[Al Skierkiewicz]

My answer comes from years of observation so bear with me. Prior to bumpers, broken robot parts littered the fields after most matches. Broken and bent frames were the norm in a competition that is the opposite of Battle Bots. Damage to field borders was common and some teams actually took pride in leaving marks on opponents. With the advent of bumpers, broken robot frames occur far less often. Major frame parts no longer litter the field and the field borders are able to take a beating without the need to be replaced. The cushioned impact we now see, saves under-secured robot parts like the Crio and battery from attacking field volunteers and refs during robot interaction. So for those reasons, I say the bumpers stay.
As to minor gaps behind the bumper, these will not affect the integrity of the bumper system up to 1/4" or so. Wider gaps can and do cause failure in plywood that is only 5" high and therefore need to be eliminated. Gaps in supporting structure also allow for failure. Knowing this, gaps in the bumper, where the frame cannot back the bumper, should be allowed. This was the rule last year and I suspect it will be part of game specific bumper design in the future. I liked creativity in bumper design in the past, but you have to admit, when you wondered who was on what alliance this year, you looked at the bumpers for confirmation. If we could mix creativity with alliance marking, I would be all for it.