BCA no longer a major
- Thread starter Nostroke
- Start date
A weak Florida event?
Multiple US Open Champions, Multiple World Champions, Just about every player there who played on the Men's side is either a tournament champions or a top money player.
On the Women's side it was all the top WPBA players.
They paid out 15,000 to the winner and 9,000 to the 2cnd place finisher. The same as they have paid out for as long as I can remember the event happening.
Yes it was only 32 players in the men's and 32 in the women's but all of them are champions and champions in the making. I don't know, when was the last time a regional tour stop got six hours of ESPN coverage?
The winner of the tournament on the men's side was Jeremy Jones, US Open Winner and Mosconi Cup Champion among other titles. The winner of the women's event was Xiao Ting Pan, World Champion among many other titles.
Well, major or not, it was fun and exciting to be there. As a fan it was a great tournament, as a sponsor we look forward to seeing a great match on ESPN for years to come. The only downside is that the finals were cut to race to 7 which is what ESPN does unfortunately. Other than that it was a great event with dozens and dozens of industry and outside industry heavy hitters in the audience.
Since these are the people who sponsor or can potentially sponsor pool it was a great thing for the BCA to tie the tournament to the trade show. It was very clear to me as I was part of the entourage from Sterling that the industry folks were greatly impressed by the show.
A lot of folks complain about the state of pool and lament the lack of support for the top players. Well this is one thing the BCA got right in my opinion. By doing it this at least it brought live professional pool directly to the people who can do the sponsoring and whose interest is in seeing pool get bigger. I won't name names but we brought people from the Charlotte area who represent hundreds of millions of marketing dollars to watch this event. Maybe something will come of their attendance, maybe it won't. One thing is clear though, without the exposure it's a pretty safe bet that spending on pool wouldn't be on their budget or their minds without this tournament done in this way.
So, yes this tournament remains a major win and a major victory not only for the proven champions who emerged victorious but also for the diehard fans in attendance and all the new fans who otherwise would only experience professional pool by watching television.
John Barton - Sterling Gaming
Multiple US Open Champions, Multiple World Champions, Just about every player there who played on the Men's side is either a tournament champions or a top money player.
On the Women's side it was all the top WPBA players.
They paid out 15,000 to the winner and 9,000 to the 2cnd place finisher. The same as they have paid out for as long as I can remember the event happening.
Yes it was only 32 players in the men's and 32 in the women's but all of them are champions and champions in the making. I don't know, when was the last time a regional tour stop got six hours of ESPN coverage?
The winner of the tournament on the men's side was Jeremy Jones, US Open Winner and Mosconi Cup Champion among other titles. The winner of the women's event was Xiao Ting Pan, World Champion among many other titles.
Well, major or not, it was fun and exciting to be there. As a fan it was a great tournament, as a sponsor we look forward to seeing a great match on ESPN for years to come. The only downside is that the finals were cut to race to 7 which is what ESPN does unfortunately. Other than that it was a great event with dozens and dozens of industry and outside industry heavy hitters in the audience.
Since these are the people who sponsor or can potentially sponsor pool it was a great thing for the BCA to tie the tournament to the trade show. It was very clear to me as I was part of the entourage from Sterling that the industry folks were greatly impressed by the show.
A lot of folks complain about the state of pool and lament the lack of support for the top players. Well this is one thing the BCA got right in my opinion. By doing it this at least it brought live professional pool directly to the people who can do the sponsoring and whose interest is in seeing pool get bigger. I won't name names but we brought people from the Charlotte area who represent hundreds of millions of marketing dollars to watch this event. Maybe something will come of their attendance, maybe it won't. One thing is clear though, without the exposure it's a pretty safe bet that spending on pool wouldn't be on their budget or their minds without this tournament done in this way.
So, yes this tournament remains a major win and a major victory not only for the proven champions who emerged victorious but also for the diehard fans in attendance and all the new fans who otherwise would only experience professional pool by watching television.
John Barton - Sterling Gaming
That is the first time I have heard that said about this event. I think it was one of the dumber moves in a long history of things that do not make any sense. Every player I have asked about the move and format change said the same thing. It sucks.JB Cases said:
Last year they had the same amount of coverage with double the field size in the largest gathering of amateur players in the country. They decide to cut it in half and change it from being a premier event to a side show for the Expo. Somebody is asleep at the switch. I went to the BCA for the first time last year to shoot photos for Billiards Digest. It was the absolute best pro tournament I have ever attended(Except for the Derby of course, that isn't a tournament, it is heaven). Being able to see the men and women playing together literally right next door to the amateurs was great.
I am sure whoever made the decision has their reasons, but speaking from a pool fans perspective I can't imagine what they might be. I know it is easy to criticize from the side lines but in the end I thought the BCA's mission was to grow the sport not just a trade show. If there was any doubt about the direction it has been made clear to me. Something is always better than nothing but that doesn't mean we should just shut up and be greatful.
Yeah Vegas is still great. Thanks for the support JCIN. And thanks Mark G again.
