It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse. Oooh, the impossible dream! :grin-square:
Can we have the truth - are the Bonus Ball players being paid or not?
- Thread starter watchez
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It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse. Oooh, the impossible dream! :grin-square:
Not sure. I just remember that the same thing happened with the IPT. At the end of the players meeting at the IPT in Reno, September 2006, the players were told at the end of the tournament in a players meeting that there were no checks and that they would receive a check thereafter via Federal Express within a few days.
When the checks never came, folks were, as you'd expect, concerned, and the gossip and rumor mills were quite busy, much like this forum has been on the topic of Bonus Ball for the past couple of days. :grin-square:
Eventually, the players were paid what they were owed in installments over a year to a year-and-a-half period. Some of the IPT players purchased homes, cars, et cetera, on the come. When the IPT went belly up, those players were in a pickle.
For some reason, Kevin Trudeau liked Keith. At the IPT Vegas event, July 2006, when Keith asked about his qualifier monies due, why the checks were not there for him, Kevin immediately instructed his staff to issue a check for that amount. I think it was like $2,000. Sure enough, a few days later, they handed Keith his check for $2,000 for the qualifiers. At the end of that tournament, he also got a check for his tournament winnings. We cashed it immediately before returning home and paid the hotel bill in cash, so we'd have no debt.
I know the IPT did not satisfy all their debts to some, and it's been hurtful to some AzB-ers the way it went down. I can envision this type of thing happening to the Bonus Ball players, which makes me sick to my stomach, but at this stage of the game, the players are running on fumes of hope, wanting to believe that Bonus Ball is here to stay. If I were in their position right now, I'm not sure which side of the fence I'd be on. They have to fish or cut bait.
With the IPT experience under my belt, embedded in my memory, I'd be cutting bait and go back to square one. If they continue to incur expenses in Vegas, they may do permanent damage to their financial wherewithal. It's a serious consideration that I'm sure all of the BB players are thinking about right now at the time of this writing.
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This is a serious offer as that place aint cheap in the least.
If i can bug the place and get some admissions on a wire, can i qualify for the steak dinner ???
:smile::grin:
Here you go
WPBL Statement
July 9, 2013
Beginning immediately the World Professional Billiard League will go on hiatus from the league’s current schedule. Over the next several weeks, the WPBL will begin a plan to correct mistakes made in the operation of the league by management.
As most fans know, the WPBL endured unforeseen hurdles during the launch of the league. As a consequence of the fraudulent practices by the original contractor on the WPBL Arena's construction, the allotted operating capital for the league’s inaugural season had to be used to finish the construction on the arena. As a result, the WPBL has found itself in a difficult financial predicament only six weeks into the season. Unfortunately, the business model was not executed according to the original plan and consequently did not allow for such a setback. The WPBL has now been forced to re-evaluate our business structure and restart with a cohesive strategy for success.
During the next few weeks, the WPBL staff will take time to redistribute responsibilities and reform our strategies. Two weeks ago the players were informed of the league’s current financial status and have shown an allegiance of support to the WPBL by continuing to play during this time. Furthermore, the players are standing by our decision to recess the league’s season temporarily in an effort to restructure.
Both the WPBL staff and players have overwhelmingly spoke out with words of encouragement regarding the league. Most notably, Scott Frost captain of the Phoenix Fire had this to say: “This league is the present and future of pro pool and I need the fans and the world to believe me when I tell you there’s no other game on earth we want to play. If you see the true passion of myself and all of the other players then you must believe we are behind this game and league 110% and look forward to the future as WPBL players!” Philadelphia Aces captain Darren Appleton added “I love the game, it’s the best game I have ever played. I believe in this game and I plead to the public to give it a chance, because it could be the best thing to happen to professional pool. This concept and game is where the future lies for billiards to become recognized globally and finally taken seriously.”
We at the WPBL acknowledge the mistakes made operating the league. In the coming weeks, we will make every effort to rectify these errors with the cooperation of the staff, players and fans. The WPBL has every intention to continue the 2013 season by executing a newly developed business plan that has the support of the WPBL pros.
During this time off, the WPBL will not only work to strengthen its internal structure, but help fans and skeptics understand how Bonus Ball is played. We recognize that some people are having a difficult time understanding various aspects of the game, including subtle rules, or how the scoring relates to the statistics and league standings. In the coming weeks, we look to improve our relationship with our fans as well as the billiards industry as a whole by responding to industry concerns such as this.
