So we got paid out last night in our mostly high average competitive scratch league.  14 teams, 3 member, 20 dollar a night, only 7.50 out of that is lineage.  We have a nightly 3 game Eliminator, we also have random match play and a match play standings list.  Teams get paid by position and individuals for match play position per third, and for overall Eliminator take.  My team was in 2nd the entire year, it's a 30 point per night system, and overall we took 703 points on the year out of a possible 990.  In years past, teams got paid for total points, but apparently that's not how it works anymore.  Out of 42 people, I finished 4th, 9th and 4th in the match play standings, did well in the Eliminator, split the hi 10 hi 30 pot, got 2nd place hi 10 for team, had the 4th high average in the league, and I got a grand total of 525 bucks back (total league fees for the year was 660) . . 

Now to put this in perspective, the team that was in first the entire year, took nearly 800 points on the year, I made more than 2 of them.  The top guy on their team who reset our house average record at 240 didn't even break even on the year.  The difference between being in 1st and 14th?  30 per person per third.  The difference between being 1st and 42nd in the match play standings?  31 per third. 

To put this in more perspective, I had a bad year last year.  Not terrible, but it wasn't good at all.  Our team finished 8th out of 11 teams, did ok in the Eliminator, finished around the 20 spot in the match play standings every third, and I took home 450. 

More perspective.  My wife ended up bowling on a team at the last minute because they needed somebody.  Their team finished dead last every third, took only 180 points on the year, she made exactly 20 bucks on the eliminator for the year, and finished either last or next to last in the match play standings every third and her envelope contained 250. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy she got a decent chunk of change back . . and I got more out of the prize fund than I paid into it, but not by much.  Matter of fact, overall I had the 4th highest payday in the league, but the 2 directly ahead of me were only ahead of me by a few bucks apiece. 

This seems to me to be absolutely ridiculous.  If you're in a handicap league, cool, spread the wealth, it's supposed to be just for fun.  But when you're in a high average competitive scratch league with a dress code and 2 lane courtesy written into the league rules, fines for unbecoming or unsportsmanlike conduct or not meeting the dress code, and very strict sub and absentee rules, how does this all add up to a spread the wealth payout?  Where's the incentive to bowl well?  I put in way too much effort and lost way too much sleep just to lose 150 bucks on the year.  Because of this, instead of my team returning next year, both my teammates changed their minds, because they only got back about 425 apiece.  One works an hour drive away, and the other works from 5am-9pm 4 days out of the week.  The league starts at 9pm and is usually over around 1130pm.  We put the team together with the expectation of winning money or at least breaking even. 

The tournament I bowled Sunday?  43 entrants, 75 dollar entry fee.  Got second, walked out with 470, that's tournament payout alone, didn't include any side action.  This league?  42 bowlers, 660 dollar "entry" over 9 MONTHS, 525.  What am I missing here?  Yes I realize tournaments are different, but come on . . 

As far as I know, I've never seen a prize structure list.  What I was really thinking was that if I had an average year last year and still made 450 in an 11 team league, what would a good year in a 14 team league pay out? 

Gizmo,

I am new to some of this so forgive me if I'm out of bounds but if the prize structure was important to me I believe I would have red the rules before joining the league. I do agree a more top heavy format would make sense in this type of league but you should be responsible for making sure it was what you were looking for before getting involved. You obviously paid attention to the other portions of the league code how did you over look this? Did you miss a league meeting at the beginning of the season where these rules were changed? 

Normally the team that wins a league gets more than what they paid to bowl in the league but not by much. The second place team would get about 50 to 100 off when they paid to bowl. The rest is smaller increments. That's what I've seen and been part of.

I've bowled the league for several years, but have never been a team captain, have never seen a prize structure list, and have never been on a good team with any chance of getting much money back, so I've never really paid much attention to it honestly, but I've always seen the top teams and top bowlers getting back 650-750 dollars apiece back at the end of the year with just 10 or 11 teams.  If they did vote on the prize structure or have information out about it, I wasn't there that week, I did have to miss a couple weeks this year due to work. 

Team captains vote on prize funds after a prize committee puts together some choices.  You should have known the prize fund a month into the league. 

How much do you really expect to get out of a 14 team trio league?   

You can't compare league and tournaments.  At tournaments 3/4 of the field gets $0.  Not many people will bowl a league with 3/4 of the field not getting paid.  That is not the type of person that make up the bulk of leagues.

The mysterious prize fund. Trust me! You want that knowledge at the beginning of the year and not at the end.

I am going to take a guess and state that league probably never had prize committee, and the prize money is left up to the secretary/treasurer to handle at the end of the year. When its done at the end of the year, people get upset.

 

Welcome to the era where everybody gets paid.

I despise it, but it is what it is.

I remember bowling in league where all the prize money went to the top 4-5 teams and individual prizes.  Heck, in 1988, I pulled down $750 in one league (1st place, high scratch series) and that was with $5 going to the prize fund.

Giz,
    I hate to say it, but this seems like a case of "you get what you deserve". If you didn't care about the prize fund, and ask about it earlier, then.....
 
    I understand your feelings and what you thought was right. But if it wasn't mentioned by your teammates that they saw and voted on a prize fund while you were away, you should have asked about it. When I was team captain, the prize fund vote was never just my decision. I always talked with my teammates and we got a concensus as to which one we voted for. Sometimes my pick won, sometimes it didn't.....we went with majority rules. So you should have been involved even if you weren't captain.
 
    Like I said in my prior post, nothing you can do about it now, so look forward to next year. The President and/or lanes should be able to get in touch with all team captains, set-up a meeting for a week or two prior to league starting and discuss the prize fund isses (as well as all of the rules). This way it's out of the way early and people can decide if they want to bowl or not, and if not it leaves time to find replacements. Get the league to agree that prize funds will be created and given to the Secretary by week x (we ususally used week 3). Then the league will vote on it the next week. Majority rules. If needed, you revote the next week to break any ties (just between the tied versions). So you could volunteer to put together a top heavy prize fund and see if it passes.