unless it's in asia..
WPA Bans 245 Players
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
unless it's in asia..
sudocrushms
Well-known member
I prefer either the 6-spot or minimal markings (Aramith logo, Brunswick Blue Circle, etc). I've played with some that have 1 giant red spot on them (not sure of brand) and it's just distracting.
I like it not so much for how i'm hitting it, but how it comes off cushions or other balls. Think of it as a training aid.
Not exactly. It was an English Billiards tournament which is played on what most would call a snooker table and with two cue balls. The vast majority of cue sports enthusiasts have never seen it played. The obscurity of the game makes the ACBS action all the more remarkable.
MR was involved indirectly through the WPBSA.
either way it had nothing to do with pool, much less yapp
Agree that the ban was completely inappropriate.
That sounds like an issue with the BCA (The US federation under the WPA), not the WPA. You'd need to ask the chairman or the vice chairperson why that is, currently those positions are filled by employees of predator and Brunswick, with the rest of the positions belonging to employees of other billiard companies. Here our federation is chaired by someone who has played in the leagues for 20+ years and isnt an employee of a billiards company same with the EPBF.
i listened to that interview. Not believable. Those are the two biggest issues by far.
If it’s something else, I have yet to hear it.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
No argument that SVB is in a decent situation but it's still pretty sad that one of the very best players ever has lifetime earnings of $2.5 million or so. If we say his career is 20 years so far, that's $125K/year. That's a better than average salary but for a competitor whose typical career is not very long, it's not very good. I hope his endorsements pay him well. I'm not saying pool players need to make stupid money, just that if someone sacrifices most earning potential outside their field, and is at the tip top of their field, they should have a higher level of financial security.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
Definitely. If they were getting bigger audiences than everyone else and paying less, and barring the players from competing elsewhere, then we should complain. As It is now, those profits allow them to hire better commentators and pay cameramen.
World 8-Ball Championship winners:
2022 -- Sanchez-Ruiz
2023 -- Van Boening
2024 -- Filler
Unless my memory is faulty the WPT lost the chance to sanction the huge payout IPT events because they insisted on their standard percentage instead of a reasonable fee, something probably much bigger than they were getting from anyone else. Been awhile, but when they say the fee doesn't matter it does seem bogus. To say the fee and the dates don't matter, just what does matter?
Hu
ishaun was being selective iirc, he was referring to events in europe and USA. asia is the sticking point, and it makes perfect sense why this is. if MR hosts events in asia and doesn't have to pay sanction fees, then there is another outfit currently hosting events in asia that may think they could do the same thing: JOY. their heyball pro tour has a total prize fund around 4 million USD last i heard.
if WPA sanctioning authority becomes dilluted to the point where other promoters won't pay.. big problems. WPA brass wouldn't be able to fly first class anymore, they'd have to ride a bus.
(Warning to Garczar. This is a long post.)
Matchroom has not banned anyone yet, but obviously it's using its leverage to force players to choose.
I don't know what the contract says, but I assume MR expects top players to attend all, or a high number, of major events it puts on. Only by doing so can they qualify for the Mosconi Cup, and from now on, the Reyes Cup.
Those two cups become the big lure.
Was this by design? Did MR only decide to pursue such a strategy after the Filler situation? Unclear.
Before Hanoi, Filler and co. were happy to play in big MR events that were sanctioned or posed no threat of a ban. He figured he could earn enough points for the Mosconi and not be forced to choose sides.
MR is forcing him to choose sides.
The more I think about it, the more I think MR will remove Filler from the Mosconi, too. Unless he promises to attend future Hanoi events.
The goal seems simple. Cajole all top players to defy the WPA. If they all get banned by the WPA, every WPA event will suffer and wither on the vine. The WPA would have no choice but to back down.
If Filler and Co. don't go along, a player split will remain and give the WPA more leverage. Thus making it harder for MR to achieve its goal.
The big question that is still unanswered is whether MR will ban players from some or all of its tournaments. It could just not "invite" them to invitational events like the Mosconi and Reyes. Perhaps even the Premier League of Pool, World Masters and World Cup.
My guess is MR won't ban Filler and others from sanctioned events such as the US Open. I would be against a ban. But time will tell.
Matchroom has not banned anyone yet, but obviously it's using its leverage to force players to choose.
I don't know what the contract says, but I assume MR expects top players to attend all, or a high number, of major events it puts on. Only by doing so can they qualify for the Mosconi Cup, and from now on, the Reyes Cup.
Those two cups become the big lure.
Was this by design? Did MR only decide to pursue such a strategy after the Filler situation? Unclear.
Before Hanoi, Filler and co. were happy to play in big MR events that were sanctioned or posed no threat of a ban. He figured he could earn enough points for the Mosconi and not be forced to choose sides.
MR is forcing him to choose sides.
The more I think about it, the more I think MR will remove Filler from the Mosconi, too. Unless he promises to attend future Hanoi events.
The goal seems simple. Cajole all top players to defy the WPA. If they all get banned by the WPA, every WPA event will suffer and wither on the vine. The WPA would have no choice but to back down.
If Filler and Co. don't go along, a player split will remain and give the WPA more leverage. Thus making it harder for MR to achieve its goal.
The big question that is still unanswered is whether MR will ban players from some or all of its tournaments. It could just not "invite" them to invitational events like the Mosconi and Reyes. Perhaps even the Premier League of Pool, World Masters and World Cup.
My guess is MR won't ban Filler and others from sanctioned events such as the US Open. I would be against a ban. But time will tell.
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Thanks. duly skipped.
Sorry, poorly worded by me. There WERE no 8 ball championships for ages, between 2012 and 2022 to be exact.
That sounds right.
My guess is that they will not. Cheapening their banner event by eliminating the most accomplished young player of this generation (yes, it has much more on it than the Gorst resume) can't be right. They saw what a watered-down Team Europe would look like at the Reyes Cup. Josh has been punished for Hanoi and it is time to move on. The only reason Matchroom might take the extreme step of excluding Josh from the Mosconi would be to give America a shot at victory but, if Team USA won under those circumstances, I'd take no pride in it.
As we have seen, there are hundreds of world class players in Asia who rarely compete. The Philippines placed 14 players into Stage 2 at the Hanoi. One of them hoisted the trophy, two others medaled and yet another eliminated SVB in the round of 16. Those Asians can really play!
You are assuming that if WPA/ACBS continue on in Asia without the 245 banned players, they cannot have a world class slate of events with a world class level of play that would result in big fanfare. While this might possibly be true, I am not so certain of it. Pool in Asia is growing very rapidly, as we have seen just recently in Vietnam.
With its superior management team that continues to grow our sport impressively, Matchroom will reach its goal and will somehow find a way to unify the WNT pros presently under contract. As for WPA's leverage, there is an ominous sign in that Predator is starting to produce some events outside the boundaries of WPA sanctioning.
I don't think they can. Even somebody who is not a WNT pro with guaranteed entry can gain entry through qualifiers. Unless they completely rewrite participation criteria for their majors, Matchroom will be leaving the doors of participation wide open for all players in the world.
Right. And the main reason is it’s a boring ass game which basically has 1 tournament per year (when held) of the World Championships.