With the number of active billiards players declining throughout the globe, our goal at the WPBL has always to been to reinvigorate the sport whose rich history dates back to the 15th century, by adding proven contemporary sporting elements to the game. At present, although numbering in the millions, billiards fans would have a difficult time finding “pool” on traditional broadcast television. Our mission is to create an outstanding production of a cue sport that is exciting to watch, challenging to play and esthetically pleasing to the eye. We believe that by building the first dedicated billiards arena in the world, it is evident that we are committed to advancing the future of the sport through the creation of Bonus Ball as well as the World Professional Billiard League.
Finally, anyone who has bought WPBL PPV access will be contacted in the coming weeks regarding compensation for their purchase.
On behalf of all involved, we want to thank the fans and the billiard community as a whole, for their patience and understanding during this time. The WPBL staff and players will diligently work over the next few weeks to make improvements in all aspects of the corporation for the betterment of league, the players and the industry.
Continue to follow WPBL for additional updates:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wpbltvcom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WPBLtv
WPBL Statement
July 9, 2013
Beginning immediately the World Professional Billiard League will go on hiatus from the league’s current schedule. Over the next several weeks, the WPBL will begin a plan to correct mistakes made in the operation of the league by management.
As most fans know, the WPBL endured unforeseen hurdles during the launch of the league. As a consequence of the fraudulent practices by the original contractor on the WPBL Arena's construction, the allotted operating capital for the league’s inaugural season had to be used to finish the construction on the arena. As a result, the WPBL has found itself in a difficult financial predicament only six weeks into the season. Unfortunately, the business model was not executed according to the original plan and consequently did not allow for such a setback. The WPBL has now been forced to re-evaluate our business structure and restart with a cohesive strategy for success.
During the next few weeks, the WPBL staff will take time to redistribute responsibilities and reform our strategies. Two weeks ago the players were informed of the league’s current financial status and have shown an allegiance of support to the WPBL by continuing to play during this time. Furthermore, the players are standing by our decision to recess the league’s season temporarily in an effort to restructure.
Both the WPBL staff and players have overwhelmingly spoke out with words of encouragement regarding the league. Most notably, Scott Frost captain of the Phoenix Fire had this to say: “This league is the present and future of pro pool and I need the fans and the world to believe me when I tell you there’s no other game on earth we want to play. If you see the true passion of myself and all of the other players then you must believe we are behind this game and league 110% and look forward to the future as WPBL players!” Philadelphia Aces captain Darren Appleton added “I love the game, it’s the best game I have ever played. I believe in this game and I plead to the public to give it a chance, because it could be the best thing to happen to professional pool. This concept and game is where the future lies for billiards to become recognized globally and finally taken seriously.”
We at the WPBL acknowledge the mistakes made operating the league. In the coming weeks, we will make every effort to rectify these errors with the cooperation of the staff, players and fans. The WPBL has every intention to continue the 2013 season by executing a newly developed business plan that has the support of the WPBL pros.
During this time off, the WPBL will not only work to strengthen its internal structure, but help fans and skeptics understand how Bonus Ball is played. We recognize that some people are having a difficult time understanding various aspects of the game, including subtle rules, or how the scoring relates to the statistics and league standings. In the coming weeks, we look to improve our relationship with our fans as well as the billiards industry as a whole by responding to industry concerns such as this.
With the number of active billiards players declining throughout the globe, our goal at the WPBL has always to been to reinvigorate the sport whose rich history dates back to the 15th century, by adding proven contemporary sporting elements to the game. At present, although numbering in the millions, billiards fans would have a difficult time finding “pool” on traditional broadcast television. Our mission is to create an outstanding production of a cue sport that is exciting to watch, challenging to play and esthetically pleasing to the eye. We believe that by building the first dedicated billiards arena in the world, it is evident that we are committed to advancing the future of the sport through the creation of Bonus Ball as well as the World Professional Billiard League.
Finally, anyone who has bought WPBL PPV access will be contacted in the coming weeks regarding compensation for their purchase.
On behalf of all involved, we want to thank the fans and the billiard community as a whole, for their patience and understanding during this time. The WPBL staff and players will diligently work over the next few weeks to make improvements in all aspects of the corporation for the betterment of league, the players and the industry.
Continue to follow WPBL for additional updates:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wpbltvcom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WPBLtv
And I'm still waiting for the ABP to comment.
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The last thing they want is unhappy players. If the players aint getting paid then that means there is no money.
Time to sell!
When I read that, I honestly thought it was a fake until I looked at the website. What that press release really says is "We don't understand the effects of culture on sports nor how slowly it takes to overcome and establish new culture."
