[Chuck Kennedy]

I reject the initial premise that ams are specifically the ones spoiled in the sport. It's also the pseudo pros who have been spoiled by expecting 100%+ payouts with little or no contribution towards event expenses and little rationale for why they should be able to play for cash (i.e. paying spectators) versus winning merch like all of the other semi-pros (not ams) who play for merch.

If anything, there should be no cash payouts in any division and potentially even larger merch payouts (with sponsorship) that include a significant selection of prizes outside of disc golf merchandise where the retail/wholesale differential is used to cover tourney expenses including compensation for the TD team.

Yes, our current tournament structure has produced spoiled players but it's both players we call ams and pros although neither fit the conventional definitions. It's not "am" payouts per se that are the root of the problem. If the sport and our original TDs started with conventional am divisions like many other developing sports rather than pros with cash payouts, and events were run by Parks Depts, our current structure where TDs feel compelled to cater to the pros with cash payouts and even added cash would likely have materialized more conventionally (if at all) like other sports where payouts only came from spectator income and external sponsorship, not mostly from am retail/wholesale differential. But that's where we're at for now. The fault lies not with all players who have been spoiled and prefer to continue those expectations but more the administrative side of tournament structure that has evolved from the culture and traditions that produced it.