I suggest that the factional fault line in this matter of contention is best illustrated by reactions to the following situation (from the 2001 College Bowl NCT) supplied by Matt in message 11765: In a 16-team tournament, should the format stipulate that if one team finishes the round-robin with a 15-0 record while every other team has at least 4 losses, the 15-0 team should at that point be declared the winner? Matt Weiner and his allies say "yes"; I and a few others say "no." ** This is a question of ideological preference. ** I don't think anyone in either ideological camp can convince anyone in the other camp what the "correct" answer is, although it's probably a good idea for tournament directors to take their players' preferences into account. In 11765, Matt writes that College Bowl's decision on this particular issue shows "its explicit contempt for the idea of the players as the customer." Were the players at the 2001 NCT really united in opposing the playoff format that was used and in considering the finals to be an unfair waste of time? I wasn't there, so I'm not asking this rhetorically. But when I was at the NCT five years earlier, the same format was used, and I don't recall any player expressing the view that the format could be improved by cancelling the finals in case of a runaway winner in the round-robin.
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