The MLS was formed in 1993 as part of a deal to bring the 1994 World Cup to the United States. Several professional leagues had existed in the country before, but they failed in part because the culture of the country is not one that includes soccer. The MLS took several key steps in attempting to slowly acclimate to a changing culture. They only started with 10 teams, whereas most professional sports in the USA have around 30. They played in existing stadiums, kept the players on a low wage by centrally contracting players, altered some rules to make them more friendly to the audience, adjusted the calender to better fit with existing American sports (at the expense of not fitting with the FIFA calender), and other changes.
The MLS has had struggles along the way, but because its plan was to slowly build a professional league that acclimates to the changing culture, it has survived. It's about 40 years or so into serious development of the sport in the country, and approaching 20 years of the MLS and things are changing. Those rule adjustments to the sport have changed back as the public becomes more educated and more accepting of traditional rules and structures of the sport. Most teams now have their own stadium. The league will have expanded to 20 teams in 2015. Wages are going up, television contracts are going up. But it's taken a considerable amount of time to get to the point where many fans are accepting the sport and the league. Most fans of the sport are still under 30 years old. The sport is really only just beginning to turn some of the long time skeptics into casual fans. Fans of the sport are still more likely to following international play or some of the more high profile foreign leagues, but the MLS still grows and sustains itself as it tries to manage the culture of the sport at large and the changing culture of the nation.
Culture is the explanation of all of these things people write in threads on the forum and in this press release. The example above shows how slowly it changes. It doesn't happen with a few free previews. It can take generations or more. Culture is phenomenally powerful with regards to sports. It's why your cable bill is so high. Sports channels account for most of your cable bill and their rates are many times higher than other channels, but sports fans don't tend to 'cut the cord'. Sports economics often fly in the face of traditional economics. It's almost as important to us as food and gasoline. Culture is why we have an estimated 85% lifetime commitment rate to our sports teams. It's a force that binds us locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
Any force as powerful as culture is very, very slow to change and should not be taken lightly.
Couldn't you have posted this BEFORE all of this happened? Poor investors thought they'd have millions pouring in by now.:frown:
Joe Rogan should definitely work this line into his imitation of the player who said it.
I thought BB was already sold to a network with another network in the "possible" category?
If that were true - what's the value of that? If the network pays-per-episode and it's a decent amount -- why can't they get bridge funding (which should be a near-lock w/ contract in hand)? Something doesn't sound quite right.
If the players are being told to play in the meantime and hang-in-there while not getting paid, they should demand equity -- not interest on amounts due.
The moment you can't pay your employees, you have an ESOP whether you like it or not -- and that's the best realistic scenario.
Players - if you're not getting paid now and are being asked to continue to play, don't buy into the "dream / future" talk (I'm talking to you Scott) without having a PLAY in the dream / future.
If that were true - what's the value of that? If the network pays-per-episode and it's a decent amount -- why can't they get bridge funding (which should be a near-lock w/ contract in hand)? Something doesn't sound quite right.
If the players are being told to play in the meantime and hang-in-there while not getting paid, they should demand equity -- not interest on amounts due.
The moment you can't pay your employees, you have an ESOP whether you like it or not -- and that's the best realistic scenario.
Players - if you're not getting paid now and are being asked to continue to play, don't buy into the "dream / future" talk (I'm talking to you Scott) without having a PLAY in the dream / future.
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Great post on what the players should do. Be careful with further promises without pay. Time to turn the tables a bit at the negotiating table.
Nope, the checkbook is alive and well and living in Canada
I think Nathan's attitude has been ok lately unless i missed something-He has learned-i think, unless the change was because he knew "the end was near" Im giving him a pass for now.
Here will be Nathan's reply to all of this when the end is finally realized.....
I had all these ideas to make BB work but Larry wouldn't listen to me. I told him that this was wrong, that was wrong and he should do this and do that but he was too hard headed and refused to make it work. Even the players all told me that they liked my ideas and tried to tell Larry but he still wouldn't budge. I created the greatest pool arena, stream and website that pool has ever seen. Didn't Larry realize that I knew what I was doing and he should have simply listened to me more.
I had all these ideas to make BB work but Larry wouldn't listen to me. I told him that this was wrong, that was wrong and he should do this and do that but he was too hard headed and refused to make it work. Even the players all told me that they liked my ideas and tried to tell Larry but he still wouldn't budge. I created the greatest pool arena, stream and website that pool has ever seen. Didn't Larry realize that I knew what I was doing and he should have simply listened to me more.
That checkbook might be OK, but some of their cash is on hiatus.