i guess one of the takes floating around fgc discourse spaces was 'is $5 too much for a tournament entry fee', so that's another excuse to bump an essay from a few years ago.
i don't charge entry fees for my brackets because my primary motivation for running stuff is to hang out with cool people and encourage new folks to try out the games i like, and charging them $5 for the privilege of immediately losing just feels like a tax that weaker players pay to stronger players. it's harder to get new players to join if there's a cost involved, and i like it when stronger players pull up because they want to play the game, not collect tribute.
these days most NorCal brackets don't charge entry fees, just venue, and its led to some real good vibes that keep people coming back. i'm not tryna hang out with people who are hella $ driven anyway so it works out nicely. cash prizes are fun, just not ideal for every event. the decisions you make as a TO affect the experience pretty heavily, and i think a lot of people don't quite understand that when getting into events themselves or criticizing others' events.