I think VV did mean well, and she feels quite victimized because in her view she tried to help the players and they were whiny and unappreciative. The reality is that while I knew nothing about this before, this interview only put the nail in the coffin that not only were many things mishandled, she personally continues to mishandle the situation. Things that stood out:
1. She spent 15 minutes talking about a $15 badge to one player. This was a very small issue, yet it was an issue that she has a legitimate point on. But to focus on one trivial issue in light of the major issues all around seemed like misdirection to me.
2. Disrespecting players. She continuously calls players out by name, calling them whiny babies, profanity, saying she wished they'd get the f*** out, she won't invite them back again, they need her she doesn't need them, and on and on. She kept repeating that she hasn't read anything online because she 'knows the truth' and that she doesn't care what anyone else says, and she is trying to feel smug about it because we are just 'making her famous' by our criticism.
3. She is a bully. It was clear that even the interviewers were afraid of her. The one that was supposed to be 'playing devil's advocate' was so scared of being attacked he spent the majority of his questions walking on eggshells and trying to find a way to ask her the question that didn't get him screamed at, when the man was literally only trying to give her a platform to clear her name. Then he couldn't even ask the question because she was so bent on her point of view she would jump in on something and keep running her same spiel until everyone agreed with her. It was disturbing.
4. She was plain wrong. One legitimate concern was that the 'guaranteed prize money' wasn't added as advertised. Her defenses were 1) While it didn't disclose the conditions on FB or the flyers, it said 'based on full field' on the website, and players should have read that too, and understand that flyers are 'just marketing', and that they were put together by a multi-billion dollar company so they are right, 2) Pool players should just know that 'guaranteed' means 'based on full field' because that's how most tournaments work, 3) pool players are just wrecking pool because they are whiny and pathetic, and 4) she would have made sure all the money was added but didn't because of how the players acted. She acted like it was outrageous that pool promoters would have to disclose the conditions of added money on every flyer in the future.
I haven't even made it through yet but didn't want to lose my train of thought. All I can think is IMMATURE and UNACCOUNTABLE. I used to manage a team of 22-24 year old fresh college graduates, and they didn't make excuses, point fingers, take things personally while making personal attacks, escalate the hostility level, and come across this poorly.
I know she is a real person and is really hurting as a result of this. I wish that she would learn from her pain, grow some humility, stay within her ability in the future to avoid further injury to herself or anyone else, and quiet down until this blows over and she can move on. It won't undo what was done to the players, but that is all she can do. Unfortunately it seems she is determined to keep on her path, so I guess all we can do is stay out of the way. Now I know why she is called the Tornado.
