Other then the importance of the need of a rating in the use of a swiss system; there is very little importance for having a rating other then its importance in a tournament. Have talked with a number of players and they are in such high demand for a higher rating then their present or current rating. Have talked with a number of masters and experts, they are very content on their present rating or give very little importance of what their current rating is. It could be a factor with the age group, as players between the age of 10 - 25 are in a greater state of mind that ratings is the only reason to play chess. The other factor, with the adult group and the players past the scholastic era of their life, what their current rating is, even if it is very low, they have come to terms with their rating class. Not to say a class E player has a dream of being a master, they know that its’ only a dream.
Do know a number of scholastic directors in one field or the next, place so much importance into the ratings as the mode of self esteem. Have noticed scholastic players use their ratings like a blunt weapon against each other. Going off and poking fun at players on their own team, of how much lower or how poor the other player did play. The reason why this happens so much in the scholastic section, “if you are not willing to push someone to become a master or higher, then they will settle with a much lower rating”. It could be the problem of having GM Fischer in our memories and that movie – as the teachers of the young have that dream they will find his replacement.
Most are just looking to be part of someones personal history for a person to become a expert. In my personia, followed this same path in life when it deals with the bright scholastic player. My leap of faith would be finding someone to use chess as a mode of interactions with others for a life time. When the rating is used as a scale to become a expert or a master, just to noticed you’re ‘X points below’ to have a 2000 rating or ‘X points below’ to have a 2200 rating. It does harm on a player with more harm on the scholastic player, to always know they are not as strong as a expert or a master. Can point to player after player going after that dream, a dream started by themselves or a dream implanted at a early age. Not that many people will become a expert or master or have a rating at or above 2000 or 2200. The goal from a teacher of a scholastic player to set the goal at 2000, then the ratings become something that it was never designed for in the first place.
The community of chess players have been asking why the scholastic players are leaving the tournaments, why they give up chess and the federation. It is not the problem of trophies given way to a cash payment, it could be we as a society looking for the goal of the next GM Fischer then building the next wave of adult class players.