Not buying the new tour.

[JAM]

Arent we just about about the only "media" covering this ???

The media I am referring to is BILLIARDS DIGEST. I don't consider "we" as the media on this forum.

JAM

 

[smokeandapancak]

The media I am referring to is BILLIARDS DIGEST. I don't consider "we" as the media on this forum.

JAM

Alls I am saying is that outside of a few other websites (that most of us belong to also) NOBODY else cares. I am willing to bet that "we" have written more lines about this tour than anyother media outlet has .

There are many many many more folks that turn to this site for "news" than do actually post. We as the active posters are the ones who report for them.

 

[JCIN]

Hi JCIN,

I missed the original announcement but let me just ask you.
What, if anything has been announced regarding the structure of the tour and its marketing plans.

Here's why I ask.
Say what you will about kt (and I can't think of a single good thing to say) but he did create a huge, albeit, short series of events that included most world reknowned pros of all ages and genders competing in the game that is most played, by far, by the American public...8 Ball.

Problem being..it just flopped big time with TV advertisers and obviously was a serious economic failure.

In addition, there are several highly prestigeous events like the Mosconi and others but again, the American TV ratings basically suck.

What new angle...perspective...structure...gimmick do these guys have in mind that would make their tour a financial success on a large scale, that others before them have not thought of??


Thanks!
Jim

All I know from talking to people I trust is that there is real money behind this deal. That alone is no guarantee of success. There are a million and one things that can and probably will happen before we know all the details.

As far as the IPT I feel it is a poor benchmark for judging a tour. It was IMO a pump and dump scheme that did not work out. There were only a few events on TV for a short time with nothing to follow if there was any interest. The shows themselves were horrible IMO. Sigel went so far overboard in his Phil Hellmuth impression that it was simply ridiculous.In order to build a following it takes sustained organized marketing that people can easily access and identify with. Easy to say hard to do.

The thing with pool IMO is you can sell it 1 of 2 ways to the mainstream. One way is to educate the viewers on the difficulty and beauty of the game when played at a high level. The other is to show the characters and action side of the game. Not to say that the 2 can't be formed into a hybrid (IMO what would really work) but it seems most efforts in the past have tried to make it a PGA knock off but without the capital to succeed.

KT is a marketing whiz but the flash and hype only get you so far. The way the shows were cut there was no continuity to the stories. Let's face it, one of the main reasons people love sports so much is the DRAMA. It is one of the few places where we really don't know the end of the story. The way to get Joe Sixpack to buy in is to sell the players stories and the DRAMA of the actual events. So far no one has been able to do that on major scale. Everyone is so worried about "being taken seriously" that they forget what draws most to the sport in the first place. It ain't look alike golfers alternating the break in race to 7, 9 ball.

Big money tournaments alone won't do it. Dressing the players up in suits and having them read canned statements won't do it. If this new entity can find the sweet spot between letting the players express their personalities and keeping things extremely proffesional and organized I think it has a chance. One thing I KNOW is that if they can't come with a viable business plan to sustain the events it will go down as a noble but futile gesture.

From what I gather they are going to play 4 seasons of 4 different games with a post season and eventual Grand Champion. The format seems rather convoluted on their site but that may just be a rough draft. There are some interesting ideas in there if you look (some goofy stuff too). I think the strongest part of their plan is to make an effort to integrate the existing league structures with their "Major League". Basically giving those who want it the path to the pro ranks and building on a base of people who already enjoy the game. Getting the people who already play the game to support the pro's before you go after the housewives is a pretty good idea in my book.

Sorry I got off into a ramble, but to answer your question. I do not know if these guys can do what they say they can. All I know is people I trust say that to dismiss this out of hand would be a mistake. We shall see.

 

[JAM]

Alls I am saying is that outside of a few other websites (that most of us belong to also) NOBODY else cares. I am willing to bet that "we" have written more lines about this tour than anyother media outlet has .

There are many many many more folks that turn to this site for "news" than do actually post. We as the active posters are the ones who report for them.

Good luck to you. I will look forward to reading all about it from the media, those who talk to the powers-that-be, because the majority of posts about this tour so far on this forum is speculation.

JAM

 

[frankwhite]

All I know from talking to people I trust is that there is real money behind this deal. That alone is no guarantee of success. There are a million and one things that can and probably will happen before we know all the details.

As far as the IPT I feel it is a poor benchmark for judging a tour. It was IMO a pump and dump scheme that did not work out. There were only a few events on TV for a short time with nothing to follow if there was any interest. The shows themselves were horrible IMO. Sigel went so far overboard in his Phil Hellmuth impression that it was simply ridiculous.In order to build a following it takes sustained organized marketing that people can easily access and identify with. Easy to say hard to do.

The thing with pool IMO is you can sell it 1 of 2 ways to the mainstream. One way is to educate the viewers on the difficulty and beauty of the game when played at a high level. The other is to show the characters and action side of the game. Not to say that the 2 can't be formed into a hybrid (IMO what would really work) but it seems most efforts in the past have tried to make it a PGA knock off but without the capital to succeed.

KT is a marketing whiz but the flash and hype only get you so far. The way the shows were cut there was no continuity to the stories. Let's face it, one of the main reasons people love sports so much is the DRAMA. It is one of the few places where we really don't know the end of the story. The way to get Joe Sixpack to buy in is to sell the players stories and the DRAMA of the actual events. So far no one has been able to do that on major scale. Everyone is so worried about "being taken seriously" that they forget what draws most to the sport in the first place. It ain't look alike golfers alternating the break in race to 7, 9 ball.

Big money tournaments alone won't do it. Dressing the players up in suits and having them read canned statements won't do it. If this new entity can find the sweet spot between letting the players express their personalities and keeping things extremely proffesional and organized I think it has a chance. One thing I KNOW is that if they can't come with a viable business plan to sustain the events it will go down as a noble but futile gesture.

From what I gather they are going to play 4 seasons of 4 different games with a post season and eventual Grand Champion. The format seems rather convoluted on their site but that may just be a rough draft. There are some interesting ideas in there if you look (some goofy stuff too). I think the strongest part of their plan is to make an effort to integrate the existing league structures with their "Major League". Basically giving those who want it the path to the pro ranks and building on a base of people who already enjoy the game. Getting the people who already play the game to support the pro's before you go after the housewives is a pretty good idea in my book.

Sorry I got off into a ramble, but to answer your question. I do not know if these guys can do what they say they can. All I know is people I trust say that to dismiss this out of hand would be a mistake. We shall see.

J, that was great!!! I agree w/ eerything you have mentioned here in this above post. The pro's and con's. Everyone has ideas, with that we should all look foward to a great change in the world of billiards.
I like to express the notion of, "Characters". Everyone has a personality, and if we let all show it during this great tourny, it will help. Like the, McCreadys, the Siegals, Stricklens(sp), ect........It would be like the old days of....."Fats", Misconi, ect........Give the public a reason to watch the "Show". Don't only push billiards, go BIG, sell it ALL. Sell all the personalities, and all the other great traits also......That would be my input. I hope all this works out, both for the players, and us at home.

Thank you all,
Frankie