TheOne said:
Just for the record I don't think anyone is claiming that the IPT said all qualifiers "forever" would be $1000...
By the same token, did the IPT ever say that qualifiers would be the EXACT same price for all tournaments?
TheOne said:
...let's not start getting silly....
What's silly to you may not be silly to me. You are entitled to your opinion, as am I. It is evident that you are not content with the IPT tour. At every juncture, you have made your opinions known in an intelligent manner, the majority of the time, and that is okay.
TheOne said:
...The point is they clearly stated it would be $1000 for the world open, and they changed it effectively half way through a two tournament qualification process AFTER players had already bought into it and invested significant amounts of money.
I respectfully disagree with your suggestion that the IPT "CLEARLY STATED" any such thing. Please provide any written or audio documentation for this assertion of yours rather than create a thread with the words "MORE LIES" in it, incinuating that the IPT has told an untruth.
TheOne said:
...The problem with these discussions is that the only people defending the IPT are the tour card players who don't have to PAY these fees, or the fans that just want to watch pool on TV and are never going to play either.
So, in essence, TheOne, you are upset because the increase of the entry fees will prevent you from participating on the IPT Tour. Considering your well-documented opinions about the IPT, I cannot imagine why you would want to expend any monies to be a part of this tour.
TheOne said:
...It's so sad to see how the lure of vast amounts of money changes peoples principles.
I think this statement of yours is a little silly, but I guess that is only my opinion.
Let me state for the record that I am not a player, like you, TheOne. I have no financial interest in the IPT, other than to get my counterpart there in one piece. I do work for a living, and money doesn't change my principles. I have a great deal of work integrity and meet all of my deliverables. Vast amounts of money makes me work harder. This is why the pool players who are serious about playing pool professionally have given up smoking, are in the gyms getting in shape, have sought medical advice on improving their health, and want with every ounce of their being to be a part of the IPT tour.
Let's see what has happened since the IPT came to the fore. Mike Sigel has come out of retirement and pocketed six figures for playing pool. Loree Jon Jones has also come out of retirement and pocketed six figures for playing pool. The BCA's Hall of Famers have pocketed $30,000 for attending the KOTH in Orlando. Forty-two invited players received at least $6,200 just for showing up in Orlando, win or lose. Many, like Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Marlon Manalo, Johnny Archer, and Nick Varner pocketed five figures for their good showing at KOTH in Orlando.
The IPT has garnered the interest of players who used to only play pool in regional events. Road players have taken to turn and are now competing like tournament soldiers, wanting to be a part of the IPT. The KOTH in Orlando is on TV here in America at a designated time. There are several multi-million-dollar tournaments occuring in the year 2006. Qualifiers before each of the multi-million-dollar tournaments, 25 in number, are being held in an effort to provide an opportunity for any living human being on the face of the earth to compete in. There is a tour website which provides live coverage of not only the tournaments, but the qualifiers as well for the inquiring minds who want to know. AND let's not forget that the first official event on the IPT touranment trail has not even happened yet, the one that pays out $350,000 for first place, the $2-million total purse.
The IPT may not be the ticket for every pool player in the world. However, the ones I have spoken to are very excited about this tour. It is not possible to please everyone, but for the pool players themselves, I have witnessed a great deal of enthusiasm for this tour to succeed.
JAM