CanadianGuy
Well-known member
best news of the year
WPA is a corrupt and horrible organization
WPA is a corrupt and horrible organization
Matchroom dumps WPA!
- Thread starter mista335
- Start date
Except that Matchroom is even worse in those departments. The WPA takes the cake in the incompetence department.
Your right...but go ask the UFC? The WPA has been so ineffective for so long that they did it to themselves.
You are right, the WPA always prioritized getting their sanctioning fees over doing what was right, and they also allowed themselves to get pushed around so much and for so long that they became seen as so much of a joke that the chances that the industry is now going to coalesce behind them in any meaningful manner are almost zero, especially when the opposition is an 800 pound gorilla willing to pour large amounts of money into pool and the future finally starting to look optimistic from that respect. And why on earth would they when the WPA was never willing to stand for them when it was warranted?
The WPA even had a chance in the past year when it might not have been too late (but probably already was) to hold their ground and not be willing to sanction Matchroom's events that were scheduled on top of other people's events that had already secured their "guaranteed reserved" spots on the WPA calendar, but at that point they hadn't yet grown a pair and/or learned to prioritize ethics over getting a few bucks. And they still haven't, they just finally see the writing on the wall of how irrelevant they are and that this was their last chance for a hail mary in an attempt to keep from going extinct. Whatever chance they had a year ago, at this point Matchroom is too much more invested in pool, and has too much more public support behind them to ever consider backing down to the WPA. They can for sure now get away with telling the WPA to go jump off a cliff, and they just did.
Yep, the WPA did it to themselves through decades of lack of ethics paired with the most incompetent leadership and decision making imaginable, but that doesn't in any way excuse Matchroom for their own misdeeds in their quest to have all the power and prevent anybody else from even attempting to compete.
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As someone who owns multiple businesses, there is a difference between what you describe & the BS Matchroom does. So you can sit your goofy ass down
Beggars can't be choosers.
Pool is in the gutter and anything at this point is better. I was excited about the IPT back in the day even though I was skeptical about the ownership and the amount of money, the point being -- when someone comes around to try to get pool back on its feet, you gotta take it and work with them, even if not ideal in some ways.
People crying about formats, rules, this and that are clueless. Do they not remember the absurd formats and nonsense attempted in the past on ESPN to try to gain TV interest? In other words, they put up with that for a chance, I don't see why anything Matchroom does is controversial.
Pool is in the gutter and anything at this point is better. I was excited about the IPT back in the day even though I was skeptical about the ownership and the amount of money, the point being -- when someone comes around to try to get pool back on its feet, you gotta take it and work with them, even if not ideal in some ways.
People crying about formats, rules, this and that are clueless. Do they not remember the absurd formats and nonsense attempted in the past on ESPN to try to gain TV interest? In other words, they put up with that for a chance, I don't see why anything Matchroom does is controversial.
The IPT did the same thing when it was in full force, not agreeing to pay sanctioning fees to WPA.
I admire Barry Hearn. I'm reading his book now, but I already knew a whole lot about him. I wish he was still in the driver's seat for pool, but alas, he's 75 and semi-retired. However, it looks like he still makes the executive decisions for the sport. Yay! Long live Barry Hearn.
I admire Barry Hearn. I'm reading his book now, but I already knew a whole lot about him. I wish he was still in the driver's seat for pool, but alas, he's 75 and semi-retired. However, it looks like he still makes the executive decisions for the sport. Yay! Long live Barry Hearn.
As an aside, I was told by a Washington, D.C., pool aficionado many years ago that ESPN came to the Capital City Classic in Maryland to film for a segment. Nick Varner was playing one-pocket, and I can't remember who his opponent was. During the middle of the match, the camera crew packed up and left, stating words to the effect that this kind of video footage is just not exciting enough for TV. And they left. The footage never made the air.
But what about getting pool into the Olympics? 
I think that ship sailed a long time ago. Some folks refused to give up, but I think that hope is dead in the water now. With Barry Hearn's vision, I'm not interested in pool at the Olympics Games anymore. WPA had their chance, and they fumbled the ball over and over and over again as they traveled the world to various events on sanctioning fees paid by pool promoters for their blessing.But what about getting pool into the Olympics?
