Sounds like Predator may be throwing in the towel. Instead, they should wave the white flag and see if they could partner with Matchroom while switching to 9 Ball. Matchroom doesn't have much of a presence in the US and they could both benefit from a partnership.
Jayson Shaw First Contracted Pro on WNT
- Thread starter JAM
- Start date
Exactly! It's a start. Not hard to understand
I think a better one would be Tom Brady couldn’t go play for the cfl which would be another league.
He is playing where he wants. This is the best option for him. No one is holding a gun to his head.
I hope they send him back to Scotland to stay.
yup, instead it's a lot of heyball. which imo doesn't belong in a list otherwise comprised of american pool.
agree on the MR - predator idea, there are perhaps some things to be chiseled out for that to work but i think it would be win-win. as we've seen the non-MR events on the 9-ball tour draw both players and viewers. predator gets decent viewership on their PBS events but player turnout is meager. and i don't think diamond or cuetec (the MR sponsors) could rightfully protest as many of the other tour events are played on other tables. WPA would probably throw a fit and quarrel about the w8b and w10b.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
It's pretty common for race car drivers to race in other series when their main series is off that weekend. On the other hand, they are obligated, if not specifically contractually, to compete in all the events of their primary series, or at least a minimum number of them.
WNT. The Went? W hat and where?
If matchroom are smart, they will allow their contracted players to participate in any world tournaments including WPA tournaments as long as they don't clash with their own.
This way MR will cease the higher moral ground. WPA will be a dead horse...
Agree. Pool players should be seen as independent contractors. Problem is this dick-measuring contest between the WPA and MR is forcing the issue.
I thought JS was one of your homeboys, why not just ask him? I don't see the details of these business deals being made public anytime soon. You can bet he's getting jelly'd-up for signing. I think Billy Thorpe did sign or is going too also. Looks like MR is going to war with the tools in Qatar.
Wow, not real used to hearing the term 'moral high ground' used around pool players.
Brother, this is ALL about the Benjamins. Morals ain't go shit to do here. This is a pissing match over power/$$$ nothing more. All this 'what's good for the game' is laughable.Most likely unless the pissing match gets worked out. You're either going to be a MR/WNT player or a WPA player.
Wow, not real used to hearing the term 'moral high ground' used around pool players.
Of course we know this.
However. I'm sure MR in it's statements will use terms like 'what's best for players if best for the game' etc...
Rather than use terms like 'it's all about the Benjamins'
The day Barry Hearn formed the WNT Ltd. was the day it ALL became about money...
And Barry knows there's serious money to be made out of Pool if the right players (business people) are involved.
Taking a hight moral ground. Or at least the perception of it, will be refreshing for the world of pool to unite and move towards a better future!
At least. It could look that way on paper
That's because the WPA is SCARED. They know they can't fade fighting with the MR juggernaught for very long.
Again, WHAT moral hi-ground???? Both sides are doing what they're doing for purely business reasons. Is one side in this squabble more 'morally correct' than the other? They're both trying to piss-mark the same patch of grass for the exact same reasons. Barry-Emily&Co. are in pool/snooker/darts/etc. for ONE reason: to make money. Sure they love their games but lets not get all warm-n-fuzzy and think this is some altruistic endeavor.Of course we know this.
However. I'm sure MR in it's statements will use terms like 'what's best for players if best for the game' etc...
Rather than use terms like 'it's all about the Benjamins'
The day Barry Hearn formed the WNT Ltd. was the day it ALL became about money...
And Barry knows there's serious money to be made out of Pool if the right players (business people) are involved.
Taking a hight moral ground. Or at least the perception of it, will be refreshing for the world of pool to unite and move towards a better future!
At least. It could look that way on paper
Hey, Bill, hope you're well. I'm on vacation in North Carolina, happily displaced from the daily flow of information pertaining to pro pool. I think I'm as confused as others as to what this announcement means. There is nothing about it on Matchroom's website, but if I'm allowed to speculate, this may mean:And Stu where are you
a) A player under contract is assured of a minimum level of income per annum. Why does this matter? Players receiving federation money live under a similar arrangement, with certain financing guaranteed each pro year. Letting go of federation money, a presumed but not verified consequence of choosing the WNT, will be easier if Matchroom is guaranteeing a player an income over and above that earned in tournament play.
b) It seems likely that the elite players will have more guaranteed money in their contracts as, for them, foregoing WPA play (presently necessary if one enters even one Matchroom event after March) carries a greater cost for the elite.
This all sounds like good business on the part of Matchroom, as they take steps to ensure access to a large contingent of top professionals in the 2024 Matchroom events and especially to the top twenty-five ranked players on the WNT, which are, presently:
FRANCISCO SANCHEZ RUIZ
SHANE VAN BOENING
FEDOR GORST
KO PING CHUNG
JAYSON SHAW
JOSHUA FILLER
ALBIN OUSCHAN
MARIO HE
DAVID ALCAIDE
ALOYSIUS YAPP
WIKTOR ZIELINSKI
KO PIN YI
EKLENT KACI
MAX LECHNER
ALEXANDER KAZAKIS
SKYLER WOODWARD
NIELS FEIJEN
MORITZ NEUHAUSEN
ALEKSA PECELJ
SANJIN PEHLIVANOVIC
NAOYUKI OI
WOJCIECH SZEWCZYK
MIESZKO FORTUNSKI
OLIVER SZOLNOKI
KONRAD JUSZCZYSZYN
Signing as many of these players as possible will strengthen the Matchroom brand.
I suspect some of the details will come out soon enough about the nature of these contracts being signed, but who is being signed is all I'll be focusing on.
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Contracts???? We don't need no stinkin' contracts. Seriously tho this is a brave new world for pool. Back in the day players beat each other's brains in for a cheeseburger and enough to cover the nut at Motel6. Now we have competing(warring?) organizations and contracts. Good grief Charlie Brown.....
Seriously tho this is a brave new world for pool. Back in the day players beat each other's brains in for a cheeseburger and enough to cover the nut at Motel6. Now we have competing(warring?) organizations and contracts. Good grief Charlie Brown.....
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No other organization has ever EVOLVED pro 9 ball in over 40 years.... nor, has any other business model, cut their teeth before with pool balls, and given pro billiard ball players their due recognition.
I only see much greater possibilities with this organization, than could of even been conceived with 12' snooker tables or with ANY other supporting business model for the game of 9 ball pool.
There's probably one nine-foot pool table per square mile under a tarp somewhere in the Philippine's.
I only see much greater possibilities with this organization, than could of even been conceived with 12' snooker tables or with ANY other supporting business model for the game of 9 ball pool.
There's probably one nine-foot pool table per square mile under a tarp somewhere in the Philippine's.