Now billiards fans are all geopolitical experts! (-:
There are almost 200 countries in the world. The Saudis are far from at the bottom. Do they meet all the standards of the West that Westerners think the rest of the world should live up to? Of course not, but they are slowly modernizing, and that is obvious to anyone paying attention. Saudi Arabia is much different now than it was 20 years ago. Just look at its budding relationship with ... Israel.
In any case, the Saudis hosting a pool tournament is not going to make me think more or less of the country. I'll just be watching the players play.
I won't be thinking, gee, the Saudis are really fine people and they have a fine government. I'll be thinking, is Gorst or Filler going to make that shot? Who's gonna win $200,000 smackeroos!
As for the money, the Saudis are going to throw money around. If it's good enough for the Premier League, it's good enough for pool in my book. Pro pool players play for peanuts and shouldn't have to. This goes a little way to rectifying it.
Can't wait to see it, too. The money in play makes the stakes higher than ever.
In any case, it's big world. Western institutions can't just ignore the rest of the world - and they don't - just because other countries don't meet our standards. Pool can't, either.
I think Matchroom should have a big event in China, too, even though I think China is much more threatening to the ways of the West.
Never been a fan of using sports to try to punish countries for their behavior. It only makes people of said countries resentful.
Let sports try to build bridges. Let politics draw the bridges up, if necessary (See: Russia).
There are almost 200 countries in the world. The Saudis are far from at the bottom. Do they meet all the standards of the West that Westerners think the rest of the world should live up to? Of course not, but they are slowly modernizing, and that is obvious to anyone paying attention. Saudi Arabia is much different now than it was 20 years ago. Just look at its budding relationship with ... Israel.
In any case, the Saudis hosting a pool tournament is not going to make me think more or less of the country. I'll just be watching the players play.
I won't be thinking, gee, the Saudis are really fine people and they have a fine government. I'll be thinking, is Gorst or Filler going to make that shot? Who's gonna win $200,000 smackeroos!
As for the money, the Saudis are going to throw money around. If it's good enough for the Premier League, it's good enough for pool in my book. Pro pool players play for peanuts and shouldn't have to. This goes a little way to rectifying it.
Can't wait to see it, too. The money in play makes the stakes higher than ever.
In any case, it's big world. Western institutions can't just ignore the rest of the world - and they don't - just because other countries don't meet our standards. Pool can't, either.
I think Matchroom should have a big event in China, too, even though I think China is much more threatening to the ways of the West.
Never been a fan of using sports to try to punish countries for their behavior. It only makes people of said countries resentful.
Let sports try to build bridges. Let politics draw the bridges up, if necessary (See: Russia).
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