Competition hosting: To participate, or not participate?

Brian Koppen has followed up on the promise he made last summer to feature some guest posts on his blog. About a month ago, last year's student chairman of the James Braxton Craven, Jr. Moot Court Competition weighed in on the issue of whether, in advocacy competitions run by a particular school (as opposed to a Bar Association or law firm), a team from the host school should participate in the tournament.

The post discusses all the right reasons for the Craven committee's decision not to allow a UNC team to compete. Believe me -- nothing good can come from the host school participating. Any round the home team wins leaves the losing team with a sour taste in its mouth. And it's not that the host school "cheated" or had any real advantage; rather, it's the perception of advantage, combined with the inevitable unwillingness of any advocacy team to admit that it was actually inferior to its opponent.

Simply put: If the host school wins (or even goes deep into the field), nobody's happy. Why would you want to subject that to yourself if you're trying to run a reputable competition?