[Aidan H.]

I think a small point to consider about FTC and FLL is that having them in the same place (or city) helps to "engulf" them in the incredible Champs experience. I would think (my own personal opinion) that FIRST did not like switching to the 600 team model for this year and next year because is forced FTC and FLL to other places, meaning they didn't get the same immersion they used to.
Even though recently there has been few FTC and FLL teams at Champs (compared to FRC), they are still giant programs (though not as big as FRC) that are growing at very fast rates. FIRST really doesn't want (my personal opinion) to forget about them.
CD is almost entirely current FRC participants (some FTC or dual) and it seems most of the opinions about this change reflect an FRC-centric mindset. I would think (my opinion) that FIRST wants FTC and FLL to have more significance at Champs, and 2 Champs probably doesn't mean too much to an FTC or FLL team (but to an FRC team...).

I agree with many that this decision is ripping the "C" out of FRC, demolishing what most of the inspiration for FRC has been built on for the past 25 or so years (pursuit of being the grand winner). It started with a competition, and everyone loves a competition. Add in some robotics, community outreach aspects, and GP awards, and you have inspiration FOR more than just winning, you are inspiring pursuit of science and technology (I would say a much more noble cause than a sport's pursuit of just winning). The problem is that with two Champs, the basic concept of a competition has been eliminated. What are we really playing for?
I have noticed from my time in FIRST that many people are hooked into the competition, because of the nature of it: it's a competition! But then people realize that there is much more: inspiration, mentorship, ect. But after you have found the "more", do you still need the competition? I would say that question is what polarizes the debate.
I would say many people still need the competition; it's what drives them to succeed, keeps you working in the shop, keeps mentors coming back each day. You realize there is more to it, and FIRST has done a great job making sure everyone realizes those aspects, but at the end of the day, this is the FIRST Robotics Competition, and that's what many people love about it.

Sidenote: Sorry, I was thinking about the FTC/FLL aspect, and wanted to add that point in, and then meandered into adding my $0.02.