All I can say is............Wow!.
Its amazing how one contest....concept....experiment.. can spark such controversy and passion.
From my understanding, KCBS is NOT changing our rules in the masters series.. They are expanding the rules for a DIFFERENT KIND OF EVENT. Our rules are still the same.. and our class/series is intact(for now).
Forget about the business aspect of this... most likely, most of us are not looking at the business goals and strategic plans of KCBS as a corp, so lets move past that part..and discuss the symantecs.. what i think is really torquing people.
We call what we are doing a sport??? Fine..
Call the dividing lines what you want.. Leagues, Divisions, Classes.
EVERY major sport has divisions. EVERY major sport has levels.. Every major sport has some form of defining and dividing lines. Every sport has different pay grades for the players and payouts for their events.
Divisions ones...
Pro Divisions/ NCAA / amateur divisions / Semi Pro divisions
Stock / modified / super modified class
Minor leagues / Major leagues
Nascar, Indy, Formula One, Dragsters, Baha.
There are different tracks, courts, fields, rings, etc.... racing has differnet rules for the paved track or the dirt road. Wrestling has differnt rules for the collegate circle or the pro ring.. sandlot is differnt form the pros, and flag footballs rules are differnet than football.. yet everyone of these is some ADAPTATION of its PRIMARY SPORT.
and now we have the BBQ Masters division, and the BBQ Competitors Division.
None of these additional leagues/classes/divisions have watered down their respective sports, but expanded the options of the competitors. this can equate to visibility to the outsiders, specifically the sponsors and the public.. and if it is successful, this IS going to mean growth. I am sure that Gatorade will sponsor a top fuel dragster just as readily as nascar or baha. But something had to attract them.. Companies like Charbroil, Weber, Viking, DCS will be much more likely to look at a gasser event than one with a bunch of log burners, and once KCBS has their foot in the door, those sponsorships can flow across ALL KCBS divisions. This could mean more for US.
KCBS is NOT changing our(masters)rules.. I just don't see an issue.
Sidebar: Now, if KCBS starts allowing gassers into the masters series... all bets are off then, I'm sure that will have nuclear fallout much more heated than this.. before someone jumps on me for selling out, .. my personal stance has not changed. i already have to deal with the thermostats(boo Hiss boo). Set it, and forget it.. IMO, at that point, heat sources can be electric heating elements, augers dropping pellets, farkin solar power, or gas burners... who cares.. its all the same to me.. its an artificial or mechanically assisted heat source and its allowed.. so for that stuff i wont even waste my breath anymore.:twisted: (please, different debate)