Rodney said:
I think we have a record for new poster's in a single thread
.
It is a childish thing for people to make posts of such nature on a different board about unrelated matters, for no good reason than politics are different.
In the UK, we play mostly
blackball more commonly known as English pool or English 8 ball. In the UK there are two distinct codes based loosely around rules sets but really about geographical locations. People in England play World Rules and the rest of the UK play the WPA black ball rules. I am a promotor, sponsor, backer, philanthropist on one side and these people come from the other side.
You have players from both sides playing in the US. For example. Darren Appleton, Mick Hill, Rob McKenna etc are from one, Lee Tucker, Jason Shaw, Ben Davies etc are from the other. There is little to choose betweeen them talent wise. It's a tribal/political thing really.
Of those that have posted, one is all bitter and twisted and a slightly mad, yet intelligent nobody pool player who posts rather well, the other is a legendary player (a true gent and a hero of mine I have to say) now in his twighlight years - probably more bitter than most that I "changed sides" and backed the underdog who, under the influence of the WPA, are in resurgence while the other half is fading.
A player I have backed a few times himself actually.
It's a shame it has now spread to your site but rest assured you will not see me lower myself to such trivial and meaningless behaviour.
The IPT is indeed the best thing that has ever happened to pool of any discipline. To suggest otherwise is madness. Many pool related businesses have also seen benefits to this tour existing, ourselves included.
Additionally, the profile of the sport is up, tournament attendance is up - though in another discipline, which could prove near the final nail for a very minor discipline like our own.
I, like many others, that know a little about media sales in the sport, how the tv industry works, how advertising/sponsorship works, how revenue can be obtained etc, saw dangers in the overall business model and have voiced accordingly - that is not the same as wishing to see the tournament fail.
Far from it and the opposite applies. Our business interests are best served by better recognition of the sport.
The success of this tour stands ONLY on the goodwill of Tredeau, make no mistake. Lets hope that lasts a little longer. He is undoubtedly the Abramovich of pool - and that goodwill is all that is holding this together.
Perhaps he thought media sales were going to be greater? It is certainly well known that the conditions that were put on early sposnorship offerings were bordering on the ludicrous. $1m dollars and a revenue share of 10% gross of WORLDWIDE sales - was what was being asked of the cloth sponsors early in this tours life. Anyone that knows anything knows that amounts like this are completely ridiculous. We know this because this is what was asked of one of our partners.
Guess whether that deal was achieved or not?
Connections within Eurosport tell us that Eurosport have not paid for any tv coverage. I have no knowledge of the value of US tv deals.
If the business model requires sposnorship sales of that size AND the sale of tv rights, then it is certainly far far under target.
Perhaps this is why the change of formula to qualifiers?
If he has gone off the whole idea and is looking for a way out, then unfortunately, the writing is on the wall.
