Billy Thorpe. The ultimate issue is sponsorship

[mmwtdh]

Getting drunk does not change your character, it reveals it...

 

[smoochie]

I know for Meucci players they just get weekly cues and they raffle them on Facebook to make money, that's what I see from Meucci Pro's on Facebook all the time, and they raffle 26 spots if you add up all the money it comes out even more expensive than the cue retail price.

 

[mikemosconi]

There is an old saying " IN VINO VERITAS" which, loosely translated means "in wine there is truth" , so someone claiming that being "under the influence" was the cause of their behavior, that it was "out of character" perhaps needs to reassess who they really are - what I saw in that video was someone who had definitely gone off in the past in a similar way, and certainly looked capable of doing so in the future.

How one handles adversity defines their character, he felt he was being cheated, look at how he handled it. Does one really think he could turn off that overflow valve in the future at will- I doubt it- the sponsor had to drop him- as much for fear of a future meltdown. I hope he sees that the issue is far more than " having too much to drink" and just "having a moment"--because there are other issues at work here that need to be resolved.

 

[Straightpool_99]

There is an old saying " IN VINO VERITAS" which, loosely translated means "in wine there is truth" , so someone claiming that being "under the influence" was the cause of their behavior, that it was "out of character" perhaps needs to reassess who they really are - what I saw in that video was someone who had definitely gone off in the past in a similar way, and certainly looked capable of doing so in the future.

How one handles adversity defines their character, he felt he was being cheated, look at how he handled it. Does one really think he could turn off that overflow valve in the future at will- I doubt it- the sponsor had to drop him- as much for fear of a future meltdown. I hope he sees that the issue is far more than " having too much to drink" and just "having a moment"--because there are other issues at work here that need to be resolved.

This could be true or not, but it really doesn't matter, because one should be aware that others will make the same judgement that you are making. If a drunk guy starts shouting racist or homophobic slurs, being violent and generally disagreable, people will asume that this is their true nature. BT made himself look like a bigoted, ignorant buffoon and a sore loser, in this instance. It was his choice to act this way and it is his job to correct this impression. As a person in the public spotlight, you can't expect people to look behind the image you project, you have to actively project what you want them to see. It is true that you may have SOME leeway if your behaviour has been examplary in the past, but even that can be very quickly ruined by one bad incident. Look at Michael Richards..

 

[PoolHallPaul]

The real moral of the story is that people who are highly visible will always be held to a higher standard of conduct than others, as their indiscretions will always garner scrutiny and will reflect poorly on their benefactors and colleagues.

In pool, the biggest viewing audiences (live, stream and TV), by a mile, are found in the major WPA sanctioned events (US Open, WPA World 9-ball, China Open 9-ball and All-Japan 9-ball) and the Matchroom events (Mosconi Cup, the World Pool Masters and the World Cup of Pool). Few Americans ever play in any of these, which is why only a few American pros are well-known worldwide. Of the current crop of active American pros, that means SVB, Corey Deuel, Skyler Woodward, Billy Thorpe, Chris Robinson, Tyler Styer, Justin Bergman and only a few others. These are the American players in the spotlight in world pool, and, as a group, they will greatly influence how American pool is perceived throughout the world.

Had this incident involved John Q Shortstop, a rock solid player with a Fargo of 718, but largely unknown in international circles, it would be a so what moment. Unfortunately, the incident involved Billy Thorpe, one of the very few American pro players known to the entire international community of players, event producers, sponsors, and fans.

Billy is young and he will learn from this. These days, we are all on candid camera and need to conduct ourselves accordingly.

Well said.

 

[8intheside]

It’s unfortunate what happen to BT. I’m not making excuses, but he is a young guy and I’m pretty sure alcohol was involved. Hopefully he gains some wisdom and will behave better in the future.

 

[Nick B]

We all know what happened. The video tells us everything. What we don't know is what comes from this. Billy is young and can recover. America (and for most part the whole world) loves a Rags to Riches to Rags to Riches story. We are just now entering the second act. How it ends is up to BT. Him owning this is a good indicator of his character.

Lets all go back to talking about tips, shafts and aiming methods.

 

[justadub]

There is an old saying " IN VINO VERITAS" which, loosely translated means "in wine there is truth" , so someone claiming that being "under the influence" was the cause of their behavior, that it was "out of character" perhaps needs to reassess who they really are - what I saw in that video was someone who had definitely gone off in the past in a similar way, and certainly looked capable of doing so in the future.

How one handles adversity defines their character, he felt he was being cheated, look at how he handled it. Does one really think he could turn off that overflow valve in the future at will- I doubt it- the sponsor had to drop him- as much for fear of a future meltdown. I hope he sees that the issue is far more than " having too much to drink" and just "having a moment"--because there are other issues at work here that need to be resolved.

