mighty moose wrote:Event #2 will be back to normal assignments, I think.
But the randomizing the divisions may make assignments a thing of the past.
I remain in favor of random league assignments to mitigate the potential problem of league shopping to avoid the better players.
Also, I have some questions about the 2013 BSers:
1. Since winning a 24 team league will (in theory) be twice as hard as winning a 12 team league, will twice as many points as a 12 team league be awarded to the winner and runner up?
2. I was pleased to see a 24 team league, but surprised to see it combined with a 2000 player random shuffle. That is the equivalent of diluting the talent by more than a factor of 4 compared to the usual 12 team leagues. Why were these two new features combined into one league? Wouldn't it have been better to run them separately?
3. At last count, there were 132 participants. That's 5.5 24 team leagues. Assuming that everyone wants to play, what happens to the last 12 managers?
4. Will any of the other BSers 2013 events be 24 team leagues or use the shuffle?
5. If SOM creates a bug free live draft before the Finals, will it be used in any tourney events?
6. How about a 24 team Finals league? I think the tournament should take a page from MLB (which saw dramatic attendance increases when it expanded the playoffs due to increased and prolonged interest) and use the 24 team league in the Championship round. More teams = more interest and fewer managers dropping out along the way, which has been a problem. In MLB, 10 of 30 teams make the playoffs and have a shot at a ring. In the NFL, 12 of 32 teams make the playoffs and have a shot at a ring. In the NBA & NHL, 16 of 30 teams make the playoffs and have a shot at a ring. All told, of the 4 major professional sports in the U.S., 54 of 122 teams make the playoffs, a playoff rate of roughly 44.3%. Even if the Finals league was expanded to 24 teams, that's a playoff rate of a paltry 18.2% for the current 132 teams in the tourney. A 24 team Finals league could use the top 18 plus the winners of 6 12 team semis leagues, meaning that 90 of the original participants would be involved in the post season. More post season teams would mean greater interest and greater participation, which would mean more money for SOM. In short, it would be a win-win situation. Heck, it might even give the Mighty Moose a shot at the post season!