I will never, ever forget the recent World Games in Birmingham, how pool was showcased. It was a disgrace having non-pool players and those with no pool expertise commentating pool and snooker matches. What a joke! WPA was there, though, enjoying the festivities.
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DCC, the international and the eurotour are part of the matchroom-forged nineball rankings. but the predator events are very likely at risk for scheduling conflicts. so i don't see how this is good news.
the players have benefitted from there being a predator event in austria in close proximity to the MR european open, and a predator event in michigan some weeks before the US open, etc. whatever one thinks about the WPA there is no other governing body to safeguard these matters
Two problems. First, Matchroom doesn't give three sh!ts about anybody else but Matchroom and are going to do whatever they please regardless of how it affects anybody else and regardless of what the WPA or anybody else says about it. In fact, they would highly prefer to see all pool outside of Matchroom events fail and go away. They could care less that it wouldn't be good for the sport, the players, or the fans.
Second, there already wasn't a governing body to safeguard that matter because the WPA had already stopped protecting the schedule even though it was one of their core missions. So even if the WPA disappears tomorrow nothing really changes in that regard as it wasn't being protected before and still won't be being protected after. It is unfortunate that that is the way it was but they just didn't have the ethics and backbone to stand by their sworn duties when it came crunch time. Admittedly they were facing the 800 pound gorilla, but that is still no excuse, you have to do what you swore to do and what was the very purpose of your existence to begin with and then deal with whatever the fallout is as best you can otherwise and if you can't do that you literally serve no purpose at all.
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Matchroom is investing in pool
Predator is investing in pool
WPA has been and continues to be a drag on pool
out with the old, in with the new
After the way the WPA treated Fedor fuck them. He is a fucking kid who worked his ass off to be a top level player. To punish him because of where he was born is ridiculous. What he has achieved in his time is incredible. A talent like his should be celebrated, not punished.
How are Matchroom corrupt? I am not disagreeing, I am just not aware of them doing anything corrupt.
In the podcast posted by the OP, I recall that Barry Hearn recognized the need to work with other promoters. If Matchroom seeks to dominate and overpower competitors that could be a disaster for the sport. I guess we have to wait and see and hope for the best.
Matchroom is smart. They need the other tours to do their heavy lifting, at least for now. There may come a time when they even sanction other tours, or squash them. It would be foolish of them to do it now. Maybe they will schedule on top of other events here and there just to send the message that they are the top dog. In the meantime, let's hope the other events continue on their path.
''Where the rubber meets the road'' as I seed/see it.
Finally.
B.H. did not create events, change others lives, ''just for the money''.
His motive is the social animal, real life and those ''in the niche'' of life, that's what gets Barry going.
This move Could change Ian Anderson, the WPA boards viewpoints and the Sport.
The Don Mackey thinking, and the Barry Hearns thinking are Not one in the same.
Finally.
B.H. did not create events, change others lives, ''just for the money''.
His motive is the social animal, real life and those ''in the niche'' of life, that's what gets Barry going.
This move Could change Ian Anderson, the WPA boards viewpoints and the Sport.
The Don Mackey thinking, and the Barry Hearns thinking are Not one in the same.
My understanding is that they are working with other tours and promoters to fold them into their initiative so it’s not like their rankings are just Matchroom tournaments.
If we are being totally frank here, if pool is to find any success there needs to be a centralized organization and tour. There aren’t competing snooker tours or bowling tours. And up until recently there wasn’t competing Golf tours. For pool to be successful the Wild West era of the game needs to end and there needs to be more focus and centralization.
If we are being totally frank here, if pool is to find any success there needs to be a centralized organization and tour. There aren’t competing snooker tours or bowling tours. And up until recently there wasn’t competing Golf tours. For pool to be successful the Wild West era of the game needs to end and there needs to be more focus and centralization.
It's their business. They can run it however they want.... without any input from anyone on a billiard forum.
If you're such the expert, Put your application in with Matchroom. It sounds like you can run it better.