Even though the prize money won't buy you more than 2 months rent most places in this country, and whether or not this effort turns into reality, it's interesting to note that there exists at least a stated and (seems to be) well thought-out attempt to set up a formal, nationwide badminton league!

American Badminton League

http://www.ablbadminton.com/ 
http://www.ablbadminton.com/players.htm 


INTRODUCTION
The American Badminton League (ABL) will debut in 2009 (dates to be announced).  Teams will be located in four to eight major U.S. and Canadian cities. Each team will have three home and three away matches, and the top four teams will compete in the two-day ABL Finals.

ABL MATCH FORMAT
An ABL match consists of a minimum of nine games: two games each in men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, and at least one game of mixed doubles.  A match is played on one court (with spectators seated on all four sides, and team members seated at courtside) and games follow a sequence of doubles, singles, doubles, singles, etc.  Each game won is a point in a team’s total score.  The league features an Overtime Rule that allows the trailing team to attempt a comeback if it wins the final mixed doubles game.  An ABL match typically lasts ninety minutes to two hours. Visit the ABL web site for a detailed description of ABL match rules.

PLAYERS
Each team will have two men and two women, and they will include world-class badminton players who have won medals at the World Championships, Olympic or Pan-American Games, and/or who are national champions of their countries.  Players will be recruited throughout 2008 and 2009, and a league draft will be held in May 2009.  For the inaugural season, world-class competitors from the United States, Canada and other nations will compete in the league.

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