Fix BCA or Dump it.

[pete lafond]

BCA has done a poor job in todays market to promote current tournaments or billiards. It doesn't matter if ESPN does not want to pay. Do what ever it takes to get current stuff on TV. If it is worth anything, payment would happen later. If payment never occurs then maybe pool is in the past. The BCA can not even organize funded tournaments (I mean real dollars). This pro vs. am thing is a good example of lack of organization. (Simple - define tournaments as professional, have qualifiers and those that win money are pro class.) How many years has pool been around. How about the BCA? I think maybe we should all wake up and realize, if pool is going to make it - it needs a more structured and marketing oriented organization behind it. Are there fat salaries in the BCA? is someone milking? Spend money - thats what it takes. Look at the number of member in the BCA. Lots of opportunity. Anyway, thats my piece (or peace).

 

[Bob Jewett]

BCA has done a poor job in todays market to promote current tournaments or billiards .... .

This may be true, but....
Is that what the BCA's intent is? You may want to contact the Board Members directly with your comments, since I imagine that few of them read the postings here.

Are you a member of the BCA? Have you attended any general membership meetings? (I'm not and haven't, so I wonder what happens there.)

 

[Celtic]

Kind of unfair to judge the BCA when it was JUST taken over by a new owner based on things they may or may not have accomplished in the past IMO. How about giving him a couple years at least to see if the orgainzation improves the sport under it's new ownership.

 

[Sheldon]

two words: POLITICS BULLSHIT

not neccessarily in that order.

what a shitstorm the BCA sale caused in my area! People that were friends for years were suddenly at each others throats. OVER NOTHING!!!! Give me a break! try the BCA out for a while, and if it doesnt work, or goes in a direction the players don't like, form another league, or join an existing one. The ACS jumped right in and caused a huge partisan fight.

 

[cardiac kid]

Peter,

I know you haven't been following the pool world for the past year. Austin is much more important. Since the last time you were involved, the league structure of the BCA was purchased by Mark Griffin. A businessman who owned or shared ownership of some of the west coasts finest and most successful billiard rooms. He is also part owner of Diamond Billiards. The innovative pool table manufacturer. Mr. Griffin is in the process of restructuring how the BCA leagues work. That organization has nothing to do with the "pro" side of the sport as far as nine ball is concerned. If you wish to comment, please e-mail him at markg@playbca.com.

The BCA that you were familiar with now runs the manufacturers expo, junior pool, the Billiards Hall of Fame and the "pro" nine ball event held each May in Vegas. Unfortunately, I know of no one to contact there. I guess that others here have had the same problem in the past. Some of their choices for the hall of fame and some of the names left off the HOF ballots have caused many here at AZ to challenge their operation.

Some of the people we met in Vegas through the years that ran the BCA now own and run American Cue Sports. An organization formed with the goal of "saving" amatuer pool by dividing up the players further. I guess they are trying to save pool from a "for profit" format. As a businessman, you can understand that idea, right? Contact our friend John Lewis.

So, back to your original comment. Pete, the billiard world is so fragmented that it appears no one wants to do the dirty work to unify the sport here. Its like the weather. Everyone talks about it, no one does anything to change it or make it better. I've decided to "stay the course". I am still a full UPA and BCA League member. I'm going to Vegas next month for the nine ball/ten ball/team event. I've met Mark Griffin. He has gone out of his way to listen to my comments and suggestions. You'll love this one, "he feels my pain". I want to give him (BCA) an opportunity to succeed.

 

[pete lafond]

Great Game

My frustrations; Billiards is a beautiful game. No other game parallels golf in that it offers such a high level of concentration, limitless talent and individual creativity to the player. And I compare this to golf - the idol ball, great for the mental aspects. (Golfers might think of playing pool to help their golf game during the off season. The many great pool players that have tackled golf seriously have became very good golfers quickly. "Babe" Arthur Cranfield was given an opportunity to play golf professionally; he played golf evenly with the best in his day.) Getting back to the topic, the greatest players of yesterday and those today are treated no better than baseball players of earlier years. They played for the pure enjoyment and were not compensated financially. We should offer the highest regards to those players who have done the most for the game just as we do in other games and sports (I do not include bowling - child’s play by comparison). THEY NEED TO GET PAID. Three cushion billiards, 9 ball and straight pool are magnificent games. Gambling does not taint billiards, bad marketing or lack of taints billiards. Billiards needs high marketing talent. Babe Cranfield used to tell me that he would never see billiards as an accepted high profile game in his lifetime, very sad for a man of excellence. If we all accept that it just takes time and to wait on some new change - we'll simply prolong it further. You see we are to busy thinking that we need to market the game of billiards, we need to market the players. Michael Jordan became a household name. People who had never watched or played basketball new of him. Basketball gained some popularity just because of Michael and the same holds true for other players in other sports as well. Promote the players and you promote the sport. Anyway, just frustrated.

