Q: Why is the term “seed” used when a player is put into
particular bracket in a sporting contest? Is it because the
organizers try to “plant” the best players around so they don’t
meet until the playoffs? A: The Oxford English Dictionary’s
entry for the sporting sense of the verb “seed” suggests that
the usage evolved in the late 19th century as a tennis term. The
OED defines it as “to assign (to several of the better
competitors) a position in an ordered list, so that those most
highly ranked do not meet until the later stages of an
elimination competition; to arrange (a draw or event) to this
end.” The verb first appeared in print in 1898, the OED says, in
this passage from the magazine American Lawn Tennis: “Several
years ago, it was decided to ‘seed’ the best players through the
championship draw, and this was done for two or three years.” So
the verb may have been around for several years before it was
recorded in print. It obviously had staying power. Here’s
another citation, from Spalding’s Lawn Tenni