November 2017 - 6

IN FIRST SEAT

American Contract Bridge League
6575 Windchase Blvd.
Horn Lake MS 38637-1523
662-253-3100 (ACBL operator)
Fax: 662-253-3187
Website: acbl.org

Investment opportunity

Is there a correlation between the health of
duplicate bridge in North America and the number
of people who play rubber bridge, Chicago-style or
informal "kitchen" bridge? I never used to give this
type of question much attention, even though there have been players I
have encountered over the years who maintained that such a relationship is real.
The argument goes something like this. The number of people who
are familiar with the informal versions of the game (yes, I know, rubber bridge can be quite formal when there's money involved, but bear
with me) is much greater than the number of people who play duplicate
bridge. Further, fans of the informal versions serve as a pool from which
duplicate players may be recruited. Therefore, finding a way to promote
non-duplicate bridge should be important to the ACBL. Indeed, ACBL's
mission statement declares that the organization's job is to serve the
needs of all players, not just duplicate enthusiasts. Whether the League
actually succeeds in this is a topic for another editorial.
There are many possible objections to this argument, of course. Some
recruiters will tell you that they sign up plenty of new ACBL members
who have never previously encountered the game in any form. And
online bridge introduces some to the ACBL who haven't even tried live,
face-to-face bridge, much less duplicate; this phenomena, in particular, is
becoming more commonplace.
Still, there's a ring of truth to the idea that casual bridge serves as a
canary in the coal mine for the duplicate version. The popularity of the
former and the success of the latter are surely intertwined.
Historically, the ACBL has not spent much effort in promoting party
bridge, and the reason is simple enough: Party bridge enthusiasts don't
pay dues. Why should they? And because the League could not monetize
this effort, casual bridge has always been a low-priority item for the
ACBL.
But maybe that's the wrong way for the organization to think about
it. Maybe the right approach is to think about resources used for socialbridge promotion as seed money. What if the ACBL spent money on a
campaign that encouraged people to host bridge parties with friends that
included things such as tips on what equipment to use, snack and cocktail recipes, and a bare-bone set of rules for play and scoring? This type
of investment won't yield short-term results, but serious investors know
that short-term yields aren't the point.
Paul Linxwiler, Editor

6 Bridge Bulletin November 2017

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Bulletin
BRIDGE

Editor: Paul Linxwiler
Managing Editor: Sue Munday
Associate Editor: Chip Dombrowski
Graphic Design /Layout: Cindy Hill
BRIDGE BULLETIN (ISSN 1089-6376) is published
monthly by the American Contract Bridge League, Inc.,
6575 Windchase Blvd., Horn Lake MS 38637-1523,
662-253-3100. $5 per copy, $49 annually. Yearly subscription paid with annual dues. Periodicals postage paid
at Horn Lake MS and at additional mailing offices (USPS
488-430). Printed in the USA.
Canadian Publication rate paid at Windsor ON,
Permit #40040955. CANADIAN return address: c/o
American Contract Bridge League, P.O. Box 875, Stn A,
Windsor ON, Canada N9A 6P2.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BRIDGE
BULLETIN, P. O. Box 289, Horn Lake MS 38637-0289

http://www.acbl.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2017