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BGonline.org Forums
Let'e Make Backgammon Great Again
Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Monday, 20 February 2017, at 10:50 p.m.
A lot of interest, good ideas, and people who care a lot about the game on this site. Even those of you who are not entirely right (because you don't agree with all my ideas) have some excellent ideas.
I think it is safe to say that MOST of us agree on some key things:
1. We need to do more to promote the game and attract new players;
2. We need a centralized, international federation so we can pool our resources, have a single ruling body, a single set of rules, a place to post results and schedules and information;
3. We need to make streaming more interesting for the general public so they understand the game better and find it more exciting;
4. We need our superstars and heroes and we should do more to promote them, to keep them coming to events, and to reward them for their skill;
5. We need to keep up with new technology that might enhance streaming, play, reporting, tournament flow, ratings, and marketing;
6. We need to do more to attract sponsors and give the sponsors more bang for the buck by making sure their products and services reach a larger market in a positive way;
7. We need to make tournament play more affordable and fun for the non-professional players to keep attendance up and encourage more new players;
8. We need to make the game more accessible and attractive to disabled, and be willing to allow things like electronic speaking dice for seeing-impaired and people with physical handicaps, and we need to market to these people once we prove to them they can enjoy the game like anyone else;
9. We need to do more to attract youth.
10. We need to help the creation of more local clubs and support them and help them grow, rather than making each local organizer try to reinvent the wheel and do all of their own marketing, and we need to offer intra-club point systems and competition and rewards to help keep their attendance up;
11. We need to support club and tournament organizers so that they can make a reasonable profit for their efforts and also help them run and promote their events and activities.
So, if we pretty much agree on all of the above, even though we don't agree on all the details, what's next?
We need to talk to and support our federation leaders; we need to support our federations and tournament and club organizers with our money and our personal good will and support; we need to become more involved as volunteers to bring more people into the game; and we all need to be personal ambassadors for the game...talking up the game and events to all who will listen.
Maybe we should all wear shirts and hats that say "Make Backgammon Great Again!" I hear that slogans like that seem to work.
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