Cubing as a Spectator Event

[Swagrid]

 

[Spencer131]

The goal of the WCA is to maximize participation.

If we wanted a league whose goal is to maximize viewership, then not as many people would be able to participate (I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, just a different set of tradeoffs)

Increasing viewership can also allow the league and the cubers to make more money, so maybe it would be good to have a league that optimizes for viewers, and one that optimizes for participation

 

[Swagrid]

Increasing viewership can also allow the league and the cubers to make more money, so maybe it would be good to have a league that optimizes for viewers, and one that optimizes for participation

I think this can be balanced in one league. We don't have to choose between high attendance or being fun to watch - we can do both. While I understand that the main ethos of the WCA is to create a fair and open environment where as many people can compete, I also think that being a better spectator event is the healthiest step for cubing in the future, and perhaps running a couple exclusive competitions a year could drastically help out with that.

 

[Spencer131]

I think this can be balanced in one league. We don't have to choose between high attendance or being fun to watch - we can do both. While I understand that the main ethos of the WCA is to create a fair and open environment where as many people can compete, I also think that being a better spectator event is the healthiest step for cubing in the future, and perhaps running a couple exclusive competitions a year could drastically help out with that.

I would disagree that a couple competitions a year is sufficient to attract viewers.

When I look at other sports like basketball, football, etc, they have weekly events throughout the season so the superfans have a cohesive story to watch. Then it all culminates into a final championship at the end of the season

I don't see why people would become a fan of a sport that only occurs a couple times a year.

By the way I hope this does not come across as argumentative but rather a genuine interest in spreading cubing more widely

 

[Swagrid]

By the way I hope this does not come across as argumentative but rather a genuine interest in spreading cubing more widely

Not at all! I think this is important to discuss so I'd be happy to have this either way.

Most traditional sports leagues do run year round, yes. But, I'm not trying to liken cubing to a traditional sport, but more of an eSport. The way that a lot of eSports run is through a league or series of 'minor' competitions that decide the placements or seedings for a finals or a 'major' tournament. If we were to run these exclusive competitions say, once every 3 months, then they would act as a seasonly major, while the regular competitions that make up the bulk of the WCA would be minors. And regardless of the current financial state of eSports, I am completely sure that this can keep a fanbase.

 

[abunickabhi]

I hope bluetooth cubes, robot scramblers and timebase catches up and become legal so that it is easier to run the WCA comps in the future.