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BGonline.org Forums
Streaming Matches--several issues to deal with
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Streaming Matches - Optional? (Stick)
Date: Monday, 12 January 2015, at 1:38 p.m.
1. The first question is whether a player should have the right not to be streamed. The answer is not clear at present and we all have our own opinions, but there is one clear answer anyway and that is this: it depends on the rules established by the tournament director and/or ruling body that presides over the event. And currently, to my knowledge, most events in the world don't have a ruling body or even TD's who have set a firm rule about this. Regardless of what everyone thinks, I believe there should be rules and they should be written and established so everyone knows what they are going in.
2. The second question is what should the rule be? We all have our opinions, and we will never all agree on whether people should or should not have the right to be streamed. Eventually we will have rules, and whichever is decided, there will be some who are unhappy...it is impossible to have a rule that says it's optional or a rule that says it isn't without everyone on the other side of the argument being unhappy. That is why no one has stepped up and made a firm ruling (take legal vs. non-legal moves for example...no matter which rule the TD envokes someone will be unhappy).
But since we are giving opinions, I am strongly in the camp that it should be optional EXCEPT for the finals of the Open, Masters, Doubles, and any other event that is generally played by Open Level players. I think anyone below the open level who does not want to be streamed should be able to say no at any time for obvious reasons.
Now, why should an Open player not in the finals have the right to say no? I believe he should (unless there is a rule that says he doesn't have the right to say no). First, it is not that important that the world sees his match, no matter who he is, if it's not the finals. Second, he may not want to worry about his reputation and PR if he is playing someone that he feels is either better or worse than he is and he wants to adjust his game accordingly. Or he is playing someone he knows he should double sooner, or slower, or should play some poker with by taking longer on some cube decisions, etc. And third, while some people go to tournaments just to see how well they can play, others go to relax and have fun and enjoy the game, and while they want to play well, they like to "take a shot" at taking or giving a cube they know might be wrong and "gamble" because they think it gives them a better chance to win, or because it's early in the match and might give the opponent a false signal, or whatever reason they want. Or they simply feel that trying to win is not the same as trying to make the best technical play every time (I know this can be debated, but right or wrong they are entitled to their opinion). Or maybe they simply find streaming stressful and don't enjoy playing as much when streamed.
One player at the NY tournament refused to be streamed because he was playing a very top player and he felt the top player would probably play better when streamed because that top player would worry about his PR, and if not streamed the player might be more relaxed about that and might make some big cube errors because he felt he was so much stronger. I won't argue whether he was right or wrong, and I won't say who this was, but I do see the logic of his argument and his right to feel that way, and he did go on to win the match and the tournament.
3. A third issue is about whether people should be streamed because it is "good for the game." That is highly subjective, but certainly a lot of people believe that those who can't make it to a tournament get enjoyment from watching, seeing the xg files and PR's and really seeing how good or bad each player is. Streaming gives a pretty good read on the top players, as they get streamed a lot, but it gives a pretty skewed read on people who only get streamed occasionally. In my last two streamed matches I played at 11 in one match and .065 in the other (13 and 9 point matches respectively). I don't get streamed that much because I'm not close to a 4 PR player and I'm not in the semis or finals that often. But again, how important is streaming for the game. I don't believe it does diddly squat for bringing in new players...it's only for the benefit of existing, serious tournament players (in my opinion).
Bottom line is that I think it is very good to have debates like this on a forum like this where we have so many of the best and most experienced players in the world sharing their opinions, but this issue will never be resolved until the people who direct tournaments, who currently have the final say on the rules for their event, step up and set a policy about this.
Of course, I have another opinion...this is not how any truly organized game or sport should be. Having every TD make up his own rules and policies. Legitimate games and sports have a governing body (ACBL, Player's Association, etc.) that sets the key rules and policies for the game or sport, and while there may be some variations and options given to each tournament director relative to format etc. etc., even they options they are given are specified if they want to have their event sanctioned by the governing body.
Some day Federations or an international federation will be the governing body of backgammon, and that is the only legitimate governing body there should be because the federation is a democratic organization of the players, and it is the players who should determine they rules that they will hold each other and tournament directors to use and enforce. Until we have evolved into such a game, it is left up to each director in the U.S. and I assume that there are some countries where every event uses the rules specified by the federation of the players...I believe that is the case in Denmark and Japan, and the rest of the world has yet to organize so well. I am not sure I will see it in my lifetime, but maybe someday the leaders of the ABT and the directors of ABT events will see how it is to their benefit to adopt the rules set by the USBGF and they will see it won't change their ability to still make decisions on the spot as they feel appropriate to maintain fair play and good sportsmanship...in fact it will make it easier as they can simply say, when they tell someone they must be streamed, or don't have to be streamed, or they must get a penalty point for being late, that it is because the rules made by the players themselves dictate that these are the rules that are fair for everyone and as the TD they are only doing what the players have determined what is fair. And by the way, where is there a disconnect between what the players want and what the ABT directors want? Only possibly on a couple of rules and issues (like legal moves) and that can easily be one of the things the rules can leave up to the TD to determine. On that issue, most have gone to legal moves and those that still like non-legal allow players to play legal if they agree to it, so even that issue has become less of an issue.
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