This conversation for most people is simply an extension of them at races. You have the fast guys complaining they have to earn upgrades, guys that probably never get paid complaining other people get paid, and everyone whining that there isn't a fix. I wish for once this would create a meaningful conversation with results. You can have a payout in fields and still have races make money, it happens at races all the time. Races shouldn't have to have significant payout to exist, that also holds true. Road racing can never be as popular as gravel racing unless the "I'm a winner" mentality changes. In gravel there isn't only one pack and the longer the race goes the smaller each group is so everyone gets a warm fuzzy feeling from doing their best. This phenomenon is why the super long distance stuff is popular if the suffering is part of the distance and not the speed everyone that finishes gets to feel like a winner even if they aren't competitive. Different strokes for different folks.
In the mean time the weekday race model and races like Zeeland should be embraced if you are going to have fewer people show up but they are competitively minded set up 3-5 classes to race and run them all together. You could race all of your main money making groups in A, B, C format with additional races or scored categories for women and a 35+/45+ masters field. This would allow bigger fields with shorter schedules, fewer expenses, and a better overall experience. On the subject of masters racing, cycling needs it for the income it provides. You can bash 35+ year old guys that love racing and try hard but aren't on the pro path all you want, but if they serve enough of a purpose to a team or shop to get the bro deal and then show up to races and pay an entry fee(usually in bigger numbers than the wannabe pros) their money is worth taking in exchange for an event that keeps them around. In general racing bikes is a pretty harmless hobby and can be very fun and healthy the idea that only certain people should get to pay an entry will kill the sport quicker than a lack of payout.
If I was MBRA I would work to foster a pared down race day format, work with local clubs to find car tracks, office parks, or easy and affordable race venues, and to build a "race in a box". If every MBRA race had the same schedule in terms of race order and time, the same payout(if your race can payout more advertise and give out the extra money in primes), the same timing company(start their own or partner with an established one), and races held a season long number within their category it would certainly help to make everything smoother. No one can predict when or if the competitive bike racing bug will start to bite large numbers of people again, but until then hopefully some people step up or stay in the game long enough to keep it alive even if it is on life support.
