Tough Call
I like Jamison's basic idea of having to qualify. The devil might be in the details though. The qualifying should be as similar as possible to the game being played.
As a competitor I like heads up competition and let the devil take the hindmost. As a spectator or somebody trying to make a profit from spectators things are a little different. Things happen and sometimes a person gets a ridiculously soft trip to the semi's or finals. One of the Cuban boxers had that happen in the Olympics once. A by and injured fighters having to withdraw and his first fight was for a medal! The other fighters had gotten intimidated not by the fighter who was an unknown but by his unbelievable luck. Fortunately the Cuban finally had an opponent. He swung twice, the USA boxer swung once, the Cuban's eyes rolled back and the fight was over.
That boxing match is the kind of thing that seeding tries to prevent. Anyone making it to the upper matches has either done it based on a long record of achievements or has upset some people to get there. Either way, the TV rounds are usually worth watching.
I have thought that something like the way sprint car racing events are structured could be a fun way to run a pool event for a bunch of people. Qualifying if a fair way could be figured out, then small events with a few transferring from each smaller event to larger events. Sorta like a round robin but different!
People would collect small amounts of cash all along the way. First and second would cash out of maybe eight people in the earliest play.
If I like seeding or not depends on which side of the fence I am on. If I paid to compete I feel I should have the same chance as anyone else, not be served up to a monster on a silver platter in the first round. If I paid my money to watch the event, I don't want to see a hugely lopsided finals.
Hu
