First of all, I believe everybody WILL get paid. I have said all along that this pay issue is a non-issue.
Should the players unite?
For what? They have no leverage at this point. Kevin offers big money. The players show up. Kevin delivers on the pay day (we hope). The players have more money and KT can do no wrong because you don't bite the hand that feeds you.
You need to realize that players organizations have been done in the past and they have failed miserably. Organizing something now would be the same as calling a fire inspector after your building has burned down, all they could do is assess the damage and offer condolences.
Last year I said that the IPT players needed to have something in place that protects them. I offered to assist on a voluntary basis - free of charge - to advise and organize that initially. I was told to STFU, I was called a negative naysayer, a douchebag, enthusiatically negative, or whatever else some of them could dream up. That speaks volumes of the maturity level of the people involved in the massive IPT rah-rah movement. Not dealing with the existing problems within the game will eventually come back to haunt them. Money won't solve anything. It will only complicate matters. That is not being negative, that is a fact of life and they need to deal with that internally or pay the consequences.
The fact remains that there are holes in the ship. It didn't have to hit an iceberg to sink the ship, it would sink by design. Calling for a a mutiny while everybody should be trying to keep the ship from sinking will accomplish nothing but speeding up the inevitable. Is the IPT in trouble? I don't know. I don't think it is in danger of sinking right now, but I do believe that Kevin is sweating the fact that he isn't making a profit, which is why he is trying to unload it and get out of town (
just like I said he would 1 year ago in a thread I started).
Any type of a player's organization would have to be separate from the IPT, and set up to represent the players arbitrarily. It has always been my recommendation that NO PLAYERS be involved within the working of this entity. That would eliminate any and all conflicts of interest. This type of organization would work with the IPT and the players to ensure that both sides are treated fairly.
The problem is many within the IPT see this as an intrusive, offensive proposition. It is not. In fact it would strengthen the relationship between the players and the IPT, and it would also give the players a sense of security in issues regarding fines, payouts, judgment calls, and it would lead the way to establishing exemptions for HOF members, tour champions, and other issues.
Will this ever happen? I hope so. The main problem seems to be that Kevin is not receptive to having anybody tell him how to run his business. In his case, if you don't have a portfolio that rivals his own, he wants nothing to do with you and he won't listen. With an attitude like that this venture will fall by the wayside like his Mega-Memory System. That's sad, because many people have put a lot of faith in this and have dedicated their lives to seeing this thing materialize into a profitmaking venture. I contend that if a player organization was in place, the pay issue from Reno would have been addressed immediately - privately and publicly - FOR the players. It would have relieved a lot of undue stress and worry from their lives.
