Article by Badi Nazhat

[stevelomako]

Accu-Stats sent out thousands of emails regarding the Southern Classic dates and events.... That is part of what you do as a streamer.... What also needs to happen is to have a face for the sport that can goto the media and keep them informed and fed with stories... Surely the BCA hasn't spent all their trade show money on a few salaries and could maybe at least devote a secretary to take calls and transcribe reports from events for distribution.. Likely not.. BEF is shooting at 40k this year in donations.. Likely give out 5k in schollys and 35K will got to admin/oversight.....
CHRIS

Chris, I'm not sure I would post something like this unless you have the facts to back it up.

I've probably donated $500 to BEF in the past few years, and to read this, well, it makes me not want to donate to them anymore.

Jam you are correct... I am just looking at the last several years of money awarded and I know nothing about the money they put into the junior events... I will strike it because it was conjecture.. please edit your quote to remove it there as well....

Well Chris, at least I stand by what I write.

Why do you want to cover yours up?

 

[stevelomako]

Let me know if you want me to take this off? ^^^^^^

Doesn't really matter to me, just making a point I guess.

 

[Johnson]

A lot of us have been "around the block" NYC cue dude (I'm sorry I don't know your name)...all of us that have ran and promoted tournaments, added money to them (this includes you, NYC cue dude), do it for one of two reasons...for money...or for egotistical reasons.

i have been on this forum reading 100's of threads like these over the last decade ad nauseam and u have hit the nail on the head here and the funny thing is no1 wants to hear it, imagine that? most promoters are trying to make $ and then blame the pool players for their failing, although some promoters/investors i'm sure had the best of intentions for whatever reasons the $ ended up in the wrong hands, the hustler mentality runs rampant over the entire game

i think the biggest thing missing here is accountability and that's why pool has stayed stagnant over the years, no1 took blame for their failures and tried to learn from their mistakes because u see the same failures over and over, i can only imagine how many millions have been completely wasted trying to "save" pool

pool needs a promoter that is in it for the love of the game and is very patient but knows when to take off the gloves, randy said he is starting a "grassroots" program and this is exactly what pool needs, similar to what mark wilson has been doing but i think programs working w teens would be even better than w college students even though a scholarship program is great

 

[Island Drive]

Pool is not even on the same planet as Golf and tennis skill or otherwise and Boxing is another animal by its self how far away do you think pool is from putting 100k in the stands with 10k front row seats

Pool getting in the same league as Bowling at this point seems like a stretch but I think it can be done with the right marketing ,, of course they need a tour before any of these pipe dreams can happen

1

Ironically, the roles were reversed in the past....

 

[joelpope]

Then perhaps the BCA should consider renouncing their membership in the World Pool Association and/or perhaps giving up their pledge "to promote the sport and organize its players via tournaments at various levels."

JoeyA

I agree with you

 

[one stroke]

Ironically, the roles were reversed in the past....

When ,, Bowling has been on a serious decline but it still has a tour ,, and I always remember them having TV time and they have very little promoting
Bowling unlike pool has always been in good standings with families if you did a poll among families on if they have gone to the bowling ally or a pool hall at least one time as a family it's no contest Bowling wins by a long shot
In fact at one time they were promoting pool by putting a separate room with pool tables ,but they saw little to no play so many places took them out

Yes u can at some point with millions of dollars spent on advertising and promoting get viewers to watch pool ,,, you could also get them to watch pong ,fooseball ,or flipping quarters , but at the end of the day unless you change the game to be more family friendly like Bowling is you got no chance for anything much better than it is now

Pool leagues are great for casual players but how it's viewed by kids when their parents are out sometimes several times a week many of them drinking and coming home at late hours and then playoffs and turnys are on weekends
Where's the kids involvement other than being pulled by the hand to watch on occasion

The other sports are where they are because of the bottom not the top we all played these sports thru school and junior leagues
The pro sports are just extension of our youth and we relive these sports and respect them and how hard it was to be good that's why we keep following ,, the market is pre made for promoting ,, the promoting does not have to create the market

When people comment in how they learned pool the most recognized saying is
" I had a misspent youth"

Once people Real Eyes that the game needs to be changed at the bottom maybe then they can have something at the top


1

 

[JAM]

I wish to focus on his last paragraph and the POSITIVE tone! He leaves the door open to revisit the sport. So, in my opinion there is still hope! But, the infrastructure for success needs to be improved and a strong foundation is a start. In my opinion, a "International Billiard Federation" needs to be formed with everyone giving up a little control to get this done. The days of OPEN events would be a thing of the past in this federation and members only! Promoters are required to escrow to be included! While players give up their ability to enter business arrangements outside of the federation inside the industry! I truly believe it could eliminate the double booking issues and provide some security to promoters. I also envision a rules committee, code of conduct and a enforcement arm. No fighting, No talking at the table, Must be seated when not at table, Dress Code & Etc. Reread his last paragraph, I quoted it below!

