GAG order on WPBA players?!?!

I guess I will test the waters. I haven't heard anything about this but other players had mentioned that they had been told not to discuss anything. Considering I have been one of the more out-spoken, big mouth players I am surprised that I wouldn't get a warning in advance. I have been pretty quiet lately though!

Maybe John can shed some light. He has been an active member of the forum for quite some time.

As for me, I'm not sure what will happen if I get a warning. Posting on this forum and blogging has helped me get where I am today, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. That would make it very hard for me to give up participating in conversations. I believe that all of the pros that do come to the forum have a lot to offer and I hope that is something that will not be limited or restricted in anyway.

For now, the best and only thing we can do is be hopeful for the future. I have confidence that things will work out and things will change in time. All we can do is wait!

Sarah

PS: There was some type of power outage in the casino in case you were wondering why the pro-am was cut short.
 
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sarahrousey said:
I guess I will test the waters. I haven't heard anything about this but other players had mentioned that they had been told not to discuss anything. Considering I have been one of the more out-spoken, big mouth players I am surprised that I wouldn't get a warning in advance. I have been pretty quiet lately though!

Maybe John can shed some light. He has been an active member of the forum for quite some time.

As for me, I'm not sure what will happen if I get a warning. Posting on this forum and blogging has helped me get where I am today, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. That would make it very hard for me to give up participating in conversations. I believe that all of the pros that do come to the forum have a lot to offer and I hope that is something that will not be limited or restricted in anyway.

For now, the best and only thing we can do is be hopeful for the future. I have confidence that things will work out and things will change in time. All we can do is wait!

Sarah

PS: There was some type of power outage in the casino in case you were wondering why the pro-am was cut short.
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You da man SARAR!!!!

Ho <-- you know what I mean :grin:
 
sarahrousey said:
I guess I will test the waters. I haven't heard anything about this but other players had mentioned that they had been told not to discuss anything. Considering I have been one of the more out-spoken, big mouth players I am surprised that I wouldn't get a warning in advance. I have been pretty quiet lately though!

Maybe John can shed some light. He has been an active member of the forum for quite some time.

As for me, I'm not sure what will happen if I get a warning. Posting on this forum and blogging has helped me get where I am today, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. That would make it very hard for me to give up participating in conversations. I believe that all of the pros that do come to the forum have a lot to offer and I hope that is something that will not be limited or restricted in anyway.

For now, the best and only thing we can do is be hopeful for the future. I have confidence that things will work out and things will change in time. All we can do is wait!

Sarah

PS: There was some type of power outage in the casino in case you were wondering why the pro-am was cut short.
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Hey Sarah, thanks for coming on, were the players told not to speak to anyone considering the inside of the WPBA or not speak to an media period on anything? I can understand the WPBA wanting to keep some of the new changes private and among the players involved until things are all said and done but doubt they would censor you ladies from just doing your blogging and stuff. :smile:
 
Hhhmmmmmmmmmm.

Very interesting that a WPBA member has come on and actually given this rumor some credibility.:rolleyes:

I would like to thank Sarah for braving the waters and speaking up about what she knows. Not an easy thing to do, putting yourself in a vulnerable position like this, when you don't know exactly what might happen to you.

Honestly, i really don't see how this can turn out good for J.R.
I think it is safe to say that he has some explaining to do.
It's quite ridiculous.
Even more so if it wasn't a generalized sweeping action, but instead, players were picked and chosen for silencing.
That's just not right at all.
Allowing some people to blab away, while silencing others is discriminatory in nature.
I wonder if anyone who was told not to talk, will just get fed up with it and speak out.
That would be very interesting indeed.

As for my detractors... This is typically where i spike the football and do an end zone dance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bbzHdqUUFU
 
This is the first I have seen of this thread because I have been busy traveling and practicing for the event that starts today. I post on here frequently and speak with John almost daily and have been treated with nothing but respect. I can't speak for anyone else's situation or dealings with him but that is my experience.

As for the media paying to get into the event, from my understanding of the way the casino contracts are set up, that is all the casino's decision, NOT THE WPBA. Me and Jeannie (a woman in the SD area who used to work with John at Bank of America) have been working with the casino on local promotions and releases in the pool community. We had to get approval from the casino on all correspondance with local media because in the contract they handle all of that and wanted all official releases and media coverage to come from them.

