Run Out Radio, Episode #46

cmbwsu

cmbwsu

Pool Stream Advocate
Silver Member
‎Jerry Forsyth and Mike Howerton talk to Kelly Fisher about winning the Women's World 10-Ball Championship. They also talk about TAR's latest Podcast by Justin Collett and Mark Griffin and many other topics of interest to us all!
http://runoutradio.com/
 
:-) I got mentioned on the podcast! End of the Kelly Fisher interview. They do read the forums.
 
Couple points:

1. The idea to get .25cts to a $1 a week per amateur player from league players to fund a professional tour was mine. Mark is doing it with the USA Pool League, but he is right that IF the APA did the same thing then there would be PLENTY of money to build a sustainable pro tour flush with cash. It's not supposed to be a professional player charity. The reason that it SHOULD be part of the league's business plan is because when there are consistent professional tours that are on TV and marketed properly THEN it causes MORE people to play pool.

What is a 20% increase in participation worth to the industry? To the leagues? No amateur player would miss .25cts per week but the benefit to the industry would be ENORMOUS. Then the leagues could totally dominate the amateur and pro games and make it cohesive and practically impervious to outside influence.

But as it is they are WASTING the opportunity. Except for Mark who is half-wasting it by trying to start ANOTHER league to compete with the APA. He could raise the dues on the BCA members by a .25cts a week and develop a pretty good war chest of funds to do his own pro tour and tie it into the BCA if he wanted to.

2. $50k/year to the WPBA as sponsorship is great by the APA but it's not like this is huge when spread out over many events and many players. Sterling/Fury spent more than that on the BCA EnjoyPool event in Charlotte in 2008 and that was a single event. The fact is that the APA has meddled in the board selections on the WPBA by stepping in and threatening to pull their sponsorship if Mark would be elected. They are tearing down pool and causing divides rather than building it up.

The fact of it is that we do have all we need to fix pool from the bar to the finals of the US Open. 300,000+ players who play about 30 weeks or more a year on leagues is enough to set up and run a pro tour, finance the staff, pay for marketing of the tour and the game, do a lot of grassroots stuff on the local level and really make pool something that millions of people want to do.

It's there but the leagues are too contentious to work together for the good of the game.

At least I certainly feel that the APA is. Sure they do a lot and their success can't be argued with. But we all know that pool is declining severely in the USA. So they still have the opportunity to rewrite the plan and get pool on TV every week or they can watch it die.
 
Except for Mark who is half-wasting it by trying to start ANOTHER league to compete with the APA. He could raise the dues on the BCA members by a .25cts a week and develop a pretty good war chest of funds to do his own pro tour and tie it into the BCA if he wanted to.

Hey John,

I appreciate that AZBilliards discussed our podcast and your comments also.

I cannot just change the BCAPL leagues. WE only charge a one time $15 annual membership fee. We do not get any other funds from our league members. The mechanics are just not there to collect weekly dues. (Like APA and TAP etc).

That is one reason why we started USAPL. It is a fantastic nationally handicap system that results in over 70% hill-hill matches. It is a great system AND it also provides a method of helping fund the professionl scene. (That does not mean we are writing check to players).

As stated in the podcast, one of the reasons we can support the pros is the fact we already have all of the infrastructure (like office, staff, equipment etc) in place.

I really believe it is the only long term solution for pool in the US. It will become self supporting. Eventually the pro players will have to either support what we are doing (throught their time and effort) or they will not participate is the funds created.

As always, I appreciate and welcome everyone's comments.
If anyone wants info on the USAPL (as a player or as a league manager) please contact our office 702-719-7665.

Mark Griffin
 
Such a great shame that the apa and tap, don't implement this and make the pro game sustainable. Then you could have tv coverage and they get free advertising. so you all work as one and do it for the good of the game and not to line their pockets. At the end of the day without pool, they wouldn't have any money, so put something back. Pay it forward as they say. Mark can't do it alone. Apa and tap need to do there bit also.
 
Mark Griffin said:
Except for Mark who is half-wasting it by trying to start ANOTHER league to compete with the APA. He could raise the dues on the BCA members by a .25cts a week and develop a pretty good war chest of funds to do his own pro tour and tie it into the BCA if he wanted to.

Hey John,

I appreciate that AZBilliards discussed our podcast and your comments also.

I cannot just change the BCAPL leagues. WE only charge a one time $15 annual membership fee. We do not get any other funds from our league members. The mechanics are just not there to collect weekly dues. (Like APA and TAP etc).

That is one reason why we started USAPL. It is a fantastic nationally handicap system that results in over 70% hill-hill matches. It is a great system AND it also provides a method of helping fund the professionl scene. (That does not mean we are writing check to players).

As stated in the podcast, one of the reasons we can support the pros is the fact we already have all of the infrastructure (like office, staff, equipment etc) in place.

I really believe it is the only long term solution for pool in the US. It will become self supporting. Eventually the pro players will have to either support what we are doing (throught their time and effort) or they will not participate is the funds created.

As always, I appreciate and welcome everyone's comments.
If anyone wants info on the USAPL (as a player or as a league manager) please contact our office 702-719-7665.

Mark Griffin
Click to expand...

My apologies Mark. You had told me this already and I forgot the reason why it didn't work for the BCAPL.
 
My apologies Mark. You had told me this already and I forgot the reason why it didn't work for the BCAPL.



John,

No Problem. it gave me the chance to explain it again for the benefit of others.

I still appreciate your support and the input from you.

Markg
 
Well, if I can respond to Mike's comment that "it's not in their business plan" when speaking about the APA and others I say they ought to change their business plan.

Because we have a BROAD base of amateurs with which we could build a SOLID structure for pool and grow it. We don't need any outside funding or control.
 
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