"My eyes will remain open. My ears will wait to hear the sounds of a game united in the pursuit of a common goal. My passion is not gone but reason demands a long pause and a wait until the leaders of the game decide to lead and the players begin to understand who should be followed and who should be ignored. I unfortunately doubt that I will be receiving any positive news."

I would like to see more POSITIVE post on this topic and less woe is me. Its starting to ruin my spirits!

Kd

Gimme five, Kid. I agree.

 

[JAM]

Then perhaps the BCA should consider renouncing their membership in the World Pool Association and/or perhaps giving up their pledge "to promote the sport and organize its players via tournaments at various levels."

JoeyA

I have echoed this exact sentiment on the forum for a long time now. If I could see the benefit that the BCA has on professional pool, I'm willing to have an open mind, but to date, I see none.

 

[Island Drive]

Cow Milk

I have echoed this exact sentiment on the forum for a long time now. If I could see the benefit that the BCA has on professional pool, I'm willing to have an open mind, but to date, I see none.

They are riding on our coattails. I'm going to call someone who knows, and find out the ''intellectual property'' rights the BCA owns....because of our sport our players and our history. I'm very confident they receive annual and regular usage fees, from what's been created by our players and the game since the BCA's creation in 1948.
With that information it should help us all understand how they keep milking OUR cow. We the people are the farmers of this sport, the BCA only cares about the milk. It's quite amazing what they DO have the rights of ownership too. I'll see if I can shed some light Today.

 

[JAM]

They are riding on our coattails. I'm going to call someone who knows, and find out the ''intellectual property'' rights the BCA owns....because of our sport our players and our history. I'm very confident they receive annual and regular usage fees, from what's been created by our players and the game since the BCA's creation in 1948.
With that information it should help us all understand how they keep milking OUR cow. We the people are the farmers of this sport, the BCA only cares about the milk. It's quite amazing what they DO have the rights of ownership too. I'll see if I can shed some light Today.

That will be very enlightening. I'm kind of feeling like we're the Tea Party of the pool world now.

 

[xxxbilliards]

Good post

I have to say that the post has generated all types of response......it was good and still is good with so many people caring about pool.
Keep it up and perhaps we do better next time around, I have had my share of tournaments in the Pro-Am and did like all about it, perhaps some day I will do it again

Thanks for caring

 

[CJ Wiley]

At Tunica no one showed up, it wasn't because of the players, they did show up.

CJ brings up a very good point.

As a live streamer, I have always made it my job to use whatever resources I can to promote the event as much as possible and from every angle.

I can't stress how often I've had to chase down tournament directors and promotors to tell me how many spots are open, the flyer, all the details about the venue including local hotels and other aids which help players to get around and find the resources they need to attend an event. I've even made over a dozen flyers because promoters aren't even prepared with one. Even guys like Griffin have not considered some of the pre promotional power that streaming has and he's been working with TAR and myself for several years now.

I would like to think that people have actually chosen to work with me because they know I'm going to not only stream the event but also to get the word out about the tournament. Like ESPN, it is an assumed responsibility of mine to keep as many people informed, right down to the time of the players meeting and the size of the pockets.

Communication of this by the tournament directors and venue owners has been difficult in the past, but I've learned to groom most of my clients into realizing that they should utilize me as a promotional engine for their events.

Someone made a good point that AZB and Facebook are not the only ways to promote something and this is 100% correct. I have an email list of players that I notify of events. I send press to billiard publications and I use other billiard promoters to distribute related ads and other media. All in all, it's a ton of work, I do it anyway and ironically it turns out to be MOST of the work.

Good point again, CJ.

Yes, organization and communcication is key in any type of business and it's in need of developing in the pool related businesses.

The actually Pro Pool Players are the entertainers of the business. The are not promoters, they are not managers, they are not even in the service department. To blame them for an event not being properly promoted or serviced is simply incorrect.

Another thing that's pertanent is the Pro Players are not paid. That means they are not required to do any specific job. Someone puts up money in hopes that they come and play and they expect them to act a certain way (that is never clearly defined)......then if things go wrong the players have been somehow blamed.

This Pro Tournament scenario is like hosting a "Battle of the Bands" and hoping bands show up and play...but not knowing exactly what the show will be like. I've done all types of entertainment promotions with bands, comedians, "battle of the bands" etc and yes, we've had some "bad bands".....as a matter of fact I had my GM "pull the plug" (literally) on a band before that was not up to par.