The person we had usually worked with on this recently left the casino or switched jobs or something. So just a few weeks ago this event was given to someone else in their offices to help us. It's possible that the media having to pay is just that a new person is handling it. I will check into that and see if we can get them to change it.
 
sarahrousey said:
I guess I will test the waters. I haven't heard anything about this but other players had mentioned that they had been told not to discuss anything. Considering I have been one of the more out-spoken, big mouth players I am surprised that I wouldn't get a warning in advance. I have been pretty quiet lately though!

Maybe John can shed some light. He has been an active member of the forum for quite some time.

As for me, I'm not sure what will happen if I get a warning. Posting on this forum and blogging has helped me get where I am today, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially. That would make it very hard for me to give up participating in conversations. I believe that all of the pros that do come to the forum have a lot to offer and I hope that is something that will not be limited or restricted in anyway.

For now, the best and only thing we can do is be hopeful for the future. I have confidence that things will work out and things will change in time. All we can do is wait!

Sarah

PS: There was some type of power outage in the casino in case you were wondering why the pro-am was cut short.
Click to expand...


That was so PC. J/K don't let me goat you into giving a raw and uncut opinion. Win the tournament and stop yapping with us already!!!
 
Doesn't reality usually lie somewhere inbetween "the versions"?

Thanks to Sarah and Cris for posting. You both not only write very well, but express yourself well too. If ok and if you get the time, hopefully you can get someone (John?) to expound on this speculative, controversial matter.

Good luck in the tournament!
 
Given the situation. And how there are allegations of it being true in some players cases.
I would think that the only WPBA girls that respond in this thread, are the ones who either don't know, or haven't been directly told.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone in power, has no intention of giving a statement, but instead, is just monitoring this thread to see if anyone that WAS told, dares to defy the order by posting, so that action can be taken accordingly.

Personally, i think that this is one thread that we will NOT hear a lot of WPBA responses.
Still, that in itself is very compelling.
 
deebee53 said:
You sure like stirring the pot, don't you.
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This is what Superstar does when he's not pulling wings off flies. :eek:

J/K!

Yeah, he's stirring. And surely trying to provoke responses close to the heart of the matter. I hope such a brash approach doesn't result in collateral damage. I'd hate to see Sarah, Cris and/or any other WPBA player/AZB poster get in hot water.

It seems evident to me the cards will be on the table here soon enough.
 
deebee53 said:
You sure like stirring the pot, don't you.
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The pot NEEDS to be stirred. Sorry, but this topic is too controversial to just ignore it.

Unless the girls signed away their rights to free speech in the WPBA contract, then any type of attempt on censorship as to what they can and can't say in blogs and forums that are not directly controlled by the WPBA, are absolutely ridiculous.
If i were them, i would have already contacted a lawyer to see exactly how illegal an attempt at censorship might be.
We've already seen the WPBA crack down on the girls participating in live streams that are not WPBA related, so it would be interesting to see if "media rights" is now being expanded to include the media of forums and blogs.

Given the fact that some girls might be punished for speaking up, who is going to speak for them if they themselves aren't allowed to do it?

I would think that every girl that was told to keep quiet, is stuck. If you can't open your mouth, even to criticize the power structure that tries to control you, without potentially risking your livelihood or passion in life, what are you supposed to do?
I'll tell you what i'd do, i'd wait till the next election and FIRE the people that made this possible, ESPECIALLY if they were also in charge of putting the tour together and booking venues, and failed miserably at that. Even more so if the censorship is happening as a direct result of them not wanting people talking about those failures.

Sorry, but the last thing anyone should ever accept is someone telling them what they can and can't say.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
If i were them, i would have already contacted a lawyer to see exactly how illegal an attempt at censorship might be. ...snip...

Sorry, but the last thing anyone should ever accept is someone telling them what they can and can't say.
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It's all rumor right now. So what's wrong with asking people for the facts first and WAITING before recommending each goes scurrying for an attorney?

I like your passion SS but I think you're a little trigger happy on this. The tourney starts today and you can rest assured we'll very soon know more about this.

But hey, it's a forum, and as long as you follow the rules of decorum, you can push as hard as you like.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
Sarah already came forth and confirmed that some of the other girls mentioned being "censored.", despite Sarah herself not being directly told.

It's beyond a rumor and now has some basis in truth.
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It does indeed have some credible basis now. Of what though?

If the WPBA is saying "Players are not to divulge, via any manner whatsoever, delicate inner-goings-on of the WPBA" then whoopee, this is a mountain over a mole hill.

If they're saying "Players are not to say anything pool related to anyone, nor post anything pool related on any blog, forum, or social network..." Then we have a real mountain.

