Accu-Stats Signs 2-Year TV Deal for U.S. Open w/ESPN Star Sports
- Thread starter JAM
- Start date
The entry fee thing is an issue. Few of these guys want to pay in advance at all. They want to call and just say "Put me down", then they show up at the tournament and look for a stake horse to put up the money or even ask Barry to put them in and they will pay later. I am not siding with Barry just saying these guys are very undependable and not the most reputable to say the least. It is just a bit ironic to see them making demands; no matter how reasonable.
These are the same people that make a living, beyond tournaments, lying and deceiving and are proud of it. All you have to do is spend 5 minutes around most of them to hear how they think. Just a bit ironic. I bet if Barry asked the players organization to guarantee the entry fees be paid say 60 days in advance and the players commit to showing up you would hear a lot of stuttering from them. Barry's grievances with players and what they have done to him I am sure would bill a book.
This is not all one sided.
12ozCurl
Banned
I think that some of these "replacements" would do better jobs than the pros. They might not make every ball, but I can gaurentee they are THANKFUL for what they get, and not throwing hissyfits.
No kidding! :angry:
I notice in your post in that other thread that you mentioned bowling...let me tell you, I see a hell of a lot more bowling on tv than pool, much less men's pool! I just don't get it...if espn has its corporate head up its ass, then I would think fox sports would step up and get something, they have dozens of channels in all markets. For instance, regional broadcasting of larger regional events (like the Desert Classic in AZ) would work well, on top of big nationwide events like the Open.
I just don't get it.
It is entertainment as are all sports. They also show sports movies from time to time.
For wanting the money posted and guaranteed? I don't understand you people. I'm sure you'd be the first to cry and make a thread about a guy stiffing you 20 bucks after a long session. The ABP (just my opinion) isn't making a single outrageous demand. Simply post the money guaranteed. End of discussion. It has been clearly stated that they love the US Open and want to play in it forever (who wouldn't?), but this is their livelihood and dammit the money should be posted like any other respectable sporting event.
Indeed, this is the quandary. You see, it does sound simple, but is in fact, anything but. Post the money, sure thing. It's obvious and easy. Except for the fact that THERE IS NO MONEY TO POST!!!
Yes, it's their livlihood, and yes, they should take that seriously. But if they think about it for a moment, if they do, in fact take their livlihoods seriously, wouldn't you think that it would occur to them that they need to make a coordinated effort to promote pool, promote events, promote themselves, etc.??? I certainly would if I were to consider myself a professional pool player.
If they content themselves to sit back, boycott, and do nothing to promote themselves or anything else, then the only possible outcome for themselves and the sport is failure.
I propose a thought experiment for them. Extend each of their hands, hope into one and then sh$t into the other. See which gets filled up first...
My question was in response to JAM commenting on ESPN showing lawn mower racing and hot dog eating contests... I am quite aware of the "entertainment" aspect of their programming. Which is precisely why we won't see much pool on ESPN.
For wanting the money posted and guaranteed? I don't understand you people. I'm sure you'd be the first to cry and make a thread about a guy stiffing you 20 bucks after a long session. The ABP (just my opinion
This is great news for everyone and hopefully this will be a great US Open.
Really, where do you play where they post the money well in advance. If they didn't like the way the open was being run, why cry, go deliver pizza's. They should be honored to play in the open, not whining and boycotting.
Allen Hopkins tried to get something new and innovative with the Skins Billiards Championship as a way to showcase pool and make it exciting on ESPN. There were two Skins events, and they didn't seem to catch on. I think the rules were confusing.
That's another problem with pool is the variety of pocket billiard games and the diversity of rules. It's hard for me to keep up with 'em. I can imagine how difficult is it for the layperson. :embarrassed2:
I was at two Skins events, and they were fun to watch in person.
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Allen Hopkins tried to get something new and innovative with the Skins Billiards Championship as a way to showcase pool and make it exciting on ESPN. There were two Skins events, and they didn't seem to catch on. I think the rules were confusing.
That's another problem with pool is the variety of pocket billiard games and the diversity of rules. It's hard for me to keep up with 'em. I can imagine how difficult is it for the layperson. :embarrassed2:
I was at two Skins events, and they were fun to watch in person.
