Pro Pool - What's next

[pro9dg]

There are three threads currently running which broadly cover the same topic.
They concern the delayed payment of prize money, the role of the WPA and who can solve these problem, This posting touches on them all.

At the Mosconi Cup I talked to Johnny Archer about his fledgling players body. He told me that he was encountering resistance to their plans from the BCA and other promotional entities.

This was hardly surprising as this was always going to be a conflict waiting to happen.

My view is that the players need to make a quantum leap in their thinking and stop acting like serfs begging for crumbs from the tables of 'the authorities'. They should be the Masters and not the Servants of the various associations. But hold on there a moment, where are all the pro players who can hold their own at Board Room level. They are few and far between - Corey Harper perhaps or maybe a much more experienced C J Wiley?

Those luminaries apart, they should be looking at contracting their own executives from the corporate sports world. People who could negotiate sponsorship and television contracts on the player's behalf.

But that would also require some serious lateral thinking on how the game is presented on the box. There are many options which I would save for another thread but most significant would be the need to maintain high production values. Streaming internet is OK for low key events but you would not want to watch the Super Bowl on a dodgy laptop. So pool should be treated with the same respect.

With all these factors in mind I put together a proposal that would also encompass a new TEN stop tour which would be sufficiently finananced to fly in all the major players and accommodate them too. The Tour would have a tie in with another established sporting event which has a prestige image that is marketed worldwide.

This Tour would be for 48 players plus 12 who qualified from a second tier of 576 players leaving spots fot four 'local heroes'. The players body would be financed by a Middle East businessman.

The proposal was detailed and workable. It was not Pie In The Sky



Six weeks later I am still waiting for a reply.


The window will be open for a couple more days. Then I give up on this game ever gaining respectability. Sad!

 

[JAM]

Good post, Doug. It always seems to be the same old song.

I hope professional pool can come up with a good vehicle to advance their mission. "Mission," there's a keyword. Do the pro players have one, and if so, what is it?

Why would nobody reply to your very generous offer?

Thanks for the food for thought!

 

[Jimbojim]

Can somebody tell me when competitive pool was at its prime? (in what era) and what happened that its now the black sheep of all discipline.

 

[336Robin]

Reply

There are three threads currently running which broadly cover the same topic.
They concern the delayed payment of prize money, the role of the WPA and who can solve these problem, This posting touches on them all.

At the Mosconi Cup I talked to Johnny Archer about his fledgling players body. He told me that he was encountering resistance to their plans from the BCA and other promotional entities.

This was hardly surprising as this was always going to be a conflict waiting to happen.

My view is that the players need to make a quantum leap in their thinking and stop acting like serfs begging for crumbs from the tables of 'the authorities'. They should be the Masters and not the Servants of the various associations. But hold on there a moment, where are all the pro players who can hold their own at Board Room level. They are few and far between - Corey Harper perhaps or maybe a much more experienced C J Wiley?

Those luminaries apart, they should be looking at contracting their own executives from the corporate sports world. People who could negotiate sponsorship and television contracts on the player's behalf.

But that would also require some serious lateral thinking on how the game is presented on the box. There are many options which I would save for another thread but most significant would be the need to maintain high production values. Streaming internet is OK for low key events but you would not want to watch the Super Bowl on a dodgy laptop. So pool should be treated with the same respect.

With all these factors in mind I put together a proposal that would also encompass a new TEN stop tour which would be sufficiently finananced to fly in all the major players and accommodate them too. The Tour would have a tie in with another established sporting event which has a prestige image that is marketed worldwide.

This Tour would be for 48 players plus 12 who qualified from a second tier of 576 players leaving spots fot four 'local heroes'. The players body would be financed by a Middle East businessman.

The proposal was detailed and workable. It was not Pie In The Sky



Six weeks later I am still waiting for a reply.


The window will be open for a couple more days. Then I give up on this game ever gaining respectability. Sad!

Once I invited a friend to an investment seminar, one where you are fed, lectured to on investments, presented some highly tuned opinions concerning markets and projections and then given an opportunity to create an account on a level not usually open to people of my class. These folks have made me a lot of money, my friend that I bought along for free just couldnt give up the control that it would take to pay the small percentage it would have taken to get some really expert advice,personal service over $40 a year. Wouldnt even try it the cost---minimal very---and was what I had already been doing for years and been successful with it and he told me how bad it was. Well my broker helped me put together a nest egg. I guess Scottrade helped him get rid of his.
The moral to the story is that professional advice is worth something. The real moral to the story is "Youre asking someone to give up a nickel to get back a dollar" and all they can focus on is the nickel. It seems to me that a lot of people in this sport think testosterone rules and they know it all and have the world by the balls. Long term thinking is just not something this group seems to be able to do because many of them are just too caught up in the idea that they are celebrities. You would think someone might want to know where tomorrows soup is coming from.

336Robin

 

[pro9dg]

Once I invited a friend to an investment seminar, one where you are fed, lectured to on investments, presented some highly tuned opinions concerning markets and projections and then given an opportunity to create an account on a level not usually open to people of my class. These folks have made me a lot of money, my friend that I bought along for free just couldnt give up the control that it would take to pay the small percentage it would have taken to get some really expert advice,personal service over $40 a year. Wouldnt even try it the cost---minimal very---and was what I had already been doing for years and been successful with it and he told me how bad it was. Well my broker helped me put together a nest egg. I guess Scottrade helped him get rid of his.
The moral to the story is that professional advice is worth something. The real moral to the story is "Youre asking someone to give up a nickel to get back a dollar" and all they can focus on is the nickel. It seems to me that a lot of people in this sport think testosterone rules and they know it all and have the world by the balls. Long term thinking is just not something this group seems to be able to do because many of them are just too caught up in the idea that they are celebrities. You would think someone might want to know where tomorrows soup is coming from.

