POP got cheap?

[SteveP]

Well, that depends on the area, doesn't it?
I had more Juniors in my last City than Masters, 20 vs 18.
Should I give them more prizes?
Actually, on second though, I wouldn't mind giving out prizes based on percentage of attendance.
The big problem with it, though, is how to manage it.
POP can't tell ahead of time how many of each age group are going to be there.
Also, what about the disparity of attendance from on CC to another.
One has 25 players, another has 100. Shouldn't the one with 100 get more prizes to divvy up among the players?
So, how would POP manage that? How would they predict how many supplies to send to each event?
I suppose it could be based on the prior year's attendance, but you get the idea that the logistics of such a thing will get out of hand very quickly.

In a perfect world....

Doesn't POP base PTO compensation on attendance? Even so, that kind of compensation would be delivered after the event. So, I see your point. I'm just voicing the "perfect world" solution, which obviously is seldom attainable.

Back to back posts merged. The following information has been added:

Regarding SDPokeMom's post, ditto!

Pokemon OP staff and player prize support is second to none!

Nevertheless, the real argument is how that prize support is distributed equitably, not quantitively. Look at this discussion from that perspective, and you see the validity of the opinions that have been expressed.

 

[drmario]

oh please, give me a break with the 'it's not free!11!' argument. is ANYTHING competitive completely 'free' as some of you seem to be defining it? little league? pop warner football? soccer? gymnastics? cheer? marching band? scouting? and do they offer prizes on the scale as OP does?

i'd dare say ALL of the above have more out-of-pocket costs than pokemon...and certainly have more expensive entry fees, lesson/training costs, uniform fees, and on and on and on.

compare, for example my oldest son's HS marching band...which IS competitve...costs vs pokemon: private lessons, his instrument, yearly 'fair share' payments to the booster organization, paid admission to enter and view the shows where they compete, gas and food...vs. league (which is free to attend), cards, sleeves/boxes/dice, gas and food when attending events which again are free to enter to play OR observe.

i guess you're right, pokemon's not 'free'. but it's about as close to it as you can get when compared to other competitive events. and the available prizes are certainly more, 'bang for the buck'-wise than any other game out there, imo. and please note, that this post is for OP in the US, *not* international; unfortunately, i know the situation is different there

jmo.
'mom

No, nothing competitive is completely free. No one pretends sports are free to play, so why do people keep having to pretend that pokemon is free to play? Even if you find a soccer league that doesn't charge to play, you will still buy equipment and probably have to travel. You do the same thing with pokemon. So would people PLEASE stop saying that it is "free".

 

[PokePop]

Because the tourmaments are free.
There is no charged fee. That part is free.

There are other expenses, but those are expenses and not charges or fees.
There is a difference.

 

[evil psyduck]

The events themselves are FREE!!! It is a persons choice to spend the money to get to the events. That is their choice to do so and no one forces them to do it. What do people expect? Do they want PUI or POP to pay their way to get to the events, pay for their meals and everything else it costs them to attend an event? It is no different then if i attend any other free event such as concerts. Should i expect them to pay my way there? It would be nice if they did but the answer is NO!

 

[SPARTA]

A perfect detailed responce that nails the many weakpoints in drmario's arguement, well placed sarcasm, and an awesome quote in his sig.
:clap::clap::clap:Well Played:clap::clap::clap:

 

[drmario]

The events themselves are FREE!!! It is a persons choice to spend the money to get to the events. That is their choice to do so and no one forces them to do it. What do people expect? Do they want PUI or POP to pay their way to get to the events, pay for their meals and everything else it costs them to attend an event? It is no different then if i attend any other free event such as concerts. Should i expect them to pay my way there? It would be nice if they did but the answer is NO!

The events themselves are free, yes. And PUI should not have to pay travel costs. However you NEED cards to play. The ONLY cards that you can use are sold by Pokemon. So guess what. It does cost you money to play that eventually gets to PUI and POP.

 

[taurik]

The events themselves are free, yes. And PUI should not have to pay travel costs. However you NEED cards to play. The ONLY cards that you can use are sold by Pokemon. So guess what. It does cost you money to play that eventually gets to PUI and POP.

Yes, and lots of people buy the cards and don't play in the events. Plus, nobody is forcing you to buy all the power cards, you can play in the event with a $10-12 theme deck if you want. Just like the sports analogy, people in sports can sink in thousands for top of the line equipment, or the bare minimum. But you wouldn't expect a top level tennis player to win much using a cheapo $20 racket from K-Mart.

 

[evil psyduck]

The events themselves are free, yes. And PUI should not have to pay travel costs. However you NEED cards to play. The ONLY cards that you can use are sold by Pokemon. So guess what. It does cost you money to play that eventually gets to PUI and POP.

And i'll say it again It is YOUR CHOICE to buy the cards and YOUR CHOICE play the game. NO ONE forces you to do so. You need to decide if it is worth it to you for what you get out of the game. If not then you know what you should do.

 

[drmario]

And i'll say it again It is YOUR CHOICE to buy the cards and YOUR CHOICE play the game. NO ONE forces you to do so. You need to decide if it is worth it to you for what you get out of the game. If not then you know what you should do.

Yes it is your choice to play, but if you choose to play you will spend money on pokemon cards. That money will indirectely pay for the tournament. It's like how driving on a road or borrowing library books might be "free" except you did pay for it with taxes. The difference is you don't have a choice to pay taxes.

 

[PokePop]

This has covered everything that it is going to cover and is getting repetitive.
Locking