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by BobbieChan on April 23rd, 2005

BobbieChan

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Why is the word "seed" used to refer to the pairings of athletes or teams competing in tournaments?

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  • by Tuckstar on November 11th, 2005

    Tuckstar

    Players in tournaments are "planted" in the draw so that they will not meet each other until the later stages. This ensures that the best players will have the best chance of meeting each other at the end of the tournament. Should everything go according to the seedings then seeds 1 and 2 will meet in the final. The benefits of this are that the public are able to see the best players competing for trophies, when otherwise they may meet in the first round. Some argue that this method is a little unfair, since the best players should be good enough to overcome any obstacle put in front of them. It is also true that once a player reaches the games elite (say top 32), and hence becomes seeded, it is easier for them to stay there than drop out. This is because they will invariably be facing lower-ranked opponents and hence have a better chance of progressing through tournaments and hence earning ranking points. The counter-argument is, as mentioned before, the public want the best players to contest the latter stages (and obviously this is better for television revenues etc).

    Sports that employ a seeding system include snooker, tennis, football (in European and World tournaments), darts, to name but a few. On a domestic level (England) they currently do not use a seeding system for the FA (football) Cup, and this has led to some debate. On occasions some teams have managed to reach the final of the tournament without facing anyone from the highest divison. This has led to calls for a review of how the tournament is played, although up until now it has not changed.

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