336Robin

Nice point there 336.
Long term thinking by a pool player = what am I doing the day after tomorrow.

Bread and Jam today, bread tomorrow, postdated bread next week.

Buy the bakery (and the orchard) boys.

 

[Mark Griffin]

Doug's plan

Doug,

Please repost or send the plan to my email address.
markg@playcsipool.com.

I must have been aware of this but yet cannot place it.

Thanks,

Mark Griffin

 

[fabfastfredyy]

Pool people want things to happen, but they aren't doing quite enuff to market it. Everyone wants to get rich...or get their piece of the pie...and it's a big one, but no one has yet to do what has been done with other sports.

 

[JustPlay]

Can somebody tell me when competitive pool was at its prime? (in what era) and what happened that its now the black sheep of all discipline.

Pool in the US (only) was at its best in the 80's to about the mid 90's. Around the mid to late 90's the rest of the world started to put out quality pool players that started to play here on US soil on a regular basis. And as we all know now, that pocket billiards (billiards and Snooker as well) in the rest of the world is like baseball in the US.

With foregin players winning the majority of the tournaments here in the US and around the world only the best US players could really compete with them. Leaving lesser or aging players looking elsewere for income. As is goes, bigger events are being held on Asian or European soil and not here in the US. Costing players lots of money to attend these events.............that just part of the issues for Mens pro pool in the US..............

 

[CrownCityCorey]

There are three threads currently running which broadly cover the same topic.
They concern the delayed payment of prize money, the role of the WPA and who can solve these problem, This posting touches on them all.

At the Mosconi Cup I talked to Johnny Archer about his fledgling players body. He told me that he was encountering resistance to their plans from the BCA and other promotional entities.

This was hardly surprising as this was always going to be a conflict waiting to happen.

My view is that the players need to make a quantum leap in their thinking and stop acting like serfs begging for crumbs from the tables of 'the authorities'. They should be the Masters and not the Servants of the various associations. But hold on there a moment, where are all the pro players who can hold their own at Board Room level. They are few and far between - Corey Harper perhaps or maybe a much more experienced C J Wiley?

Those luminaries apart, they should be looking at contracting their own executives from the corporate sports world. People who could negotiate sponsorship and television contracts on the player's behalf.

But that would also require some serious lateral thinking on how the game is presented on the box. There are many options which I would save for another thread but most significant would be the need to maintain high production values. Streaming internet is OK for low key events but you would not want to watch the Super Bowl on a dodgy laptop. So pool should be treated with the same respect.

With all these factors in mind I put together a proposal that would also encompass a new TEN stop tour which would be sufficiently finananced to fly in all the major players and accommodate them too. The Tour would have a tie in with another established sporting event which has a prestige image that is marketed worldwide.

This Tour would be for 48 players plus 12 who qualified from a second tier of 576 players leaving spots fot four 'local heroes'. The players body would be financed by a Middle East businessman.

The proposal was detailed and workable. It was not Pie In The Sky



Six weeks later I am still waiting for a reply.


The window will be open for a couple more days. Then I give up on this game ever gaining respectability. Sad!

Do I need to dust off my dress shoes?

 

[JCIN]

If you have the money you don't need any help.

If you have the money to fiance a 10 stop tour and pay all the players expenses to get there then all the people you are talking about will either come to you or you won't need them.

I am guessing the financing is not sitting in a bank account somewhere right now but is, as always, out there in the ether waiting on a chain of what ifs, if only's and you will make it back in the end's to come together.

Creating a pro tour isn't hard. A lot of money and just a little bit of sense would do the trick.

Creating a self sustaining pro tour that makes money for the initial investors is something that has never been done before.

 

[Marie's husband]

There are three threads currently running which broadly cover the same topic.
They concern the delayed payment of prize money, the role of the WPA and who can solve these problem, This posting touches on them all.

At the Mosconi Cup I talked to Johnny Archer about his fledgling players body. He told me that he was encountering resistance to their plans from the BCA and other promotional entities.

This was hardly surprising as this was always going to be a conflict waiting to happen.

My view is that the players need to make a quantum leap in their thinking and stop acting like serfs begging for crumbs from the tables of 'the authorities'. They should be the Masters and not the Servants of the various associations. But hold on there a moment, where are all the pro players who can hold their own at Board Room level. They are few and far between - Corey Harper perhaps or maybe a much more experienced C J Wiley?

Those luminaries apart, they should be looking at contracting their own executives from the corporate sports world. People who could negotiate sponsorship and television contracts on the player's behalf.

But that would also require some serious lateral thinking on how the game is presented on the box. There are many options which I would save for another thread but most significant would be the need to maintain high production values. Streaming internet is OK for low key events but you would not want to watch the Super Bowl on a dodgy laptop. So pool should be treated with the same respect.

With all these factors in mind I put together a proposal that would also encompass a new TEN stop tour which would be sufficiently finananced to fly in all the major players and accommodate them too. The Tour would have a tie in with another established sporting event which has a prestige image that is marketed worldwide.

This Tour would be for 48 players plus 12 who qualified from a second tier of 576 players leaving spots fot four 'local heroes'. The players body would be financed by a Middle East businessman.

The proposal was detailed and workable. It was not Pie In The Sky



Six weeks later I am still waiting for a reply.


The window will be open for a couple more days. Then I give up on this game ever gaining respectability. Sad!

Well now it is 9 weeks later and I was just curiouse to see if you ever got a reply back?