We still had to take responsibility for that act not being entertaining because there was a lack of communication with one of our agents that booked the act. Their music style simply wasn't a good fit for our theme......things like this happen, but we didn't think about "blaming" the band because that would have kept us from identifying and fixing the core problem.....and this is essential in any type of business.

At Tunica no one showed up, it wasn't because of the players, they did show up.....but, like a band or comedian, it's disheartening to see 15 people in the audience.

I feel like the promoter let the Pro Players down....I know this may not be a popular opinion, but so be it.....the pros do their job very well and don't even make a salary. The "eat what they kill" in the tournament and no matter how good they play they may get some "bad rolls" and exit the tournament LOSING money.....how brutal is this "job".

Reality is Tunica's "promotional ball" was dropped and someone needs to lose their job as promoter. Whom ever was the promoter of that even probably should pursue a different profession.....there's really no need for the "Blame Game".....the event was not organized, there was very little communication to the "outside world" and it failed....there's no great mystery why this happened, it was "doomed" from the first break.

'The Game is the Teacher'

 

[Island Drive]

That will be very enlightening. I'm kind of feeling like we're the Tea Party of the pool world now.

Jam, pm me....in talking with the Clydesdales from WI, what they have now is not of much value anymore....and not riding on the sports coattails, But this is very interesting. during the 90's and into the 2000's the BCA averaged 1.1 Mil Profit per trade show. The BCA during those years had 3 Mil in reserves. During the Rivera days in May they were receiving up to 120K kick back just from room rebates. Then in 08? in Charlotte, they turned a 60K profit, and obviously lost over $800,000 profit in one fell swoop. This Huge loss was due to Attrition/room block quota, Huge Miscue, meaning if the rooms didn't fill up, they had to pay because of the way the contract was drawn up.

 

[JoeyA]

I know what he wanted. He wanted just a little (and I mean just a sliver) of cooperation from the unifying bodies and a healthy heaping of respect AND appreciation from the players. Instead, for his troubles, he couldn't get the players to even dress properly. And to add insult to injury, the players got "pied pipered" into following the wrong "savior".

I've been around the block Steve. Mr Nazhat didn't pull out because monetary success wasn't achieved. I'd bet my whole stack that he never had any financial goals to achieve, even. At least not yet, anyway. He wanted to see PROGRESS. He got repaid with scorn, disrespect and he went unappreciated.

This is my last post in this thread. It's rather unbelievable that so many read his statement and hardly anyone understands it.

It would be hard to disagree with anything you wrote in this post.

JoeyA

 

[JAM]

Jam, pm me....in talking with the Clydesdales from WI, what they have now is not of much value anymore....and not riding on the sports coattails, But this is very interesting. during the 90's and into the 2000's the BCA averaged 1.1 Mil Profit per trade show. The BCA during those years had 3 Mil in reserves. During the Rivera days in May they were receiving up to 120K kick back just from room rebates. Then in 08? in Charlotte, they turned a 60K profit, and obviously lost over $800,000 profit in one fell swoop. This Huge loss was due to Attrition/room block quota, Huge Miscue, meaning if the rooms didn't fill up, they had to pay because of the way the contract was drawn up.

I will do so.

 

[watchez]

Yes, organization and communcication is key in any type of business and it's in need of developing in the pool related businesses.

The actually Pro Pool Players are the entertainers of the business. The are not promoters, they are not managers, they are not even in the service department. To blame them for an event not being properly promoted or serviced is simply incorrect.

Another thing that's pertanent is the Pro Players are not paid. That means they are not required to do any specific job. Someone puts up money in hopes that they come and play and they expect them to act a certain way (that is never clearly defined)......then if things go wrong the players have been somehow blamed.

This Pro Tournament scenario is like hosting a "Battle of the Bands" and hoping bands show up and play...but not knowing exactly what the show will be like. I've done all types of entertainment promotions with bands, comedians, "battle of the bands" etc and yes, we've had some "bad bands".....as a matter of fact I had my GM "pull the plug" (literally) on a band before that was not up to par.

We still had to take responsibility for that act not being entertaining because there was a lack of communication with one of our agents that booked the act. Their music style simply wasn't a good fit for our theme......things like this happen, but we didn't think about "blaming" the band because that would have kept us from identifying and fixing the core problem.....and this is essential in any type of business.

At Tunica no one showed up, it wasn't because of the players, they did show up.....but, like a band or comedian, it's disheartening to see 15 people in the audience.

