What is the Point?

I'm hoping someone can help me understand the purpose of leagues. I'm currently in the Stone league, yet I'm being matched against players who are Legends, Champions, and Elite. How does that make sense?

Isn't the main purpose of having leagues to ensure that players compete against others in the same league? Why are players from lower leagues matched against those in much higher ones?

Are leagues merely for bragging rights? If not, then wouldn't it make more sense to pair players against others in the same league rather than those in significantly higher leagues?

Then the current league system should be abolished. It doesn't make sense for players to compete against opponents from different leagues, as this undermines the purpose of having separate leagues. Players should only compete against others in their own league. Pairing players with more advanced competitors contradicts the principles of fair play, in my opinion. At the very least, we should have the choice to either play within our own league or venture out to play against people strictly based on our rating.

It's a weekly leaderboard where all you have to do to get on top is play a lot of chess. You don't have to play particularly well, you just have to play more than the other people in your league. You can leave the leagues if you want. Once you reach the final league, there's not really much else to do as you don't fall back down to lower leagues if you don't play. Idk if you can restart the leagues, but I saw some people asking about that a while ago so I don't think so. Idk if you can leave the leagues and rejoin them, so I'm still in them although I haven't played enough to advance from the champion league in over a year.

Which league you are in doesn't reflect how good at chess you are at all. You can win the leagues every week just by playing a lot of games, assuming you win at least some of them.

There's really no point to it except to motivate new members to play more chess than they would otherwise, because once you reach the top of the leagues, there's no reward in it anymore.

I see your point, but it still doesn't make sense to have leagues given the current conditions.

It's just so you'll play more games to get to the legends league. Idk what happens then. I guess they name an opening after you, idk.

Leagues have nothing to do with playing strength. It's all about activity. Rating is what matters for pairing.
That said, there are plans to revamp the league system, though it may be a while before anything happens.

@Margin-Stahl it'd be more interesting if leagues weren't something everyone was meaninglessly placed into, but rather something players could choose to participate in, like the competitive ladders in other games. You'd have to make them meaningfully distinct from elo somehow but that's what product people are paid to do.

One idea would be to have the league mandate a certain 1st move in league games for a period of time.

It will be interesting to see what happens with leagues. I have decided to leave them for now.