The problem with USAU Nationals

so my last post described a problem that i saw with the tiered system for ultimate, especially as a team scratching to get into nationals.  i think the new nationals format also shows that the governing body of our sport is no longer a "players association".  i think many players were excited for the re-branding of the UPA, but i know i didn't see that re-branding as a loss of the focus on players' experience at their events.

this year's nationals will be the third nationals format i've played under.  my first few trips to nationals were just two pools of teams and the top two in each pool qualified for semifinals.  this format had its shortcomings, but it also had its strengths.  one of the big strengths was that everyone had games on thursday, friday and saturday.  you were guaranteed to play on three days, which for teams travelling across the country made the expenses and loss of work easy to justify, even for teams that maybe had no chance of making the semifinals.  one of the shortcomings was that seeding was pretty important and that the order of games mattered, because you could wind up playing a pool play game against a team after they were eliminated, and not get the same effort or subbing pattern from them as if you played them earlier in the tourney.

in 1999 they changed the format to what was used up until last year.  this new format removed a lot of the importance on seeding, which was great because while we could maybe identify some different classes of teams, we didn't know the shades of gray within those classes.  this format eliminated some teams by friday afternoon, but they got 5 pool games, and then they could still play out for placing on saturday (admittedly half-hearted for many in the lower-half).  seeding got pretty well sorted out through all the power pools, and the pre-quarters gave those with a bad first day an avenue to play back in.  semifinals and finals were still showcased, and all placings were fairly accurately played out.  and, from a players' perspective, you would get some games against teams much better/weaker than you on day 1, but then most games were against teams that were roughly your level, but that you probably didn't get to see or play against much during the regular season.  it was a good format, and an improvement over the two pools format.

now, we look at the format set up for 2013.  it is clearly no longer a players' event.  pool play format on thursday.  can't complain about that...same as before.  but then it goes straight to the round of 16.  this is ridiculous.  it puts a ton of emphasis on the original seeding, especially when the USAU seems to think that there is a big difference between the 8th and 9th best teams (one being a pro-flight and one being an elite-flight...and therefore access to different tourneys and competition).  i think some of the problems with this have been discussed in other forums.

the emphasis on seeding is a big problem, even for determining the champion.  now, the thing that is a smaller issue, but highlights the mindset of USAU, is how consolation games are treated.  i'll agree that nationals isn't meant to figure out who the 12th best team in the country is, but they have decided that it is important to differentiate 8th from 9th, and this format doesn't do that.  for instance, let's say you're the 8th best team in the country and are vying for that spot in the pro flight, but you under-performed at the one tour event you went to, because your whole team couldn't travel or because you had a few injuries at that point in the season (see: furious or condors).  so you get the 15th seed in the tourney, finish third in your pool, losing to the 3rd and 6th best teams.  in the round of 16 you lose to the 7th best team at the tourney on universe point.  now, let's just assume that you're the best of the eliminated teams, and just better than one team that won their round of 16 game.  however, because of your tour performance, and commensurate low regular-season ranking, the best you can play for is 13th.  that's right, you have no chance of playing for the pro flight.  that sucks.  similar things could be said for the quarterfinals losers, and their lock on 5th/6th or having to play for that 7th/8th spot.

furthermore, let's say one of those underseeded teams (say, furious) has the day of their life on thursday and wins their pool, going 3-0, while the 1-seed in that same pool loses all their games.  in the round of 16 both those teams lose.  despite that 4-seed (in the pool) winning their pool, and the head-to-head with the 1-seed, the 4th seed is still stuck playing for 13th at best (with a 3-1 record), while the 1-seed can still scrap for 7th, and a spot in that pro flight (despite being 0-4).  to me, this reliance on the regular season ranking, that not all teams have access to, is a real flaw with this process.

finally, a few smaller complaints, from a player's perspective.  half the teams are eliminated on friday morning, and 10 are done by friday night.  this sucks.  players are missing work and paying a lot of money to travel to and stay at this event, and the majority won't need to bring their cleats to the fields on saturday.  half of the round of 16 losers have a 5+ hour bye after being eliminated.  i think there's a good chance of those teams playing out their games if they get to them right away, but i wouldn't be surprised if more than a few take the downtime to get a beer after the conclusion of their season while watching a quarterfinal, but ahead of their placement games.  finally, the tourney fee...$65/person.  this is more than $1500 for most teams.  more than five times what i would consider a standard tourney fee.  granted, this isn't a standard tourney.  this is a lot of money for two days of ultimate, which is what most teams get for their money.  it seems like the price/person has risen, but we're getting a smaller venue (fewer fields) and fewer games than previous years.  hopefully the quality of the fields is the same as sarasota, because it seems like they are far worse in terms of providing enough fields.

clearly this event is no longer about the players.  the old format wasn't necessarily about the players, but the players got a lot out of the format.  that is no longer the case.  the focus of this event is to crown a champion (also the priority for the old event), but i would say this is being done at the expense of the non-champions, or non-quarterfinalists at least.  how many years will those teams put up with being second-class citizens, or not getting their money's worth, before they decide that nationals just isn't worth it.