As most readers of this site are aware, Society leadership is now threatening to remove the Society Open from Gen Con when the convention moves from Milwaukee to Indianapolis this summer. The latest poll on the "Calendar" page of this site indicates that as of this writing, the vast majority of Fits Society members oppose the move.

When considering the results of the Indy Squadron Poll, two major factors must be considered:

First, over half of the visitors to this site do not belong to the Indy Squadron. Understanding this fact removes the temptation to dimiss the poll results as being localized or biased, when in fact, they represent a far broader segment of the society.

Secondly, according to Society Treasurer Jim Barber, the society has almost exactly 90 members. That means that one-third of the entire Fits Society visits this site daily, and at least half of them have voted in the Indy Squadron Poll to date. Since the Fits Society is not a large organization, 10 or 20 votes represents a significant portion of the society and cannot be dismissed as a minor sampling.

If the Open is indeed yanked from its traditional home in spite of the wishes of the majority, one has to seriously doubt the validity of the reasons given for doing so.

For instance, where were all the complainers when the event was held in Milwaukee year after year? Did the players in Michigan whine for it to be moved to Detroit? Did Ohio players demand that it be moved to Columbus? Did Indy players ask for it to be moved to Indianapolis? No. They got in their cars and drove to the event without complaint. The rest of the Fits world justifiably expects players near Milwaukee to do the same. Get in your car and drive... just like the rest of us have done for the past decade. Frankly, even if northern players truly have valid reasons (other than thinly disguised personal convenience), moving the Open back north will still appear to the rest of Fitsdom as an "I'll-take-my-ball-and-go-home" attitude. Its going to be mighty tough to convince any of the people who have driven to Milwaukee for the past ten years otherwise.

If the Open stays in Gen Con where it belongs, I sincerely hope that players from Indy, the Region and Ohio don't adopt the same attitude. We should never let ourselves be reduced to such a degree that we would put our own personal convenience above the good of the game. When its time for Gen Con to leave our corner of the midwest, we'll say thanks and goodbye and prepare to drive again the next year.

I, for one, can still be convinced that this move is for the good of the game... but its going to take a lot more than the lame excuses I've heard so far. And if I were relying on such lame excuses to justify my position, I think I'd take a long, hard look in the mirror before I cast my vote.