Its been the opposite with me, where the top was always emphasized. But of course, takedowns were always emphasized as well which typically leaves you in the top position.

The guard was always considered to be the worst-case scenario, which is why it was always given a lot of time. You have to work on those worst case scenarios a lot so that you can be as good as possible with them. We all think that way for the most part, or we'd not be practicing martial arts for self-defense.

I think another reason why guard play happens so much is because in tournament play, it's just easier for people who don't have takedown skills. In some circles, the thought that pulling guard is easier than fighting for the takedown exists, but that's not everywhere.

But even if you watch two wrestlers (implying takedown skills here) grappling for submission, one of them WILL end up in the guard on his back.

I don't have a wrestling backround, If I know someone can take me down, I'm just ready to pull guard and work from there.

I'm also not a very big guy, and I'm not too worried about getting attacked by someone smaller than me, If I have a big guy ontop of me, thats when I really need to know my stuff.

Spade makes a good point. If you're smaller, you will need to understand the bottom and guard games, unless you are just vastly more skilled with takedowns. Again, when everything is equal, size matters.