I got a dollar that says the WPBA's position is more the former, not the latter. I got another dollar that says we'll know far better the WPBA's position before this weekend is out. I got yet even another dollar (I big money guy, eh?) says PCN guy better grow a beard, wear a hat and change hair color if he wants to be privy to future salacious things to blog about.

We can speculate this is censorship. But it may turn out to be a fairly standard business practice falling under the confidentiality agreement umbrella. Or it may be that the WPBA reads this, rethinks its position, and retreats a bit.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
Unless the girls signed away their rights to free speech in the WPBA contract, then any type of attempt on censorship as to what they can and can't say in blogs and forums that are not directly controlled by the WPBA, are absolutely ridiculous.
If i were them, i would have already contacted a lawyer to see exactly how illegal an attempt at censorship might be.
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I don't have a dog in this fight... but you're wrong in the above statement. This happens in the business world every single day - in fact, it's common-place. That's why you never hear about mergers, acquisitions, large divestitures, or legal situations from employees who are in the know until it's long-over. Loose mouths sink ships and have cost companies lots of money. That's why there are NDAs, gag-orders, etc. There's no such thing as freedom of speech in the corporate world.

Now, that said... I have NO idea of the players' relationship with the WPBA. I'm guessing there is language somewhere that creates somewhere of an employer/employee relationship. If your boss tells you not to talk about corporate matters with the outside because it could affect what is in the "workings," that's what you do. If there's no legal relationship between the tour and it's players, than everything I said goes out the window.

Just an FYI-
Dave


Dave
 
I'm inclined to think it's the second choice and that it is indeed a mountain.

I understand that the girls have a job to do this weekend.
But that being said, i still doubt that it will ever be discussed in great detail AT ALL, even after the S.D. event considering that by talking about it, people can potentially jeopardize themselves.

Maybe we will luck out and get a Jean Balukas type mentality who tells the board what they can go do with it, who quits pool on the spot and spills all the juicy details.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
I don't have a dog in this fight...
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No, i fully understand what you are saying.

Hence, why we have terms like "whistleblower", "informed consent", "contract", etc etc. and the reason a lawyer might be needed to clarify the law as it pertains to this case.
Can't know if it's wrong until you do the research to find out.
 
My 2 cents

Any company or organization has the right to censor its employees/members as it pertains to private & sensitive information, which I feel is the case here. However, I believe that sweeping changes are being discussed behind those closed doors and in my experience there are only 2 outcomes: extremely good and terribly bad. Given where the WPBA is now, with only the event in San Diego, the WPBA Championships, and the US Open on the schedule, I not quite sure this is the time to "shove all in". Keep the fans in the loop & they'll gladly give you the feedback you need to implement positive changes.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
The pot NEEDS to be stirred. Sorry, but this topic is too controversial to just ignore it.

Unless the girls signed away their rights to free speech in the WPBA contract, then any type of attempt on censorship as to what they can and can't say in blogs and forums that are not directly controlled by the WPBA, are absolutely ridiculous.
If i were them, i would have already contacted a lawyer to see exactly how illegal an attempt at censorship might be.
We've already seen the WPBA crack down on the girls participating in live streams that are not WPBA related, so it would be interesting to see if "media rights" is now being expanded to include the media of forums and blogs.

Given the fact that some girls might be punished for speaking up, who is going to speak for them if they themselves aren't allowed to do it?

I would think that every girl that was told to keep quiet, is stuck. If you can't open your mouth, even to criticize the power structure that tries to control you, without potentially risking your livelihood or passion in life, what are you supposed to do?
I'll tell you what i'd do, i'd wait till the next election and FIRE the people that made this possible, ESPECIALLY if they were also in charge of putting the tour together and booking venues, and failed miserably at that. Even more so if the censorship is happening as a direct result of them not wanting people talking about those failures.

Sorry, but the last thing anyone should ever accept is someone telling them what they can and can't say.
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Superstar, I'm sorry but I can't agree with you here. In fact, if you give it some thought, even you couldn't agree with you here. People have their speech limited ALL THE TIME. It's a fact of life. The WPBA is not government. It's a private organization, just like a company. Now, I know if I went around the blogs and started posting what my company planned on doing, I'd be fired on the spot. In other occupations like trading, insider discussion can not only get you fired, it can land you in jail.

If this gag order exists, the WPBA has made the determination that participating in forums/blogs is detrimental to their cause. THEIR leaders have decided that THEY, as a group, should refrain from participating in these discussions. If a person chooses to act outside of the wishes of the group, as a private organization, they have the right to expel that member. Their right to free speech, as a citizen of the United States, was always protected by the Constitution of the United States. However, their membership to the WPBA is NOT a protected right.
 
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