Long post WARNING
yobagua:
I would have to agree. Let me take the opportunity to explain a couple things as well, so that folks know where I'm coming from in my especially "pointed" point of view when it comes to DP's selection of broadcasting / live streaming vendor:
1. Answering Charlie's assertion that those of us critical of DP's decision have no experience in such matters, or are just "Monday night armchair quarterbacking," is not 100% correct. For one, it's not applicable to me. I used to be the League Operator of the Danbury branch of the Boston Billiards poolhall chain, before that branch closed-down in early 2009. I did this job for 3 and a half years. What was unique about this LO job, was the fact the location was also a periodic stop on several professional tours (e.g. Joss, ESPN Challenge of Champions). It was *my* job as LO, in partnership with the branch manager and one other LO, to set everything up (and I mean everything) to make sure these events went off without a hitch. Is this exactly on-par with a World Championship? Probably not. Are there many similarities and many of the same types of administrative worries and deadlines and bust-yer-*ss all-nighter tasks that go into it? You betcha. So I know what goes into making one of these events go off. I did it for 3 and a half years, like I said.
2. My distaste for one particular commentator (Alvin) on the chosen broadcasting team actually echoes many outside of our 14.1 discipline -- i.e. those of us who watch rotation matches. While those not familiar with IP's live streaming background (i.e. those here who may've seen IP's production for the first time with the 14.1 Worlds) may think some of my comments came from Pluto, I assure you, all you have to do is look for *any* IP live stream (e.g. on YouTube) where a foreign player -- especially of Germanic or Slavic descent -- is playing, and you'll hear what I'm talking about with that particular commentator. As someone who's extensively traveled the world (as I have, both in the military as well as with post-military employers), I don't have to explain how someone like that appears to the rest of the world. It would appear as if, "other than that only complaint, all should be well." The problem is how *much* of a black mark that one aspect places on the production as a whole. To be fair, other commentators like JR Calvert himself is actually very, very good -- professional caliber, and the man certainly knows the game of 14.1. He's also got a nice "microphone personality."
3. In our cheerleading, we all like to talk about professional production, giving to the sport, etc. But one thing I think we're all missing, is the preservation aspect of our sport. For other games like the rotation games (e.g. 9-ball), it's common fare to just broadcast the event as a one-time thing, and that's sufficient. Maybe put archives of the matches out on YouTube for between $0.99 and $2.99 rental for some of the more higher profile matches / players. But I think we can all agree that those disciplines (i.e. 9-ball) are not the type of disciplines, like 14.1, where one STUDIES match play intently, over a long period of time. One watches 9-ball for the entertainment aspect of it -- e.g. "wow, look at that nice 5-pack he just laid down!" and then after that, the novelty is gone. Here, the selection of a "broadcast it and it's gone" media makes sense. However, in 14.1, the matches and match play itself are TIMELESS. As an example, how many of us still study certain 14.1 matches, like, oh, Mike Sigel's 150-and-out against Mike Zuglan in the 1992 14.1 US Open? I still do. Or Oliver Ortmann's grind-it-out win against Jim Rempe in the 2000 U.S. Open 14.1 Championship? I still do. That's where yobagua's comments about Thorsten growing up on Accu-Stats matches are dead-on -- these players owe their proficiency (and their dedication) to our sport precisely because the matches were preserved for antiquity. The problem many of us have with DP's choice of broadcaster / live coverage is precisely because it's the "9-ball way of thinking." This is not 9-ball. This is 14.1. BIG difference in the need to preserve these events for future generations.
4. All this goes hand-in-hand with the irony of CW/DP's desire to "preserve the sport of 14.1" -- i.e. the decision to short-change the preservation of the matches themselves, so that the event can take place in a lavish hotel. While the "now" aspect of that decision is nice -- i.e. while being there and attending the event in a nice hotel does have that "this is really cool" factor as you're looking around the beautiful surroundings, it does nothing for the preservation of the event itself. I don't know about you, but while watching recorded matches, I see almost nothing of the venue in those recorded matches. And to be quite honest? As I'm watching the recorded match, I don't care about the venue. I care more about the quality of the equipment, the quality of the preservation/recording, the quality of the commentators, and the general quality of the production itself. Don't get me wrong, I *do* care if the venue itself gave something to the event, i.e. sponsorship monies, etc. -- e.g. as was the case with Blatt Billiards and the hotels in the older 14.1 events. But this is not the case with this one. Instead, monies were taken away from the preservation aspect, just so the event can take place in a nice hotel. I stand by my belief that this was a very short-sighted decision, especially in light of the desire of the promoter to "preserve the sport" and "keep the flame alive."
All in all, it's not a case of "bashing" the promoter. It *is* a question of very pointedly shining a spotlight on the short-sightedness of a key decision made, made in stark contrast to the promoter's very-obvious intent to preserve our wonderful sport in the first place. And yes, I may've been a little over the top in my description of one of the commentators commonly used by the hired broadcasting firm. While the particular characteristics / known behaviors of that commentator are true (like I said, I submit to you to view any of the aforementioned YouTube matches to see it for yourself), I do apologize if this degraded the value of my spotlight on the decision.
Anyway, I've said my peace on this topic, and I hope it does as it was intended -- to shine a spotlight, and make it a memory for next year's event decisions.
-Sean