I feel like the promoter let the Pro Players down....I know this may not be a popular opinion, but so be it.....the pros do their job very well and don't even make a salary. The "eat what they kill" in the tournament and no matter how good they play they may get some "bad rolls" and exit the tournament LOSING money.....how brutal is this "job".

Reality is Tunica's "promotional ball" was dropped and someone needs to lose their job as promoter. Whom ever was the promoter of that even probably should pursue a different profession.....there's really no need for the "Blame Game".....the event was not organized, there was very little communication to the "outside world" and it failed....there's no great mystery why this happened, it was "doomed" from the first break.

'The Game is the Teacher'

Are you going to go to the Mavericks - Heat game if Dirk and Lebron are not going to play?

Are you going to go to the Rangers - Yankees game if Fielder and Cano aren't playing?

Are you going to watch MNF if it is Jacksonville vs Oakland?

Are you going to watch a golf tournament if Tiger Woods isn't playing?

This is the same for what happened in Tunica - not what you are attempting to twist. The players that spectators would pay to see either didn't sign up or signed up so late that people couldn't make plans to be there. It had nothing to do with promoting. To say the players are not at fault is biased and a loss of reality. A MNF football game of Jax vs Oak or Denver vs NE gets the same promotion by the network. But there is obviously more excitement and more interest when the better teams, better players are involved.

Bring up golf ratings when Tiger is near the top of the leaderboard. The Masters gets the same promotion whether he is going to a contender or Charles Swartzel.

You say you were a promoter but I find it hard to believe you don't have a realization of what actually promotes. Billboards, magazine ads, advertising can only do so much.

Watchez is the teacher

 

[Island Drive]

Simply put

We have pro soccer, pro football, pro tennis, pro golf, baseball and many others....they ALL have feeder systems, grade school, then middle school, then High School, and once that has weeded out MOST we have college sports, and then the Pros. Pool has....what? One SVB....March Madness produces how many SVB's each year?

 

[jay helfert]

Over the past year, I was fortunate enough to share many conversations with Badi Nazhat, some of them, very personal and others very broad in nature.

Badi is a selfless and driven man when it comes to his passion for pool. This love for the world of pool has been demonstrated tournament after tournament. The Ultimate 10 Ball Championship was his creation and each tournament was better than the last.

His love for pool is a great thing but it is his love for America that endears him most to me. Badi's patriotism makes me want to be a better American.

While I don't fully understand the purposes or responsibilities of the WPA (World Pool Association) and the BCA (Billiard Congress of America), it almost seems to me that neither entity considers themselves responsible for promoting pool, although they seem to hold the power to do so. Excuses and finger-pointing has been the standard for explaining why this doesn't happen and why this doesn't happen.

Badi Nazhat has attempted to step into the vacuum of leadership only to be rebuffed or at the very best, barely acknowledged for his incredible contributions not just of an enormous amount of money but of time, work and personnel to solve some of pool's problems. His examples of how pool tournaments should be held are benchmarks for the future.

In my opinion, Badi is the type of man that should be leading the WPA and the BCA. His altruistic nature is something you seldom see in today's successful men. It is my belief that very successful men like Badi, are far less concerned with what they can get out of an endeavor, than they are about what they can put into an endeavor. This is the type of leadership that we desperately need in pocket billiards.

It is my hope that Badi will stay close to pocket billiards, waiting for fair winds and support to come his way. Badi is a business man with far-reaching contacts OUTSIDE of the pool industry and can still take us to place that we only dream about.

I would love to see the BCA, WPA, the player's associations, the players, the fans and all that love our sport to publicly and privately volunteer to help Badi direct this ship.

Badi, thank you for all that you have done for pool but most of all thank you for your love of America.

Sincerely,

Joey Aguzin

Well said Joey!

 

[one stroke]

We have pro soccer, pro football, pro tennis, pro golf, baseball and many others....they ALL have feeder systems, grade school, then middle school, then High School, and once that has weeded out MOST we have college sports, and then the Pros. Pool has....what? One SVB....March Madness produces how many SVB's each year?

Basically none of the above as I stated before,, and yet people think pool should be in the same class ,,, of course the only ones who believe that are pro players x players or wannabes no realistic person would be of that opinion

1

 

[stevelomako]

Badi got upset and pulled the plug after only 2 tournaments in the United States.

He could/can get as much help as he would want.




Where is/was all the support for guys like?:

Greg Sullivan

Allen Hopkins

Mark Griffin

Grady Mathews

Mike Zuglan

Tommy Kennedy

Mike Janis

Shannon Daulton

and countless others that do/did tournaments and keep trying to do them, without blaming others when they don't meet their expectations.

When these guys had a problem they just said "Well that didn't work out" and pulled their big boy pants up and just moved on to the next one.



Who deserves the most respect???