One point about pool and how field size really plays a part. I think that it is harder to win a 96 man tournament with 8 killers and 88 A+'s any of whom might catch a gear on you than to win a 32 man tournament with 26 champions. In 9 ball, it just mght be easier to beat one national speed champion than 3-4 regional champions in a row. For example, I think it is easier to wiin the Pool Masters with 16 Stone Killers than say the old Reno events with 6-8 killers and 150 schlubs
To me it was always doubtful whether the BCA was truly a major with only 64 players. This change just removes all doubt for me.
JB-You can always make a great case for any position.
To me the only majors now are the WPC, the US Open and The DCC. If i had to add a fourth, it would be Turning Stone or perhaps the Intnl 10 Ball event held in Vegas during the BCAPL.
Someone want to start a poll?
One point about pool and how field size really plays a part. I think that it is harder to win a 96 man tournament with 8 killers and 88 A+'s any of whom might catch a gear on you than to win a 32 man tournament with 26 champions. In 9 ball, it just mght be easier to beat one national speed champion than 3-4 regional champions in a row. For example, I think it is easier to wiin the Pool Masters with 16 Stone Killers than say the old Reno events with 6-8 killers and 150 schlubs
To me it was always doubtful whether the BCA was truly a major with only 64 players. This change just removes all doubt for me.
JB-You can always make a great case for any position.
To me the only majors now are the WPC, the US Open and The DCC. If i had to add a fourth, it would be Turning Stone or perhaps the Intnl 10 Ball event held in Vegas during the BCAPL.
Someone want to start a poll?
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I would love to hear what SJM has to say about this tournament. He was always a very staunch advocate of this particular tournament. I've noticed in his posts, he often includes the winner of this tournament when he writes of the winners of the other majors in pool (WC, US Open & DCC), so I know he holds this tournament in high esteem.
Since he has had a special affinity for this tournament, his word on this subject would be much appreciated.
Since he has had a special affinity for this tournament, his word on this subject would be much appreciated.
JCIN said:
JC,
As usual, we'll never know who made the decision.
What is clear is that it was the BCAPL and NOT the BCA that made the event fabulous. It is the BCAPL and NOT the BCA who cares most about the growth and promotion of the sport. It is Mark Griffin and NOT the BCA that knows how to run a premier event.
It IS however the BCA that has failed miserably over 50 years in letting the popularity of pool slide into it's current position - they had the authority and power to do wonders, instead they frittered it all away. JMO.
Terry Ardeno said:
Right you are, Terry.
The majesty of the BCA Open was always in the fact that it enjoyed greater international diversity than any pool event other than the WPC. This was due to an invitation policy unlike any other, whch reserved as many spots for foreign players as for Americans. The result was a killer field every year, as well as chances to see players that almost never compete in America.
The last four standing at the last five men's BCA Opens were as follows:
2007 Dennis Orcullo, Shane Van Boening, Mike Davis, John Schmidt
2006 Ralf Souquet, Johnny Archer, Efren Reyes, Charlie Williams
2005 Thorsten Hohmann, Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Andreas Roschkowski
2004 Tony Robles, Santos Sambajon, Alex Pagulayan, Francisco Bustamante
2003 Ralf Souquet, Francisco Bustamante, Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer
Over the years, the superstars of men's pro pool delivered in a big way at the BCA Open, offering the fans breathtaking TV rounds year after year.
On the women's side, the unique invitation policy delivered some special treats, too. We saw a teenage Ga Young Kim play there long before she tried to qualify for the WPBA. We often saw Hsin Mei Liu, quite probably Asia's greatest ever female 9-baller, given her world championships and wins at the Amway Cup. Another Asian star we often saw was the exceptional Akimi Kajitani. From Europe, we saw Jasmin Ouschan there a couple of years before she became a WPBA regular, and her win in 2006 in which she beat #1 Allison Fisher, #2 Karen Corr, and #3 Kelly Fisher is one of the most memorable performances in the history of women's pool.
Yes, the BCA Open has featured some spectacular stuff over the years, but eyeballing the two draws, men's and women's, I must concur with Nostroke that the event has lost much of its glow. It would appear that the reduction in field size and the reduction in foreign invites are intertwined, but the fact is that the complexion of this event has changed for the worse, and woe is us because of it.
Bad Karma
After removing Mark Griffins name from the ballot on the BCA board and pulling the rug out from under him as far as the tournament goes (moving the event to the trade show at the last minute). I cant say that I am dissapointed. They got what they asked for, seperation from the pool league
The BCA pool league was able to host the party poker world pool masters and the Predator international 10 ball championships. I know all the international pros were there. Ill say that Mark G traded up as far as the pros go and the amatuer event is second to none.
After removing Mark Griffins name from the ballot on the BCA board and pulling the rug out from under him as far as the tournament goes (moving the event to the trade show at the last minute). I cant say that I am dissapointed. They got what they asked for, seperation from the pool league
The BCA pool league was able to host the party poker world pool masters and the Predator international 10 ball championships. I know all the international pros were there. Ill say that Mark G traded up as far as the pros go and the amatuer event is second to none.
Gregg said:So should I hang myself with my mouse cord?
I really don't understand the intent of this new thread.
Safety first... get a wireless mouse!
JB Cases said:
Am I the only one that sees something wrong with this statement? Every other sport the payouts increase each year. Nevermind increases in popularity how about inflation? Really, by offering the same prize each year they're really offering less and less...