NPPL 4.0

The second coming of Shawn Walker hasn't exactly fired the imaginations of tournament players the world over--or even in more mundane if more practical places like the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States if the 32 teams currently registered for the next NPPL event is any indication. There was a Walker sighting during the recent PSP MAO event however as he made an appearance at the venue and was observed taking lots of photographs along with a bevy of notes. One might imagine he was collecting information and insights into how to organize an event at OXCC if he wasn't already a high profile tournament promoter.
But my purpose today isn't to share gossip--that's just a bonus--it's to encourage Shawn and the league to stop being stupid with a capital S. In revising the league's event locations and schedule to something more closely aligned with reality they still managed to do themselves no favors by attempting to schedule on top of the PSP. Both their June and October events fall on the same weekend the PSP releases their layout, two weeks prior to their events, and the NPPL's August event went from being the same weekend to the one before. Granted there are limited options and without reflection it might seem like a good move to get in front of the PSP events but in reality all the league is doing is forcing teams and players that compete in both to make a choice--and the majority of the time that's a choice the NPPL is gonna lose. A fact that may already be reflected in the very modest upper division numbers registered for the Northeast Open. The two leagues may no longer share a significant number of teams but there are a lot of players, particularly in D1 and above, who compete in both leagues and since the NPPL is forcing them to decide which league and events to play it's the NPPL that will lose players--and teams--not the PSP--and that could extend to the pro ranks as well. Especially when you consider the discrepancy between the promised prizes and those delivered--so far.