What happens in the St. Louis trivia scene usually makes its way north on I-55 soon after.  Let’s hope the newest trend down there doesn’t make the trip. Have a peek at the upcoming trivia nights in the St. Louis area. The first thing you’ll notice is the astonishing number of events they have to choose from every week of the year, leaving little doubt that St. Louis is the center of trivia in the States. They have more trivia nights scheduled for this Friday than we have for the next two months. The second thing you might notice is that it’s becoming harder to find a $10 entry fee there. In fact, it looks like $20 is becoming the norm.
Springfield isn’t ready for that. $10 is probably the sweet spot that will get the most players to an event and still allow a decent prize structure. If you can’t double your money for winning first place, competitive teams might take a pass. And at $20 per player and 10 at a table, your first place payout would have to be at least $400. And keep in mind, logic follows that the higher the entry fee, the higher the payout – and the less likely the winning team will want to part with the prize.
March 18th, 2009
The time has come for a national oversight board. These attempts to turn trivia nights into cash grabs for their sponsors must be put down. I nominate you as first chairman of the Council for Trivia Fairness and Other Related Things.
March 19th, 2009
I think you’re on to something. I’ll print up the C.T.F.O.R.T. letterhead this weekend.