best post of the week.
Players not being paid at US Open
- Thread starter truefan
- Start date
NYC cue dude
Banned
"I got his personal assurance before I would go back that all players would get paid either at the event or shortly thereafter by check"
That's not what you said here.......
Actually, he can't be allowed to touch any of the funds. We've seen him operate.Someone else needs to be in charge of the funds until all debts are settled.
The problems are more complex and go far, far deeper than all of this, even from the little information that's been leaked, but Barry obviously cannot be trusted to be in charge of the money at all from day one.
What complicates matters is part of the additional funding obviously comes from revenues at his pool room. He will always be in charge of that as long as he is the owner. A trustee would be helpless unless they were in charge of all revenues including cash from Q masters. Then you have liquidated donations from sponsors, rebates, concessions and so forth. It's a lot of stuff going on financially.
Most business ventures have these complications. The solution is adequate capital or credit from principals who can afford to fund it.
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believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you see
I'm not saying that you didn't hear this or that its not true. But give me a break you "overheard" players complaining. Geez what's new because its not players complaining..... I would have to say this post is definitely unwarranted. I haven't read all 17 pages but give me a break and quit stirring the pot.
I'm not saying that you didn't hear this or that its not true. But give me a break you "overheard" players complaining. Geez what's new because its not players complaining..... I would have to say this post is definitely unwarranted. I haven't read all 17 pages but give me a break and quit stirring the pot.
Just before the tournament players have already paid entry of $750 ($1000 next year. What pipe dreams Barry has). They have paid for their transportation and other stuff. That's why he pays the first two groups out first...so no one knows he can't pay everyone until last few matches. What are the last 4 players going to do if they find out? None will walk at that point
I'm no promotor, but I'd be very suprised if anyone could break even with the Opens format and promised purse and with ki$$ from the WPA. $1000 entry fee next year...what a joke he is. Johnnyt
Post dating the checks for the beginning of November would make more sense to me than Oct 28th. Barry is probably waiting for his credit card purchases throughout the week (and month of October) to reconcile and be deposited in his account the beginning of the month. What funds he has coming in 7 days later I could only guess maybe a payment from Accu-Stats after the dust clears from all the PPV money.
His poor planning and business model of robbing Peter to pay Paul costs him countless of dollars each year. Maybe if you put money in the players pockets they might stick around and spend it in your business.
His poor planning and business model of robbing Peter to pay Paul costs him countless of dollars each year. Maybe if you put money in the players pockets they might stick around and spend it in your business.
Are you friends with any of the players on Facebook? The answer is obviously NO cause if you were you would have read all the complaints on the BB payment system.
Funding
If Barry really cares about the U.S. Open and its players he has not really shown it.
Funding should be first and foremost for this event. The players are the ones who put on the show. Without them there would be no U.S. Open.
Here is the way I see it. All players should have a guarantee that the funds are there to be collected at the end of the event.
First priority should be the players. Without them we all lose.
If Barry wants to ramble on after the event in a drunken stupor let him ramble. As long as the players have their prize winning they can just walk away.
But if this turns out to be "the checks in the mail" scam I can only blame the players if they continue to support this event.
If Barry really cares about the U.S. Open and its players he has not really shown it.
Funding should be first and foremost for this event. The players are the ones who put on the show. Without them there would be no U.S. Open.
Here is the way I see it. All players should have a guarantee that the funds are there to be collected at the end of the event.
First priority should be the players. Without them we all lose.
If Barry wants to ramble on after the event in a drunken stupor let him ramble. As long as the players have their prize winning they can just walk away.
But if this turns out to be "the checks in the mail" scam I can only blame the players if they continue to support this event.
That's nice but for some of the foreign players it is a requirement of the IRS that he either withhold taxes or submit a 1099 with the player's TIN (taxpayer ID number). If he fails to do this, he is responsible for paying the taxes on the winnings and is subject to fines an penalties. He also needs to generate 1099s for all the other winners.
Of course, he is free to bulk up the foreign players' payments so that he pays them the full amount listed and also pays the required withholding. On a $1000 prize payment to a foreigner (who does not have a TIN), he would have to pay the IRS $428.57. I organized a tournament where I was required to do that for the foreign players -- it was an unexpected expense.
Weren't you aware of the tax requirements, Jay?
I am not, there is another thread with video of the said person stiffing the players. If I could retract my statement I would.
With that being said, if I was going to call someone out it would have verifiable proof and references before slandering. Facebook posts could be used as a reference and the OP had neither, just a hear say of sorts.
Very touchy subject, again I wish I could retract what I said in light of new evidence.