Years ago, at a company I worked for at the time, we had an executive Vice President who would rub elbows at the local bar with the various store managers who were sent to the home office for training. He used to call it "truth serum". He'd have a drink in his hand the whole time, usually a coke...that was never lost on me.

 

[mikemosconi]

This could be true or not, but it really doesn't matter, because one should be aware that others will make the same judgement that you are making. If a drunk guy starts shouting racist or homophobic slurs, being violent and generally disagreable, people will asume that this is their true nature. BT made himself look like a bigoted, ignorant buffoon and a sore loser, in this instance. It was his choice to act this way and it is his job to correct this impression. As a person in the public spotlight, you can't expect people to look behind the image you project, you have to actively project what you want them to see. It is true that you may have SOME leeway if your behaviour has been examplary in the past, but even that can be very quickly ruined by one bad incident. Look at Michael Richards..

Yes, Michael Richards- stuff like that does not just magically appear one day or night because of alcohol- there are other issues there that one needs to resolve internally before going public to project a new, repaired image.

 

[mnorwood]

His behavior was terrible and there should be consequences, but canceling him is not the solution.

 

[justnum]

His behavior was terrible and there should be consequences, but canceling him is not the solution.

welcome to the back seat driving club.

where else do you think it could have been saved?

 

[ideologist]

His behavior was terrible and there should be consequences, but canceling him is not the solution.

What consequence? He's not cancelled, any brand can pick him up.

Maybe you can explain to Cuetec how someone shouting what he did is good for business?

 

[Tommy-D]

Earl's deal (and from what I understand,Shane's too) was even sweeter than just 100k base salary,they also matched his winnings for the year 100% too . That's why Earl was driving a Boxster in 2000. Tommy D.

 

[j2pac]

What consequence? He's not cancelled, any brand can pick him up.

Maybe you can explain to Cuetec how someone shouting what he did is good for business?

Agreed. Billy made many poor choices...in a row. Cuetec, is in the business of being in business, 1st and foremost. If they thought it was best to part ways with Billy, that is certainly their decision to make...and they did. A sponsorship is not a right, it's a privilege. I'm not a shrink, or a therapist by any means, but I have raised a few children, and probably showed my arse a time or two, in my lifetime. With my therapeutic credentials now on full display (lol), I would say this to Billy..."Sometimes the best place for reflection, is a good long look in the mirror." Figure out what you see. What you like, and what you don't like about Billy Thorpe." Start there, and then get on about the business of addressing the "don't likes." You already have talent...Now it's time to shake hands with wisdom. Best of luck young man.

 

[trob]

I believe the moral of the story is that if one wishes to be a professional and treated like a professional one should act like a professional.

I agree. People blaming the person doing the live stream is crazy. If you want to be a pro and you want to treated the sam as other sports then everything you do is going to be on the internet for everyone to see

 

[straightline]

Yes, Michael Richards- stuff like that does not just magically appear one day or night because of alcohol- there are other issues there that one needs to resolve internally before going public to project a new, repaired image.

If there's an image problem, it's because there IS a problem. Pool gets money by TAKING it. Guess where the reserves of that kinda scratch bubble forth. That being what it is, tuxedoed decorum only serves to con the curious.

 

[mikemosconi]

Agreed. Billy made many poor choices...in a row. Cuetec, is in the business of being in business, 1st and foremost. If they thought it was best to part ways with Billy, that is certainly their decision to make...and they did. A sponsorship is not a right, it's a privilege. I'm not a shrink, or a therapist by any means, but I have raised a few children, and probably showed my arse a time or two, in my lifetime. With my therapeutic credentials now on full display (lol), I would say this to Billy..."Sometimes the best place for reflection, is a good long look in the mirror." Figure out what you see. What you like, and what you don't like about Billy Thorpe." Start there, and then get on about the business of addressing the "don't likes." You already have talent...Now it's time to shake hands with wisdom. Best of luck young man.

Yes, I would agree. The hope for Mr. Thorpe is that, although being in the spotlight cost him for his actions; being in the spotlight and having to actually feel the consequences of his actions gives him an incentive to examine and fix the causes of those actions. many folks who exhibit similar behavior are not in the spotlight- not professionals or sponsored individuals, hence may not feel any consequences to their behavior and continue to exhibit such behavior until that ONE Time- when it all catches up to them one way or another.

Let's just hope he figures out that there are better ways to deal with adversity that is not life threatening.

I don't understand gambling these days where each person racks for the other person. Pick a neutral table, rack your own any way you want and just play. I think if I were Rob Saez and someone started at me like that initially- I would have just said OK- rack them yourself from now on- that should have ended any controversy. If the person refused, I would have said "end of game" - whether I was ahead or behind in winnings- anything else just not worth it IMO. I definitely would not have racked again for that person.