be honest, anyone not mad at KT & IPT?

S

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anyone not really upset with these guys, or at least indifferent?

I've arrived at a few conclusions,

A) KT arranged three of the best tournaments in decades and gave everyone a hell of a ride before everything bottomed out.

B) KT's history has been a matter of public record for a very long time.

C) You can't cheat an honest man. KT couldn't have picked a more
greedy and gullible group of suckers. Who was cheated? Pro Pool players, they've been doing it to others forever. Yes, there was some collateral damage here and there, but such is life.

Furthermore, during all of this, the players were STILL unable to form any type of unified front, particularly the top ones, leaving it to the little guys such as Bernie to be their lone voice on internet forums while anxiously awaiting a few dollars they'll most likely never see, TYPICAL pool player behaviour.

D) Those who were hurt most by this fiasco are the fans of the sport, those who have supported this industy for years with their hard earned dollars and longed for a such a tour, fans who the players have more often than not discarded and dismissed for decades.

E) Experienced and intelligent people in the industry foresaw ALL of this last year and were blown off.
 
smashmouth said:
Anyone not really upset with these guys, or at least indifferent?

I've arrived at a few conclusions,

A) KT arranged three of the best tournaments in decades and gave everyone a hell of a ride before everything bottomed out.

B) KT's history has been a matter of public record for a very long time.

C) You can't cheat an honest man. KT couldn't have picked a more
greedy and gullible group of suckers. Who was cheated? Pro Pool players, they've been doing it to others forever. Yes, there was some collateral damage here and there, but such is life.

Furthermore, during all of this, the players were STILL unable to form any type of unified front, particularly the top ones, leaving it to the little guys such as Bernie to be their lone voice on internet forums while anxiously awaiting a few dollars they'll most likely never see, TYPICAL pool player behaviour.

D) Those who were hurt most by this fiasco are the fans of the sport, those who have supported this industy for years with their hard earned dollars and longed for a such a tour, fans who the players have more often than not discarded and dismissed for decades.

E) Experienced and intelligent people in the industry foresaw ALL of this last year and were blown off.
Click to expand...

TAP! TAP!
I really wanted this thing to succeed, not because I had current dreams of playing in one of these...that could not have happened, not now anyway. My love for the game far exceeds my ability to play this sport. It just would have been great to see those that play it really really well get the financial rewards that they deserve.
I do know that IF 30 years ago a TOUR like the IPT existed, I would have dedicated myself to becoming an "athelete" in this sport and that I would have been able to compete at the pro level. Heck, that would probably have happened for me if the WPBA existed and was televised then!
ruk
 
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I am not made at the IPT, or KT. I have only seen one IPT Event on TV, Mike v/s lorrie. It kind of reminded me of the WWF, or is it the WWE. But I watch all the Pool I can on TV....
 
mad?

No, I'm not mad yet....but I disagree with you about who is hurt the most...I think the people who have not been paid and if they don't get paid, will be hurt the most.....and I won't be too happy about that....
 
I hate to see people getting all worked up as if this were a clever scam to make a pile of dough for KT. There would have to be thousands of more likely ways to con people out of real cash.

I'm guessing he really likes the game and hoped to do something for it while making himself a little pile, too, assuming the IPT would take off and attract real money. But he got in over his head ... and is hoping Ho can bail him out.
 
Foresight and hindsight aren't worth much unless they inspire action that makes a better present.

Anyone can make predictions, in fact television and the media are full of them from Ms. Cleo to James Carville. Anyone can analyze past events.

A year ago, while many were predicting the IPT's failure the IPT was busy creating events. That much is fact. No one in the industry cornered Trudeau in any signifigant way to verify his ability to underwrite his promises. Much was made of Trudeau's past, which Trudeau cleverly put on the table himself to preempt the negativity produced by that reputation. Americans love to see a sinner redeemed, especially a seemingly rich one.

A year ago the players were eager for the dreams Trudeau was selling. The industry was eager for the dreams Trudeau was selling. Many probably hoped for a resurgence of pool popularity such as followed the Color of Money in 1986. That was a genuine boom which has been in decline for several years. Having an exciting pool tour splashed on TV seemed like a good bet to set off another boom of interest and spark sales across the industry from tables to table time. So, no one was really willing to upset the applecart so to speak and see the rich guy take his toys and go home. A perfectly practical approach in many ways. The vast majority of industry folks adopted a wait-and-see approach to the IPT. I don't think anyone will blame Diamond Tables, The Sardos or Gorina cloth for the deficiencies of the IPT. (Well maybe Gorina for the cloth, but that was the IPT's insistence)

And as long as the tournaments are continued to be broadcast there is still a chance that they may catch on and start becoming popular television that may lead to the boom. In that sense the IPT appears to be functioning still.

Mad at Trudeau? You bet I am. Mad at Andrews? More disappointed at this point as his conduct appears to have been unbecoming. Mad at the IPT? As an entity taken in it's entirety no I am not mad at the IPT. The folks who make up/made up the IPT did stage some classy events with a lot of intensity to them. Never in my entire life have I sweated matches such as I did throughout these three tournaments, and I have been present at, participated in, and have had bets down on my share of sizable action. So for all that the IPT deserves praise. Trudeau may have spent the money but it was the staff that made it happen.

I still have a dim glimmer of hope that the IPT can turn into a legitmately functioning entity complete with the proper oversight, checks and balances that are needed. Why? Because despite everything, I lived, through the excitement of my friend's experiences, the vitality that Trudeau's dreams and subsequent tournaments breathed into my friend's lives.

If nothing else, this year of pool will always be remembered for having the highest highs and the lowest lows. Tough to beat that swing.
 
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