If a Million Dollar tree falls in the forest and no one's around does it still make a noise?
Dishing out $100,000 to the players made no noise, this is just a fact. As a promoter your sole ambition should be to make noise for your promotion.
TV is the only way for a sport/game to do this, streaming video at that even didn't bring one new person into the game.......in other words IT MADE NO NOISE.
My suggestion to Badi would have been simple. Put $50,000 into the tournament and $50,000 into a REAL TV BROADCAST and at least MAKE SOME NOISE.
This tournament had hundreds of players and 15 fans.....if anything it should be the other way around, use 8 Quality Players, put it on TV and PROMOTE IT!!!
To only get a hundred or so total fans over the course of 4 days is a promotional failure.
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Some good points.
In respect of fan attendance it would be hard to get a lot of fans from the immediate area to attend regardless of promotional dollars spent because there is not a large enough fan base in in terms of people who would want to attend that live near where these are typically held. In addition it is not like a football, baseball or hockey game, 1 three hour event that is local to you. It requires travel (for many fans) and a stay of four or more days.
Your point in respect of a real television broadcast is right on but even that would not attract the viewership needed to justify itself (initially). It will take patient money, a long term view and a whole lot of tweaking to hit the right formula. Made for TV invitational events with limited fields, fueled by a feeder system of local and regional tours might have merit.
It takes a knowledge of the game and an appreciation of the subtle strategies and nuances involved to fully appreciate it.I was struck, when listening to Earl Strickland when he joined the commentator booth during the Ocean state finals last week, that this type of insightful, knowledgeable commentary certainly would go a long way in helping the less knowledgeable fan appreciate what is going on.
I just booked my travel, hotel, vip-tv tickets etc. for DCC and by the time everything is said and done I'm in for over $2500. On the plus side it makes for a great vacation seeing the best of the sport play a game I enjoy watching.