Types of Tournaments
A tournament is an event with multiple participants, wherein each one playing in it is playing for a set goal. More specifically, the word can be used both in terms of single elimination and multi-elimination competitions: in single elimination tournament, the player advances to the next round only when he or she wins against all the other players; while, in multi-elimination tournament, the player advances to the final round only when he or she defeats all the player listed in his or her file. In addition, in a tournament, there are four major classes of tournament:
The Spring Tournament, also known as the invitational tournament, is a very popular type of tournament held among various teams. It normally lasts for about three weeks, and the winner gets the title of “invictee.” There is no limit on the number of teams that can join in; so, usually, a tournament can have many of these divisions, such as high school, junior college, and so on.
Summer is the time of the year when most of these competitions are held. The most famous tournament among sportsmen and sports enthusiasts is the Olympic Games. Competitions taken by countries in the summertime include swimming, diving, track and field events, volleyball, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, and softball. The Olympic Games take place in different cities of the world, and the schedule of these events is published well in advance.
Another type of tournament is the double league tournament. In double league tournaments, two teams are joined by another in a competition; the teams play each other in two leagues, the first league consists of the favorites, and the other league comprises the unwanted and less favored teams. The winners of the two leagues earn the right to participate in the championship. Usually, in double league tournaments, only the best teams are invited. Another variant of this tournament is the “playoff series”, in which the best two teams are invited to play against each other in a set sequence, so that the team with the most wins becomes the champion.
The most famous tournament in track and field is the Olympic Games silver medal, also known as the Olympic gold. At the Olympic Games, all the best athletes in the world compete for the gold medal, with the best results being a silver or a gold. A similar sort of tournament takes place in the United States, known as the College athletic tournament or the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. Usually, the participating universities or colleges are known, and their students are grouped together according to their sports specialization, and the favorite is selected. Then the player is awarded the gold medal. There are many knockout tournaments in which the most creative and interesting games are played, such as the “shootout” and “tournament trampoline”.
Sometimes the very small teams play intramural games. For instance, the American football clubs play against the football clubs of other countries, and there is often a great competition between these teams. The NBA Basketball Association also plays intramural games with teams from different countries, as well as with the same league. The World Poker Tour and the World Sports Club play intramural games with teams from around the world. It is due to the popularity of these tournaments that many sports fans take part in them, either by watching live, or by following the progress on a computer screen.