January 15, 2013 by Charlie Eisenhood in Livewire with 0 comments
I had a conversation earlier today with a player intimately involved with the negotiations between elite teams who signed the NexGen letter and USA Ultimate about the 2013 season. 
He said that there were really two main concerns for teams: the Triple Crown Tour makes the regular season too expensive and too long.
That was the key takeaway from the conversation. He wouldn’t say much more about what teams were thinking, or why they were all keeping so quiet. He did say that players from Revolver, Sockeye, Ironside, Doublewide, and Madison Club were forming a new committee to continue discussions with USA Ultimate.
Last Monday’s meeting, he said, was not much more than a discussion. No decisions were made.
Tonight’s announcement from USA Ultimate seems like a big step forward. If nothing else, USAU has already conceded to teams by reducing the required tournament load by 33%. That will unquestionably make the season cheaper. Will it make it shorter? Unclear.
It’s hard to make much of this yet, without getting more details from teams, USAU, and NexGen. The fact that there was no discussion of NexGen’s involvement seems like an omen that there will be no partnership.
Lots more to come tomorrow.
