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Streaming Matches - Optional?

Posted By: Albert Steg
Date: Wednesday, 14 January 2015, at 1:20 p.m.

In Response To: Streaming Matches - Optional? (Chuck Bower)

I don't have a strong feeling about the streaming question in general, but one vital point of fairness in policy I think has not been raised, which is that whatever policy is instituted, it should never lead to a differential power relationship between players.

Currently, the facilities for streaming are limited by cost and availability of equipment. In 5 or 10 years, camera sets may be as trivial to set up as clocks are today, but for the present it is simply not feasible for every match in a tournament to be streamed. So what determines which will be streamed?

A policy such as "all Open-Level semi-finals and finals will be streamed" or "all matches in the money" will be streamed would be fine.

What *wouldn't* be fine in my view would be that some players who are "bigger names" in backgammon are able to successfully request that their match be streamed -- say a quarterfinal match in the consolation -- while had their lesser-known opponent asked in the same instance, the TD might have said no, particularly if the opponent didn't want streaming.

In other words, where there is discretion available to the TD to require streaming or not, it would be unfair if the desires of some other players are favored over others -- for whatever reason. Compare the rule on use of clocks, where either player can demand they be used. If streaming set-ups were as common as clocks, we could use a parallel policy, that either player can demand it.

What we shouldn't have is a situation where some players, by virtue of their reputation or public interest in their matches, are able to impose streaming while lesser lights can only obey. In other words, whether it's a matter of whose board to use, or whether to use clocks, or whether the match will be streamed, no player should be afforded "power of decision" over any other player in any aspect of play by virtue of their status.

Therefore, unless there is a set policy on which matches will be streamed ahead of time, or until camera set-ups are so ubiquitous that any player can request it, I feel that anyone should be allowed to decline streaming.

Albert (who was flattered and thrilled to have his consolation match with Senk streamed).

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