang-hyeok","Lionel Messi","Shohei Ohtani"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Faker, Lee Sang-hyeok, was named to Time magazine's TIME100 Sports 2026 in the Icons category.","The Icons category includes Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, and LeBron James.","Time's profile calls Faker 'widely regarded as the best esports player of all time.'","Faker has six world championship titles, including a three-peat with T1 in 2025.","Faker was the first inductee into Riot Games' Hall of Legends in 2024."]}