They could call it the Milky Way Championship or Queens, NY Open. The name doesn't matter to me. All that matters to me is it's straight pool.
World 14.1 Championship in Queens, N.Y.
- Thread starter zensteve
- Start date
I agree with you 100%. I don't care what they call it as long as they have a 14.1 tournament. So why doesn't DP call it something else? I'm sure the list of possible names is endless. Heck, they could even call it the DP International 14.1 Tournament if that will stroke someone's ego. However, they insist on calling it the World Championship and they don't have the sanctioning to call it that. You're the lawyer. Is that fraud or just simple misrepresentation of a product?
When Artie Moreno bought the Anaheim Angels there was an existing agreement with the city that Anaheim had to be in the teams name. So he changed the name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. LOL. The city was pissed but there was apparently nothing they could do.
Or is it neither?
I must confess I do not know enough about the workings of the pool world to answer. Your statement that "they insist on calling it the World Championship and they don't have the sanctioning to call it that" implies that the only events that can be called World Championships have to have been sanctioned by somebody. I assume you mean by the WPA, but I really do not know.
Tell me what gave the WPA the power to dictate to the entire world what is and isn't a world pool championship. I have not been playing pool that long and I have not looked into the history of the various organizations, so I am not sure how this came about.
Didn't competing Boxing and Wrestling organizations claim some events were world championships?
I think something like that happened in Chess also.
I'm really not that interested in discussing whether WPA is or should be the arbiter of all that is good in pool.
I think, like Stu said, this is the best competition in Straight Pool and I don't care what they call it.
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Free valet and free parking. You will want to arrive earlier rather than later so that you can secure a nearby spot and not have to wait longer for your car...
If you're from NY, I recommend public transportation. It's an easy subway (+ short walk) and bus ride.
-Ira
I must confess, I don't know all of the ins and outs of this situation either. I am making the basic assumption that the WPA owns the rights to the phrase "World Championship" in the pool world. I could be wrong. I just don't know.
I must also confess that I'm not a big fan of the WPA.
All of that aside, I have to comback to the basic question of why does DP have to call it a "World Championship"? With all of the controversity that goes with that title, why don't they just call it something else?
I'm not the expert on this by any means but the gist is the WPA is the recognized body to sanction World Championships by the various major pool federations around the world, including the BCA in the USA. Therefore any event billed as a World Championship that isn't sanctioned by the WPA is not acknowledged by any of the member organizations.
http://www.wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=5&pagetype=member
Some organization has to be empowered to sanction World Championships or else there could be one every weekend, even $500 added events at Joe's Bar on 7 footers.. Either that or anyone could trademark the title and conduct a less than top notch event. The WPA is the organization that the major federations have designated to be that sanctioning body. Sanctioning requires certain minimum guidelines to be observed, such as added money. I have to agree in the big picture this is in the best interest of pool. Dragon has conducted sanctioned 14.1 World Championships in the past but apparently haven't been able to meet the increased added money requirements in recent years.
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Actually, the recognition mostly runs in the other direction. The International Olympic Committee recognizes the WCBS as the confederation that governs all cue sports throughout the world. The WCBS in turn recognizes the WPA as the world governing body for pool. The WPA recognizes continental pool confederations (one of which is the BCA for North America) and the continental confederations recognize national federations (one of which is the BCA for the US).
In some countries a national federation that follows that hierarchy gets some government funding.
So if someone runs a World Championship that is not sanctioned by the WPA, can the member organizations acknowledge it as a WC?
No. Which (as I understand it) is why Neils Feijen did not defend his world championship the following year when the tournament was not recognized by the WPA. Usually the national or continental organization will support travel to a recognized WC.
I think the main problem for organizing a WC14.1 is that the minimum added prize money is $75,000. The good part about that is that the players have a reasonable chance to at least break even, especially those who have to travel a long distance. The bad part is that it's hard to raise $75,000 plus other expenses.
To clarify, that was not the sole reason Niels did not attend. And also, Niels had a booked ticket to the World Tournament of 14.1 last year and only did not attend because his flight was cancelled due to the NYC airport closings from the hurricane.
And, Niels has contacted us again this year about an invite to play.
Ive talked to nearly all the top pro names in the world. I have yet to find one that thinks the WPA does a good job and 99% wish they didnt exist.
Even other promoters from China, taiwan and europe think the leadership in WPA is severly lacking. Besides. It's only run by one man Ian Anderson. There is no real staff or board.
I think what Dragon P has done is shown that an event doesnt need WPA sanctioning to be successful. And that must frighten the WPA and its supporters.
Even other promoters from China, taiwan and europe think the leadership in WPA is severly lacking. Besides. It's only run by one man Ian Anderson. There is no real staff or board.
I think what Dragon P has done is shown that an event doesnt need WPA sanctioning to be successful. And that must frighten the WPA and its supporters.