Why fan scoring is now a thing (and why to stop complaining about it)

[Brad Kerlin]

At MJWFXVIII Monster Jam debuted fan scoring. It has been met with some backlash since it screwed Neil Elliott out of a world finals freestyle championship. This all started at MJWFXVII where Damon Bradshaw got screwed out of world finals freestyle championship because of really really really bad judging. And the fans got really mad about it as they should've. But now with all fan scoring feld doesnt have to take blame. And when fans boo at the scores they are technically booing themselves as Scott Douglass mentioned in the FS1 broadcast of MJWFXVIII Freestyle Part 2. And it makes the fans look really really really bad. And fan scoring isn't going away anytime soon since Monster Jam always "makes it all about the fans". And you can't tell 8-year old Little Johnny that he cant go to the monster truck show cause he'll ruin the scoring and prevent the hardcore fans' guy from winning. So you can a. get with it, b. don't get with it, or c. continue to look really really really bad.

[JackMProductions]

I mean fans have literally been scoring forever, at least for the most part. I remember watching Motor Madness on TNN, where they literally picked people out of the crowd. As far as I know, they've always done that. Only difference now is that the entire audience gets a number as well. Also, a lot of people keep saying that biased judging is a recent thing that didn't happen in the past, when it has always been a thing. As long as we judge based on opinions and not technicality, there's always gonna be room for bias. Judges don't act as a committee either I don't think, so really they just hold up a number and what happens happens.

These past 5 years, it seems like there's always been controversy at the World Finals over who should have won and who shouldn't, who should have taken the lead and who shouldn't. It's really subjective for the most part, even if there's good arguments to be made. Honestly there's been poor/questionable judging at nearly every show I've been to. That doesn't make it okay, but there's not a lot we can do, even if they hire experts instead of fans.

[Outlawed]

This is going to blow your mind but points in monster jam really mean nothing. They are just there to appease the supposed "hardcore" fanbase that is actually more embarrassing to the sport then the little kids that just want to see trucks crash. If you honestly think that a 8 year old is screwing up who is winning that is completely subjective, maybe we need to step back and look in the mirror? Because from the sounds of the post you are more upset about the people that are exactly like you...

[BSciro]

Speaking as one of the guys who supposedly "ruined" World Finals 16 and 17, let me provide my input:

 

The fan scoring now, I think, prevents that whole shabang of "So-and-So should have won and the fan judges blew it!".  MJ has always kinda promoted the idea of keeping the fan interaction involved with the "judging" of the Freestyle competition, so that's why fans will continue to be factored-into the decision of who wins each competition.  It's part of their shtick, so they're going to continue to roll with it.  In the end, doing this is far less controversial and it's more "fair", in a way I guess, in that it supposedly gauges the entire audience there and what they think was the most exciting run.

If it works, it works.  If not...it's still experimental, and there's really no one to blame but themselves.  Works better than me being harassed for an entire year, I'd say~