[tStano]

Sorry for the double post, but this is really unrelated.


As a competing but similar idea, which isn't as robust, but much simpler to understand to a TV audience. Since divisions are a thing anyway, you don't get "the best robots" competing against each other in the current model, and no one has complained very loudly about that. I understand one 'championship' may be weaker than the other, but I think if you allow teams to swap, teams will make relatively even competition. People will try to go where its easier, while other people want to go see the better robots, and i think you'll end up with something close to balanced.


Play out the semifinal rounds at each 'championship' and take the finals rounds to this 3rd location. Immediately after the last semifinal match, the winning robots and necessary tools are bagged and shipped(on FIRST's dime) to a one day, televised "true world championship" which would be done on a third weekend in a different smaller arena that is a huge airport hub.

There would be just 4 alliances to make it to this final level. The teams(a skeleton crew, maybe just drive team and elims pit crew) would be flown out for a single saturday, on FIRST's(or hopefully the broadcast sponsors') dime. You could of course bring the whole team, but it would cost you, and they wouldn't be allowed on the field except for pictures at the end (as is usually the case for elims pit crew). This whole event would take less than 3 hours, and could be easily televised, with interviews with drivers and whatever.

Highest seeded north plays lower seeded south, Lower seeded north plays Higher seeded south, winners of those play each other. This final championship is one day, so shouldn't be TOO taxing on everyone. Its free, and awesome, and you would assume anyone would go. Because FIRST has the robots in their control, you could hold this at any time, the next weekend, or even the summer, and the season is essentially frozen in time. Don't allow any witholding allowance for superchamps. Allow minimal time to work on robots so they are in a very close state to how they were at the end of their championship.

It also could be an intimate place to roll out a red carpet and really schmooze some sponsors, as well as bring FIRST more into the public eye.

Most of the positives of this apply to the other idea as well. The benefits that this version has is that its less time, so less school missed, and easier to televise and explain. The downfall is that because of championship biases, you're not guaranteed to get the best possible alliances.