Monday, October 3, 2011

The Strategic Throw

In light of the fact that my upcoming Regionals tournament will follow this format, I consider this an appropriate time to write out some thoughts that have been brewing for a while.

We talk so much about in-game strategy, and equal play time, and the best way to win games to make it to Nationals. But what happens when you find yourself in a situation as we may, facing a team we know we are 90+% likely to lose to, only to drop into the second "game-to-go" bracket and face a team coming high off a win. I can name many instances where trying your ass off in that first game only leads to a team burning out and losing both games-to-go in a row, knocking them out of Nationals completely.

In this case, the best way to maximize your chances of going to Nationals is to throw the 1/2 game. Literally put two people on the line, and turf the first throw (because a forfeit in the Series is auto-DQ). Let the other team score. This will rest your team, effectively giving you a bye before your next game. You'll even have the opportunity to put in your top 7-12 in a high-level game situation before the game ends to get them warmed up. You then go on to play a team who is coming off a probably close win; they are elated, but they are tired. You run them into the ground, and take off with the second bid.

Now, is this generally considered a bad idea? Will people dislike that you intentionally lose? Is this against the spirit of the game? I know I haven't ever heard of this happening (though I don't doubt that it has, just saying I haven't heard about it personally), and honestly, the answers to those three questions are very different. First, is it generally considered a bad idea? Probably. Does that mean it is objectively against your team's interest to throw a game? Definitely not. Second, will people hate you and get upset? Probably. Does that mean your team shouldn't do it? Definitely not - people get upset in ultimate games all the time. At the end of the day, the only people who could really complain are the ones you're going to be up against in the second game-to-go, and you know what? They could have done the same thing if they had won earlier games. Third, is this against the spirit of the game? In my opinion, this question is the most relevant, and really, the only important one. Part of why I love playing ultimate is, well, the playing. Is it against SOTG to let the obvious champs run away with the win? In my mind, there are two aspects to spirit: there's on-field spirit, and general spirit of the community. On-field involves calling appropriate fouls, not spiking, not cheating in other ways that the rules really leave room to do. Off the field involves having a respect for your community, being generally supportive, and developing a strategy that will challenge your opponents and result in the best possible ultimate being played. Because of these, albeit slightly vague, personal definitions, I believe that throwing a game is completely spirited, assuming, like I said before, your team is very likely to lose. You will only tire yourself out, making the next game harder for you, and less competitive. Additionally, if you made it to the 1/2 game, the assumption is that you are the first or second best team. Another team gets a second chance to beat you because we want to confirm that this is true. If the third place beats second place (loser of the 1/2) then we chalk it up to some game error. But really, in a region with 2 bids, the first and second place team should advance to Nationals.

Throwing a game to ensure that is thus not only spirited but smart, and more fun. I hope I get to be part of a team that pioneers this strategy.