Hypothetically Stacking

Stacking lineups in college tennis may or may not be a past, present, or future phenomenon. To the extent it already exists, it’s been going on so long, and nobody is innocent anymore, that the once subtle artform is no longer subtle nor is it art. I’m not saying it’s real, but let’s take a look at how it may have happened…on occasion… in the past… or how it might potentially happen in the future…. all of which is theoretical

What is Stacking?

The process: coaches effectively summon one of their players for sacrifice at the altar of the tennis gods to nudge better players down in the lineup to try to lock up certain spots. Sacrifice may be a little heavy handed, and I’m not trying to insult any players as it’s not as if the player being asked to play higher in the lineup is incompetent or truly unable to win, but this has been going on for years and is somewhat ritualistic throughout college tennis so maybe sacrifice does work (?). Nevertheless, the not-quite-as-good player is wedged higher in the lineup because a coach might feel as though a player is likely to have a similar record at, say, line 3, as they would at, say, line 1. Presumably, this player would need to find a way win just enough matches at this higher line, perhaps sprinkling in a timely upset, in order to “justify” the lineup, while the players that have slid down are locking in the guaranteed points that we all so desperately yearn for.

I don’t know enough about it, probably because I’m unsure of its prevalence, but I would assume that stacking could also vary in terms of its subtlety. That being said, I’m confident enough to say that I’m not sure stacking in its theoretically current state is a large problem that truly permeates the college tennis world so as to significantly alter outcomes on a week-to-week basis. However, I don’t think that means that certain forms of it are not worth addressing, as part of this thought exercise, especially if the fix isn’t all that taxing. Also, I think certain actions should be disallowed, regardless of the frequency of their occurrence or the magnitude of their consequences.

How to Eliminate Stacking

So, let’s mull over the concept of egregious stacking. This would be when a coach, operating with sheer unmitigated gall, submits a lineup that is nothing short of preposterous. I’m just spit-balling here, but I’m imagining looking at a lineup sheet in which an unranked player listed at line 3, has a UTR nearly a full point below two players playing lines 4 and 5 in the lineup, and maybe that player slotted at line 3 has like the 7^th or 8^th highest UTR on the team. I’m just thinking on the fly here, so I’m sorry if it’s a little too out there. Hopefully, you get the gist.

Continuing with this abstract exercise, we should tackle the *potentially* big issues first and look to wholesale eliminate this farcical stacking. We would probably have to consider putting in a committee of coaches who can hear lineup protests and make rulings. Keeping balance in mind, we would want some turnover with who serves on this committee. We would want to balance our interest in having ascertainable standards and rulings that aren’t a completely moving target, but this may not be something where we want to allow certain committee members to effectively exist on tenure. Also, we could push for some diversity on this committee, perhaps even including coaches from different divisions on the committee. A more diverse committee of coaches who aren’t necessarily direct competitors with one another, but who are still capable of making informed decisions when presented with all the appropriate facts, would have a better chance of not falling victim to potential conflicts of interest. I don’t think anyone would want to fall victim to that. Also, I think the committee should probably have to provide a brief but thorough rationalization of its ruling – we wouldn’t want a system where the committee just gives a thumbs up or thumbs down with no explanation. Gladiator was cool, but I don’t want to live in that world—I need the rationale.

I’m not saying this stuff happens now.AND IF IT DID HAPPEN BEFORE, especially if it was a bad case of lineup tinkering, I trust that some entity came in, delivered swift justice, and provided an appropriately forceful explanation for its decision for everyone to see, perhaps even setting a tone that such actions will not be tolerated. Again, I’m just whimsically musing on the abstract notion of this potentiality. And should we ever fall prey to the misfortune of living with such a calamity, feel free to use my suggestions above or give me a call.