<P> Many sports tournaments do not have a third place playoff, mostly due to a lack of interest from the competitors and also from the fans . Two of the most celebrated knockout tournaments--the FA Cup Third - fourth place matches (1970--1974) and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship (1946--1981)--did feature the third place game for a period of time, but later abandoned it . For most of its years, the NCAA consolation game held interest because it usually featured two nationally ranked teams in which only a few teams qualified for the tournament . However, as the field expanded beyond 32 teams, the game lost significance . In addition, eliminating the game allowed the losing teams to return home rather than remaining in the Final Four city for an additional two days to play a game many believed was irrelevant . Relevancy aside, others supported the game for competitive reasons because it typically featured a match between two of the best college teams in the nation; and, it allowed each of those teams to be honored as a Final Four team for the entire weekend . </P> <P> The National Football League had a consolation game, the Playoff Bowl, from 1960 to 1969, which pitted the second - place team in each of the two conferences (based on regular season record from 1960 to 1966) against each other in Miami, Florida . Through the 1966 season, the only scheduled NFL playoff game was the Championship Game (with unscheduled conference tie - breaker games as necessary; only in 1965 during the 1960s). In 1967, the NFL playoff field expanded to four (division champions), and its first round losers went to the Playoff Bowl, increasingly unpopular with the participating players . With interest declining for a third - place game and an eight - team playoff field arriving with the AFL--NFL merger in 1970, the Playoff Bowl was abandoned with little objection . </P> <P> Third place playoffs are especially controversial when they are used in tournaments that use a Page playoff system since there is only one "semi-final" game in this format . Critics argue that in such a formula, the loser of the semi-final should simply be awarded third place . Proponents of the third place game argue that without it, the importance of the medal round is cheapened since the top two teams heading into the Page playoff would otherwise be "guaranteed" a medal - this argument carries less weight in tournaments where medals are not awarded or where they are considered of relatively minor importance in comparison to winning the tournament . </P>

Does 3rd and 4th place play off count for golden boot