Almost from the inception of the American Motorized Combat League (AMCL), an alliance of interests had formed to push for this change to The AMCL Charter.
Pilots felt that remote control could never match the situational awareness of being in a cockpit.
Advertisers & investors knew that pilot fatalities would increase viewership and revenue.
The United States Department of Defense had not yet adopted unmanned vehicles for warzones, and sought to match the League to their needs as much as possible.
And lastly, viewers seemed to want it, as evidenced by skyrocketing ticket sales after the change was enacted. Now, footage of the AMCL Exhibition would include picture-in-picture displays of the pilots, occasionally bloodied or mutilated, but often high on adrenaline and dropping Kayfabe one-liners to mock rivals.
Some skilled pilots were lost, but many more filled their places. The AMCL was early recognized as the premier sports league in which to strike it rich.