Roy Steffensen said:
I have read this thread over again, and I have to admit that I am having problems getting what Elizabeth wants. As I have asked at least two times, what is your ideas of improvement?
Do you have any at all, or is it just "fun" to complain and be whining about the things that you mean are wrong? (which is that US Pro players gets too little money)
What I think Elizabeth is trying to convey -- and I may be wrong -- is that the letter which initiated this thread did not sit right with her. Then there was a great deal of colloquy about the WPA, BCA, pool players benefiting from the organization(s), et cetera.
Speaking as an American, with the player's interests in mind, I do not understand or see any evidence of benefit from the WPA in the U.S., and as far as the BCA goes, as has been stated, their interests lie with its membership, industry members, and rightfully so. There is more investment by the BCA in other pool-related activities than the so-called "professional player."
In the Philippines and many Asian countries, pool is already deemed as a sport, and as such, pool may be lucrative not only for the industry members, but for the players. Economies of scale come into the picture here too. However, I think this may be a RECENT trend, meaning within the past decade. Otherwise, why was there a Filipino Invasion?
Roy, you would know how popular pool is in Europe and England more than I. We all know that snooker had been and maybe still is quite popular in Europe and England, but pocket billiards, I am not so sure. Otherwise, why would Thorsten Hohmann, as one example of a current professional player, desire to live in America? If playing pool was lucrative in Europe, I would think -- and I may be wrong -- that it would be more feasible for a European player to hang their cue where there are the most lucrative tournaments.
Ask 100 young children who Cal Ripken, Jr., is here in America, and then ask them who Earl Strickland is. I think the majority of children would answer correctly who the baseball legend is. I don't think any of them would know who Earl Strickland is. I met a lady from the Philippines here in D.C. recently, and we engaged in conversation. I asked her if she had ever heard of Efren Reyes, and her eyes lit right up, and she did know who he was immediately.
I used to think money was the answer when it came to pool's popularity in America, but after the multi-million-dollar investment of the IPT in pool, tournaments played in exquisite venues with green rooms and excellent playing conditions, pool is the same today as it was before the IPT came to the fore. Nothing has changed, other than some pool players did get to pocket some IPT cash. Yes, I know there are more monies owed at the time of this writing, but I heard it from Francisco Bustamante's mouth that when he pocketed $80,000 in Orlando last December, it was the most money he had ever won in his pool-playing career. I think Johnny Archer stated the same thing when he received $50,000 in Orlando. Winning that kind of dough pre-IPT would require one to attend at least a dozen or more events, and then there are the expenses involved in attending the dozen or more events which can affect the profits and losses.
When Nancy Kerrigan was assaulted by Tanya Harding, ice skating elevated in status as a sport tremendously. There were many who began watching the ice skating shows on TV after this happening. I guess some folks like looking at a train wreck. Nobody I know likes watching emotionless robotic pool players. Folks do enjoy seeing a little human emotion in the game.
America has turned its back on pool. Those within the American pool culture are often pool's harshest critics, as evidenced by this thread. I think for an American player like Earl Strickland, this may seem like a travesty, but, in fact, it is the sad reality of pool in these United States.
JAM
