“You buy your tickee and you take your chances…”
Ben’s comment seems quite short sighted as to how tournaments are run and funded here in the U.S.
The vast majority of these big money events are funded by the entry fees.
Does Ben expect a 1200 rated player to pay the $200 entry fee for the Chicago Open so he and the other higher rated players can get those gigantic prizes while the 1200 is playing for a lot less money for his investment in the entry fee?
Where does he expect the money for the gigantic prizes that he wants to play for to come from? Do the GM’s pay the $200 entry fee themselves? No, the GM’s get free entry to this event and if they play the whole tournament and don’t do well enough to win, they still owe nothing. Oh yes, the top prize for this section is $10,000. That’s twice as much as the top prize for the categories down to 1900 and more than twice for the lower sections. Sure, if Ben would win the $10,000 then the $200 entry fee would be deducted. The lower sections are playing for quite a bit less money.
I certainly don’t begrudge these guys that money either. They are the professionals of the sport and they should have the opportunity to make their income from this play. But remember, they are taking no financial risk by paying an entry fee.