I understand the points you have made and recognize that they are based on actual Matchroom/Frazer comments, but actions speak louder than words and I'm not able to easily reconcile Matchroom's stated goals with their actions.
No business plan, to rephrase an old saying about war, survives first contact with reality. Add in volatile human emotions, and actions sometimes drift far from stated goals.
Frazer is impatient for success. She wants the WNT to take off like darts did. In rare moments of pubic doubt, she's worries about whether the tour can succeed. "Am I and Barry the only ones who genuinely believe this can work?" she mused in an hour-long interview last week with "The Room Where it Happens."
Frazer and WNT initially tried to build up the current stars - Filler, Ouschan, SVB and so forth. Next they created the tour and signed up almost all of the top 128 players in the world to be part of it. Momentum seemed to be on WNT's side in 2023 and 2024, particularly after the clumsy WPA attempt to ban players.
Then Filler was removed from the Mosconi in 2024. That's when the tide began to shift.
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Some players playing in the Mosconi were upset with Filler and didn't want him to play. WNT and Frazer also probably felt very let down. They invested a lot of time in money in Filler. They created a Filler junior open to precede the European Open, with the goal of making it a longstanding event. Pia Filler was also invited to be the first woman on the WNT tour.
Yet other players saw the WNT move as punishment, particularly Predator sponsored ones. Alban Ouschan was among those who spoke out.
Predator is the arguably the most influential company in pool. They sponsor more stars than anyone. MR could hardly expect that Predator players were going to go against the WPA or skip Predator sponsored events that clashed with WNT ones. We have seen even more erosion in WNT support from Predator players. The Kaci brothers skipped Hanoi and the Philippines for 8 ball.
One of MR's biggest mistakes was failing to manage its relationship with Predator. The falling out gave the WPA a big ally in its fight vs Matchroom. And for whatever reason, Predator has stepped up its own pro billiards tour. Maybe out of jealousy, or irritation, or the feeling that Matchroom threatened its position in pool.
Whatever the case, Predator is not going away. MR has to figure out how to repair the relationship to some degree, if not with the company itself then with its players.
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Still, it's become pretty clear MR won't do much to promote Predator players or players who aren't seen as very "loyal" to the WNT. I can understand wanting to reward loyalty, but it's a mistake. Fans want to see the best players play, period.
Instead, MR appears to be focusing on the up and coming generations who grew up in the age of social media. It's done this by sponsoring more junior opens and touting young players online.
New MR Youtube shorts, for example, have played up 16-year-old Jaybee Sucal of the Philippines. Fedor Gorst and David Alcaide even did video shorts with him.
This is the world Frazer wants to create, but even very young players are keeping their options open.
Both Felix Vogel and Albert Januarta have won WNT junior opens, but they have also skipped big WNT events in favor of Predator ones. Maybe they are angling for company sponsorship.
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In the meantime, Frazer has to manage the here and now. The selections for the Mosconi will be telling. If Matchroom omits both Filler and SVB, they will have a big problem on their hands.
Filler has kept his distance from WNT, but I don't see how the WNT can downplay Filler for the next 20 years. Bringing him back to the Mosconi - if he would in fact accept - would help to start to mend the wound.
SVB, for his part, has been a stalwart WNT supporter until recently. Frazer has cultivated him extensively. Yet in skipping Hanoi and the Philippines, SVB has put MR in a spot. If they punish him, it will not go over well with a lot of players.
The next year, I sense, could be a very critical one for pro pool.
mezzcue.com
