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BGonline.org Forums
Farewell, Finnish Backgammon
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Farewell, Finnish Backgammon (Daniel Murphy)
Date: Monday, 4 April 2011, at 1:16 p.m.
I would think that if the Finnish Backgammon Assn. stopped having tournaments where there is prize money and only charged a small entry fee to be used to cover the cost of expenses and trophies, and their tournaments simply awarded points (just like Duplicate Bridge) they could stay in existence, they could keep backgammon alive in their country, and they might even get more players.
Here in the U.S. I believe that at least 80% of us who attend tournaments do not do so with the expectation of making money or making a profit--even if you are an occasional winner it would be difficult to cover travel and hotel and entry fee expenses. Most of us are in it for the love of the game and the competition. In fact, if the entry fees were lower and there was NO PRIZE MONEY for all but the Masters, I would be willing to bet, over time, we would have far more people competing. (I see 4,000 people at the ACBL Bridge nationals every year, competing only for trophies and points, and I was no less of an avid player when I played bridge.)
One argument I hear against this is if we do this, how will the organizers make money? Silly argument....there are people who make a living running bridge studios that have many games a week and they can even pay the rent on a building to house their clubs. If you get enough people, you can make plenty of money on the small entry fee because you get to keep the entire fee (less expenses).
This is how Backgammon around the world may have to evolve, and again, I believe this will grow the game tremendously. For those who want to gamble (which is a lot of us here on this forum, I know) there can be a separate, professional circuit "below the radar" that is not run by the country's federation or national association (ABT?), but I am convinced the game will thrive.
We are getting 40 to 50 people at our Tuesday night tournament in Chicago every Tuesday night. They are there to win points....the $10 or $20 entry fee and the $10 side pool are NOT the reason most of us are there...it is the fun of the game, the competition, the venue is lovely, the game is well-organized, we are fighting to win points to make it into the top 20 to win awards and silver dollars at the end of the year; some of us are fighting to make it into the top 6 to represent the team. It's not about the money. And for those who like to gamble, we make side bets on our matches or who goes father in the tournament.
If we can get 50 on a Tuesday night, and a major tournament has trouble getting 150, I think that proves my point that the higher entry fees and the bigger financial rewards are not what will attract most people to tournaments or to the game. Most of us play because we love the game and the competition, and only a few of the very top players really have a reasonable chance to make money at the end of the year.
I want to see the game grow. I want to participate in a game that is very popular and attracts young people and intellectuals and not just gamblers and hustlers. I want to be able to compete in large tournaments with hundreds and maybe thousands of players and lots of side events and interesting lectures and even social activities for the family. So I am not particularly saddened to hear that the game might be forced by governments and laws to become strictly an intellectual endeavor. I hope more and more people will share my goals and help grow the game for the love of the game.
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