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Post by Lookout! Boxing on Dec 9, 2020 14:54:30 GMT -6
For many fighters in the FCBA, winning a title in their respective division is one of the highlights of their career and if they are successful, over time, they can reach that pinnacle more than once. However, we want to make sure that every stable and fighter has as many opportunities as possible in order to reach this peak, which is why the title is defended at least once per month at our monthly PPV. Of course, the title does not need to be defended at the PPV and can be defended at a CBAD or at any of the numerous events held by different managers around the league. We encourage that, in fact, but the title does need to be defended on a regular basis.
That's why the rule for title defenses is: Forty-Five (45) or Forfeit, which means that the title needs to be defended within 45 days or you'll forfeit the title. That way if there is an event held after the PPV, this allows for a little bit of leeway and certainly life circumstances may result in a little extra time, so we try to be completely understanding.
If you want to know why the titles need to be defended like that, look at the examples of Lacey Chabert or Maria Menounos. For Lacey, she went from 11/20/13 to 8/22/14, without defending the title. That's right - over nine (9) months without a title defense. While some of that can be attributed to the change in boards as things transitioned from Sim to new leadership, that's still an unacceptable amount of time. Then, you have Maria, who won the lightweight title on 3/22/13 and lost the title on 8/9/13. While there are possible extenuating circumstances that we can't recall at the time, there is no excuse for this one. There are probably other title droughts as well which people might be able to point to, but those are two (2) of the biggest that we can think of.
So, there are seven (7) official titles that we expect to see defended on a regular basis. The biggest priority are the four (4) belts for their respective weight classes, which are:
Flyweight Championship
Bantamweight Championship
Lightweight Championship
Welterweight Championship
While not lineal titles or anything, these three (3) are official titles and we want to see these defended consistently as well. These are the Jugs of Mass Destruction (JMD) Title and for the bigger girls (in more ways than one), there is the the Jugs of Mass Destruction (JMDD) Title, with the extra D for differentiating the two, as well as the Queen of the Ice Hotel Title. There are other potential 'titles' like Abs of Mass Destruction (AMD), Buns of Mass Destruction (BMD) or a Bare Knuckle Title, but these have not taken off yet and do not expect them to become official or to be defended on a regular basis as these are more novelties at this point.
It's crucial for these titles to be defended at least once a month. There are so many deserving contenders for every possible title, but even if they're defended regularly, then there are only twelve (12) possible opportunities a year. That's twelve (12) fighters who have the opportunity to experience success or heartbreak on the biggest stage. So many fighters put themselves into position to earn a shot, but capitalizing on it is not always easy. Who wants it more? That's what title matches are all about and our league is better off for having them as often as possible.
So, if you have the wonderful opportunity to win one of the titles above or even hold more than one at a time, these titles are expected to be defended monthly. If you have dual titles, we can discuss a realistic plan so that both titles are active. While you may receive challenges for the title and we certainly welcome people to challenge if they think they have a chance at gold, it's ultimately Champion's Choice. It'll be up to you to pick who you are defending the title against. If you're unable or unwilling to select somebody to defend the title against, then I will unfortunately have to select a title defense and approve it in your absence. That would not be my first choice, but the show must go on.
So, to sum things up, if you win a title, you must defend it regularly. This should take place every thirty (30) days and forty-five (45) at the most. There may be occasional circumstances where this may be extended, but shouldn't be a habit. If you have a title, you don't have to write it up necessarily, but you do have to participate and communicate so that you can make exciting matches for its defense. If you can't, then I'll approve one. One way or another, the titles need to be defended. Winning a title should be one of the most thrilling moments of your time, where you've put your fighter into position to succeed and after a lot of hard work or a little luck, they hold gold. It shouldn't be stressful at all, so just feel free to talk to us, as well as other managers and have fun when you win a title! We'll work with you to make it as easy as possible for you to have a thrilling reign for your fighter, however long or short that may be.
Hopefully that makes things clear, but if anybody has any questions, then please don't hesitate to reach out. We're very lucky to work with all of you as every manager here is supremely talented, creative and brilliant. Thanks to each and every one of you!
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The Grand Wizard OOC
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Post by The Grand Wizard OOC on Dec 9, 2020 18:11:14 GMT -6
I just want to express my thanks for putting this post together officially, so there is no confusion going forward, and my support for this position on titles. I agree that it’s crucial that the titles be defended regularly, because there are few enough opportunities as it is. And, speaking as someone who’s been fortunate enough to manage a dozen title winners, sitting on a title is no fun for anyone. The fun is in defending it, giving your girl a chance to win against a top contender and another manager’s girl a chance to claim gold. Let’s keep the titles active and give deserving contenders their chance to put their names in the record books!
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Post by Ginny on Dec 10, 2020 10:36:16 GMT -6
The only things I would add (or suggest adding...although it should be "understood") is that:
1) A champion lucky/talented enough to hold TWO-or more-titles at the same time, must defend AT LEAST ONE within the 45 day rule of (the earliest title won)? and (probably) they should defend the 2nd within 30 days after THAT first fight).
That gives both the champ (and her management) plenty of time to make arrangements with the preferred challenger(s) while still adhering to the spirit of the rules.
2) And second, there should be a rule to deal with (any) champions who regularly* duck, avoid, or otherwise refuse to face the #1 ranked fighter in her weight class. Maybe only #1 or perhaps "top five" or some agreeable yardstick of "worthiness". At least it should be discussed, although I'm at a loss to come up with the name of a recent fighter who's guilty of that offense. There used to be several "back in the simguy era" - AS I RECALL (my memory not being what it was some time ago!)
