sharandrew
You're obviously in favor of independent leagues being under a national owner-operator instead of being conducted by a board of directors representing the membership. That is clear. Before the ACS began operations on June 1, they solicited start-up funds (the meeting in Vegas to which you refer was in the first half of May) and actually received commitments from some private individuals and state associations. With the great support in summer league sanction fees, the ACS was fortunate not to have to accept these offers. If you want to read some negativity into the ACS statement, I would expect you to. That appears to be the type of guy you are. As for myself, I find it to be a very positive statement that states the ACS is off to a good start. That may upset some of you naysayers out there, but I'm happy the new organization is doing well.
The next point you make with the words "ideological hypocrisy" should probably be read "go back to school so you can understand your facts better." Non-profits like the ACS are legal entities so that the passion that fuels the engine can be the first priority. Profit is the second priority. A non-profit cannot remain in business if it does not generate a profit. With a for-profit business, the profit is first priority - the passion is the second priority [and please don't let an owner brainwash you otherwise!]. The difference between ACS (a legal non-profit association) and BCA Pool Leagues (a legal "for-profit" business) is every penny of the ACS profit generated at the end of each year will be used by the elected board of directors representing the membership (elections will take place in May, 2005) to generate more benefits for the membership; the BCA Pool Leagues profit will be used according to the whims of an owner who may or may not tell you that he will ever touch a dime of the profits - depending on what mood he's in. Andrew, your statements inferred that a non-profit should not make a profit. In ACS, the peers of the membership determine how to use the profit for the good of the membership. None of the elected directors enriches themselves. By-laws ensure this process. You cannot have the same assurances with an owner (BCA Pool Leagues) - regardles of what the owner may state! "Ideological hypocrisy"? I think that statement showed naivete on your part - not hypocrisy on the ACS's part.
You support your state association. I believe it is a democratic structure governed by a board of directors elected by the membership. Hopefully, there is a balance in the state assn. bank account at the end of each year. If it's a healthy balance, hopefully, the elected directors will decide how to best use the "profit" to better benefit the overall membership. I don't think the directors are all going to reach in and take shares for their own pockets. The by-laws probably doesn't allow that. Personally, I like such a structure. As a member, I feel some empowerment in how the organization will be directed. I help to elect the officers, and I have been an officer myself. You probably like that structure too, because I know you support it. So...why would you support such a state structure, and then turn around and espouse "national owner is great, national owner is the way to go, etc. etc. - all hail the national owner?" Maybe you should go to your state association and ask them to sell it to a buyer (and don't tell the membership). ..........I think you're the one practicing "ideological hypocrisy!"
APA is a for-profit; TAP is a for-profit; BCA Pool Leagues is a for-profit.....VNEA is a non-profit. Seems a little one-sided to me. The players getting to control their own affairs is getting a bit short-changed in this scenario of amateur league systems. I'm glad the ACS is active in helping to equalize that balance. Someone standing up for the ACS on this thread seems to anger you ACS naysayers, but fortunately there are many leagues, state associations and players out there who value the ACS and the principles that allow them to have empowerment to control the direction of THEIR national organization. The members...not the owner...fully controls the ship. Personally, I like that.
As a new poster, I'm curious why so many of you choose to criticize and not post your real names. My name is Denise Nemiroff, and I'm a former league player under the old Billiard Congress of America league system (I consider BCA Pool Leagues to be a totally different entity) who is very disappointed at the trade association BCA board (not my peers) for keeping their actions to sell my national league system a secret and not informing the membership it affected until after they sold the league system. It's nice to see you and other posters on this thread seem to be thrilled with that and are working so hard to see that the trade assn. BCA's actions become successful. Wow! I wouldn't want to be with you guys on a bus with the front hanging precipitously over a cliff. One of you guys would get the bright idea to move to the front, and the rest might follow!
Denise Nemiroff