 

[sharandrew]

BCA has done a poor job in todays market to promote current tournaments or billiards.

This is not a new situation. Promotion of tournaments has been a long slow process. Twenty five years ago the same things were said that Pool/billiards people with influence needed to push the sport. Too many people have been more concered with getting their piece of the pie or notch out thier territory from those who have territory.

The BCA Trade organization has done their limited part. As have others. Now that there are other cue sport groups we will have to see what, if anything, they will do from here. Some will make it others will not. Ask yourself what are you doing to promote the sport/tournaments. 1) are you a dived and conquerer 2) looking out for yourself or are you 3) egoless and genuinely love pool. That was the way it was 25 years ago too.

 

[jjinfla]

If you go to bca-pool.com and look under marketing - press releases you will find some pretty up to date information. You missed the director's meeting in Chicago, October 27th. And there is contact info to e-mail them if you have some suggestions.

We have no BCA teams around here so I am not familiar with the BCA at all. I always considered it the next level up from the APA. Geared for the better player.

Everyone in the world would like to be on ESPN. If you have some magic way to get there I am sure the BCA would love to hear about it. Keep in mind that ESPN is in the business to make money. They televise what makes money for them. I wonder how much they made when they televised the scrabble tournament?

Now, according to the BCA press release they did get a .2 market share televising BCA finals.

Anyway, the problem with any organization of this type is that plans have to be set a year in advance. At least. So what is planned today might not be realized for many months down the road.

An organization gets an idea. Then they discuss it at a board meeting. Then they authorize a study. Then they discuss the study at a following meeting if the study is done, or postpone it to the next meeting. Then they figure out how to implement it at a following meeting. Then they put it into action. So you can see it is possible to drag out into several months before the membership sees the idea.

Jake

 

[cueman]

Has anyone thought that maybe the BCA should not be promoting tournaments at all. I am not talking about the BCA league system. I am talking about the Trade organization to which I paid my $500 per year dues for years. I am not longer a member. The reason is that the BCA does not function very well to promote the trade of billiard items. They moved the trade show to April instead of July to accomodate the spa and furniture people. Most people are still pretty busy with billiards in April, but my business could usually use a boost in the middle of summer. They put the trade show in Las Vegas almost all the time and that makes it very expensive, except for the hotel.
At one time the BCA trade show was run in a very competent way under Frank Zdy. I never had a bad show while Zdy ran it. I could get him on the phone if I had a problem. The BCA seems to be promoting itself instead of trying to improve trade. They started a tournament system that made Texas Express leave the BCA. They started a league also and therefore competing with their other members like Valley and APA. Since it is a trade organization maybe it should return to trying to unify rules and help promote the businesses of their members. Maybe sanction and kick in money to events that it's members are having instead of trying to hold their own.
Use some of the dollars for advertising of it's members big events. I don't have all the answers and can sympothize with them as I know everyone criticizes anyone who tries to do anything. Instead of putting on it's own events double the added money and sanction events like the US Open and such. Then those events would really be profitable to those particpating. If they doubled the added money to one or more events that other members were sponsoring each month that would put us back to having something that resembles a solid pro tour. That is how I think the BCA could best use it's members money. Also put the trade show back in locations and times that appeal primarily to the billiard industry.
I mainly left the BCA because my business grew to the point that I really didn't need to do the trade show, and the show had become a major hassle and expense, so I decided is was not worth it doing yearly. I figured since I was not doing the trade show my $500 membership which was required just to be allowed to pay them another $1500 or so for a booth and unloading expense, was better spent on advertising, than making a donation to a cause I really no longer whole heartedly supported.
If they put the trade show back in Louisville or Nashville and in mid summer I might rejoin.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com