Exactly. 8 ball anyone??????????
LOL!
Sure, 8-ball is neutral, but if you make the 8 on the break it's a win -- no, wait a minute.If you make the 8 on the break, you lose, and you can't use the 8-ball to make a ball. Call pocket and honest effort -- no, wait a minute.
Call shot and no slop, and if you make high and low on the break, it's open table -- no, wait a minute.
If you make two highs and one low on the break, then you've got stripes.
Allen Hopkins tried to get something new and innovative with the Skins Billiards Championship as a way to showcase pool and make it exciting on ESPN. There were two Skins events, and they didn't seem to catch on. I think the rules were confusing.
That's another problem with pool is the variety of pocket billiard games and the diversity of rules. It's hard for me to keep up with 'em. I can imagine how difficult is it for the layperson. :embarrassed2:
I was at two Skins events, and they were fun to watch in person.
Or what about that Bonus Ball that was supposed to be such a great game? I read a bit about it but it failed to make me give a damn about it.
I'm all for trying new things and all, but I think that it's a strategic error to try to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, in the public's eye. They know 8 ball. They all play it. It's everywhere and everyone understands it. How about that? Back to the basics. No elaborate rules to explain. Just simple pool played by pros.
When some of the guys came through town, I noticed the house was always packed. I think the same thing will happen for TV pool.
Exactly. That's what the IPT tried to do when they got a deal with Versus on cable TV, but we all know what happened with that venture. It's a shame, really. If it had started on a different financial platform, I believe the IPT would still be here today.
Exactly. That's what the IPT tried to do when they got a deal with Versus on cable TV, but we all know what happened with that venture. It's a shame, really. If it had started on a different financial platform, I believe the IPT would still be here today.
Yeah, I think you're right. RIP IPT.
HOPEFULLY, practical minds will collaborate on this NEW DEVELOPMENT and fresh dialogue will begin between Barry and the ABP. This is a new opportunity for the players and the U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship.
The players owe it to the sport and themselves to help pull this wagon in the right direction. I'm all for the players getting paid.
Barry needs to provide a method for being able to guarantee the purse. To streamline his budget, maybe Barry should consider discontinuing the paid entry fees for past winners PERMANENTLY, reduce the purse and make any other budget changes necessary to guarantee the payouts.
THIS IS A NEW DAY AND A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE PLAYERS, BARRY AND ACCU-STATS.
Hopefully, everyone will understand what a great opportunity this is and make the necessary conciliatory moves. Hopefully, this will be announced shortly and then negotiations will be done in private and a new understanding will be able to take place.
The players owe it to the sport and themselves to help pull this wagon in the right direction. I'm all for the players getting paid.
Barry needs to provide a method for being able to guarantee the purse. To streamline his budget, maybe Barry should consider discontinuing the paid entry fees for past winners PERMANENTLY, reduce the purse and make any other budget changes necessary to guarantee the payouts.
THIS IS A NEW DAY AND A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE PLAYERS, BARRY AND ACCU-STATS.
Hopefully, everyone will understand what a great opportunity this is and make the necessary conciliatory moves. Hopefully, this will be announced shortly and then negotiations will be done in private and a new understanding will be able to take place.
Agreed and well said.
I was chatting with one of my friends the other day about why he thinks there is not much pool on TV and he said that he thinks one of the reasons is that no one cares about the players. The general public often only knows the names The Black Widow and Minnesota Fats.
Snooker in England confronted this issue by running short back story segments (interviews, following them around their town, playing golf, arriving on their motorbike, etc etc) on the players. This helped build up large television audiences and made household names of a lot of players, which obviously helps sponsorship and the audience rejoice and sympathize with the players. At the moment the general public can whoop and wow at a great shot, but they have no emotional vested interest in the players.
The audience has to care who wins or loses.
Snooker in England confronted this issue by running short back story segments (interviews, following them around their town, playing golf, arriving on their motorbike, etc etc) on the players. This helped build up large television audiences and made household names of a lot of players, which obviously helps sponsorship and the audience rejoice and sympathize with the players. At the moment the general public can whoop and wow at a great shot, but they have no emotional vested interest in the players.
The audience has to care who wins or loses.