This is really sad. The players are the only ones who can make a difference and they need to stand up together to get something changed. It wouldn't be the US Open if they didn't show, especially the top players who everyone wants to see. It's not much of a title to have unless you've played and beaten the best around. Who cares if you won when all of the big dogs aren't there. Imagine how long the thread would be on the controversy of that result.... Is there any way to get this money to be held securely where Barry can't dictate when it's paid out or if? If he won't agree to something like that then I think everyone will know that this will never change and there's your answer. And it sucks.
As long as they have enough money to fly to Qatar and China and enjoy fancy buffets, they're happy as clams. What they do for their sanctioning fee is beyond me. It is a waste of money to be sanctinoed by the WPA. Why should starving pool players around the world pay for these WPA members who are treated like royalty at pool venus? The sanctioning fee is coming out of the pool player's entry fee. Make no mistake about that one. Just doesn't make one bit of sense.
I hear all of you loud and clear. Once again, to the best of my knowledge the bottom two thirds of the field from 17th thru 48th has been paid in full already. If this is not the case I would like to hear about it. I personally saw Roberta handing money to many of these players. It was all cash with zero deductions!
As for the higher finishers (1st thru 16th), most of them received checks (a few may have gotten cash as well) that were dated Oct. 28, a little more than one week out. A few of the top finishers (1st, 2nd and 3rd) received more than one check. They were dated one to two and three weeks out. If all these checks clear on time then this discussion becomes a moot point. If they don't clear I will be in agreement with all of you.
I do know that all players in the last two U.S. Opens have been paid in full in a timely matter, thanks in part to the intervention of Johnny Archer. This is Barry's opportunity to make good on his own. As I told him on Sunday, if he fails to make good on the checks then his event is in serious jeopardy, as most players will not return. This will also be the case if they bounce and he makes good at a later date. That would also be unacceptable in my eyes as well.
The difference this year then in past years is that two thirds of the field has already been paid in full and the remaining third walked away check in hand. If they ALL clear, then no harm no foul in my book. This is probably Barry's last chance to save his tournament. I know it's my final go round if he does not keep his promise. I got his personal assurance before I would go back that all players would get paid either at the event or shortly thereafter by check. Like you, I hope this is the case and we don't hear about checks bouncing. I know there is a lot of money coming due on Oct. 28, so that is the key date in my mind.
I know that I am giving Barry the benefit of the doubt here, but I for one would like to see the U.S. Open continue. It is the premier pool event in our country right now. In business I've learned to separate personalities from performance. There are some very eccentric characters who are astute businessmen. Take Donald Sterling for instance or Donald Trump. Some of the stuff they say and do defies description, since it's just so stupid. But yet they are very successful at what they do. Barry happens to own and run one of the most successful poolrooms in America and I can't think that's an accident.
Look this is a guy who thought it was funny for us to put on a pseudo boxing match prior to the start of the tournament. Part of me wished that there were no balloon-like gloves and maybe some eight ouncers to spar with. My father was a lightweight champion (132 pounds) in college at Buffalo U. and he taught me how to defend myself when I was a kid. I'm not a stranger to boxing. But after it was all over I realized that this is Barry's humor, to poke fun at himself and all his own foibles. So I took it in stride and went about my business. On the first day of the tournament someone opened a door quickly that hit me in the head, opening a deep gash above my eye. It took some doing just to staunch the flow of blood and I wore a bandage all week. It looks like there will be a small scar there forever. Maybe I should get a purple heart for this one. Barry delighted in telling everyone that he did this to me and I went along with it. It was our standing joke all week.
I hope for Barry's sake that he gets it right this time and everyone is satisfied sooner rather than later. I'd hate to see the U.S. Open go away.
P.S. Yes, I got paid in cash just before I left on Sunday. But my pay was somewhere down in the middle of the field range. I may have earned about $25-30 an hour for this gig!
Good job, Jay. I think folks can wait until until end Oct before passing judgement
BTW, you pulled punches in that match you won by TKO
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10205137720748377
If it were any of other players, I think they would be pulling punches
Excuse me Bob, I'm not the one making the payouts here.
Actually it is exactly what I said.
Good job, Jay. I think folks can wait until until end Oct before passing judgement
BTW, you pulled punches in that match you won by TKO
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10205137720748377
If it were any of other players, I think they would be pulling punches
Jay's got some boxing moves. Looks like he knows how to box. Pretty impressive. Barry is punching like a "girl." :grin:
Good job, Jay. I think folks can wait until until end Oct before passing judgement
BTW, you pulled punches in that match you won by TKO
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10205137720748377
If it were any of other players, I think they would be pulling punches
The gnome sounds like Elmer Fudd.