* I can't define "regularly" but I know 'it' when I see it (and) it depends on what your definition of 'it' is.
The penalty could be anything from a "warning" from the commissioner to requiring she face "fighter X" to vacating the title for continued abuse. (again, these should be debated and agreed upon by a majority (2/3 or 3/4?) of the managers????
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Post by Vassago on Dec 10, 2020 13:12:36 GMT -6
We don't have JMD(D) rankings and BWO does its divisional rankings every three months. That contradicts the 45 or Strip rule since there would have to be at least three title defenses in between the rankings. No to mention BWO possibly shutting out a fighter they dislike from #1 spot and therefore ruling her out of a title shot by default. Champion should have a priviledge to choose the challenger and looking at rankings only would basically ban all free agents from making a title run. There are simply 0 free agents ranked that high. Looking how we guided Sarah Lancaster into a welterweight title as a free agent it's unfair to ban them from taking a shot. 45 Or Strip should never be about limiting all the title challenges to the same pool of 4 or 5 names time and time again. LCA has a policy of not offering a title shot to anyone who has held it or was involved in a title fight in the previous 12 months regardless of their ranking. If 45 Or Strip becomes a modern version of "Righetti & Regan two-woman division and everyone else sucks" spread across all four classes then what's the point of doing title fights to begin with? Let's just set a mandatory rule that has Portman, Hudgens, Fox, Collins and Stewart eligible for flyweight title and everyone else can bugger off because they would never be ranked high enough! You really want to open the can of worms where title fights will be decided by who's ranked high enough where there's only ONE person doing the rankings in two divisions (as helpful as those rankings are)? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!  |
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The Grand Wizard OOC
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Post by The Grand Wizard OOC on Dec 10, 2020 20:03:06 GMT -6
Couldn’t agree more with Vassago. My rankings are for two purposes, fun and matchmaking. They are, obviously, unofficial and, just as obviously, subjective. I wouldn’t want any champion FORCED to fight a girl I ranked number one. What I do hope is that managers will be aided by the rankings when deciding who to challenge and managers of champions will be aided by them in making fights.
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Post by Natalie Portman on Dec 10, 2020 21:00:39 GMT -6
Let's just set a mandatory rule that has Portman, Hudgens, Fox, Collins and Stewart eligible for flyweight title and everyone else can bugger off because they would never be ranked high enough! Brilliant! I second the motion. All in favor? |
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Post by Fates on Dec 12, 2020 17:47:05 GMT -6
The 45 day rule for the weight division titles makes sense with us and we think it is a good rule to have generally. We'd even be okay with a 60 day timeframe after 5 or so title defenses if there are no obvious new or top contenders (i.e., the champ can take a month off and see the results of a PPV to select her new challenger, or declare one of the matches a No. 1 Contender match). I can really only see this happening at welter, where there aren't exactly as many active fighters at the upper tier.
The tricker question is what to do about the JMD(D) and Ice Hotel titles, especially when they are held by one of the weight division champions. Maybe those should have longer times to defend (60 or 90 days) when they are held by a champion of a weight division?
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Post by oddmanout on Dec 12, 2020 20:52:10 GMT -6
The Ice Hotel should be defended at least twice a year, once between January and March, and once between October and December. More defenses are certainly an option, particularly when the Queen is from the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern winter is June to August if they want to defend then for example.
As for the JMDs, every other month is usually sufficient, every three months if she’s holding down a weight-class belt. Or if nobody’s fighting JMD. I had to point-blank tell Lookout at one point last year that I couldn’t defend a title nobody was challenging for. So JMD is a quick way to get a fighter into the title picture if for no other reason than the champion will need a challenger
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Post by Lookout! Boxing on Dec 12, 2020 22:14:59 GMT -6
I'm glad that these guidelines have promoted some positive discussion and proven helpful for some. Here's what I'll add, for the hopeful purposes of clarification, although it may just promote more debate.
1) First of all, while there is no requirement that any champion fight the number one contender, we certainly don't approve of anyone 'ducking' a worthy contender. If a champion decides, over a period of time, to evade worthy challengers for what seems like the purposes of prolonging their title reign, then I'll certainly say something and if needed, step in. If somebody is a number one contender, it's because they have put in hard work over time to earn that designation and deserve to be considered. Seriously considered.
2) As far as the JMD, JMDD and Queen of the Ice Hotel titles, my expectations are the same, which is that I expect them to be defended regularly. By regularly, I mean every 45 days. For Queen of the Ice Hotel, I could extend it longer as I understand the history of the title, but I want to see every title active. I want the expectation to be 45 days, but if it ends up being 60 every once a while for JMD/JMDD or 90 Days for Queen of the Ice Hotel as examples, I'm open. But, I do not plan for it to be where somebody wins a belt and thinks that they can just hold onto it for a few months. If they aren't active on a consistent basis, then why would we have them around? Of course, there are always extenuating circumstances to talk about, leeway to be provided and I'm always open to discussion for storyline purposes, but generally, I don't see the need to extend the rule as a habit. As I mentioned, if somebody has the opportunity to have two (2) titles, then we'll come up with a realistic plan.
So, 45 days or Forfeit for lineal titles. Same goes for JMD/JMDD, but Sixty or Strip at the maximum and for Queen of the Ice Hotel, I'd like to see 90 Days or No More at the maximum. For the Mistress of the Body Saddle, that appears to be once a year and while it has gone years without being defended, I would not like to see that occur again. As of right now, there are no plans to add any more 'titles' to the FCBA.
As always, I'm open to input or constructive feedback, but if we're going to have titles, then people need to have opportunities to win them. Simple as that.
Thank you very much!
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