Sarah Rousey comments on the Women's Worlds

If I recall correctly, Charlie Williams protested the promoters decision to cut back the payouts because of very poor turnout at the US Open 9 ball event the week of the terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept 11th 2001.
Charlie told the players that if they joined the UPA they could expect players representing them and demanding monies be put in escrow so payments would be made in full. A players organization formed because the players were unhappy with the promoters decisions.

Ring a bell?
 
Good job CW

Sarah is the bomb! She has always played well and not been afraid to speak up. Glad someone did. Maybe CW is too busy trying to sneak into women's hotel rooms naked to care about putting on a quality tourney.

Too bad
 
catscradle said:
Joey from reading the blog I get the impression she did speak out in private, but all she got for it was a snide wisecrack.
Click to expand...

Coal miners had to form a union (and some were killed for doing so) in order to get safer working conditions after suffering at the hands of corrupt mine owners for decades. Rosa Parks spent her whole life with no one that could do anything, caring that she was treated as a 2nd class citizen so she finally stood up for herself (and riots were started).

Extreme examples I know but they still prove the point. In order to right the wrong things, people have to speak up. Sometimes speaking up to the person/people in charge will only get people more grief so they must get louder in order to right the wrong.
 
I understand why Sarah made her concerns public. It is extremely difficult to stand up and speak for what you think is RIGHT, because its not always the popular thing to do. It makes people uncomfortable.
I admire her strenghth to step forward and speak her mind(btw, she has every right to do so) in regards to this tournament, and how it is being handled.
Good Luck Sarah :)
 
Last edited:
catscradle said:
Sarah is top shelf IMO. There are probably a lot more women players there thinking the same thing, but afraid to speak out. I'm proud to know her, the little lady has some balls (metaphorically speaking of course:)).
Things probably won't change, but they definitely won't unless people like Sarah speak out. Good show Sarah.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Sarah's tops in my books.
 
Quality of play

JB Cases said:
They should have turned down the opportunity because they are not good enough to be there.

If Shannele and Zarah allow themselves to made into objects then they are complicit. They know that they don't have the skill to shine Allison's shoes in pool and yet they allow themselves to be put on TV as if they have any chance in the world of winning this event.

This might set women's pool back a hundred years. I am sure there are twenty women in Taiwan and China who would swim a river of crap to play some of the women in this event for as much money as they beg, borrow or steal.

I know one unknown in Xiamen China where I play that I will let her give Shannelle and Zarah and Kim the 7 out and the breaks for as much as they can stack up. And after she is done with them then the window is open for Yu Ram as well - we will snap off CHarlie's harem in one night.

Embarassing. Truly embarassing.
Click to expand...

You can not throw Kim into the same category as Shannelle and Zarah. Her level of play is much higher. She is 2-2 so far with one loss at 5-4 and a loss to Allison at 5-1. It was her first televised match and she did show the nerves a little. She is very capable of running racks of ten ball. I have been on the losing end of those games more than once. She has game.
 
JOLLEYONE said:
You can not throw Kim into the same category as Shannelle and Zarah. Her level of play is much higher. She is 2-2 so far with one loss at 5-4 and a loss to Allison at 5-1. It was her first televised match and she did show the nerves a little. She is very capable of running racks of ten ball. I have been on the losing end of those games more than once. She has game.
Click to expand...

Who is Kim? Johnnyt
 
JOLLEYONE said:
You can not throw Kim into the same category as Shannelle and Zarah. Her level of play is much higher. She is 2-2 so far with one loss at 5-4 and a loss to Allison at 5-1. It was her first televised match and she did show the nerves a little. She is very capable of running racks of ten ball. I have been on the losing end of those games more than once. She has game.
Click to expand...


Yes, I agree!!! She has game.:)
 
Outrageous

Any sport,game,contest that presents itself as something it is not loses legitimacy."BIG Time Wrestling".If the womens pro tennis tour allowed this to happen the whole county would be outraged.

I am no womens rights activist but I do like to see the womens game improve as it has greatly since I have been paying attention.

Just like most men I like to see attractive women as often as possible.As a pool player and fan of the game I enjoy watching pool played at a high level.I would not waste 30 seconds watching two good looking women play bad pool on TV (this is an egzaderation,I am sure all the players are at least very good pool players).

There is nothing wrong with promoting the more attractive contestants but to name an event a "World Championship" with no intention of holding such is a dispicable lie that can only serve to undermine the games credibilty.
 
Zarah

If anyone reading Sarah's comments wonders who is this Zarah from Chicago who was featured on the TV table so much, she is shown below. The pic is from the recent Predator school in Chicago with instructors CW, Bustamante and Immonen. The article I took the pic from is:

http://www.generationpool.com/generation-pool-news.php?action=detail&newsID=75

Edit: I'd like to add that I feel sorry for her, as does Sarah. Reading between the lines, I imagine she was talked into competing because she is beautiful rather than for her ability. I hope one day her skill will qualify her to play at this level because she obviously wants to learn.

zarah.jpg
 
Last edited:
You are correct that anyone can call their event a World Championship. But getting WPA sanctioning is a little tougher.

There were qualifications that the event had to meet in order to obtain that sanctioning.

Mike

JoeyA said:
An even playing field? It only exist in the minds of the people that agree on what is a even playing field.

What prevents ANYONE from calling their tournaments a World Championship? NOTHING.

There is no penalty for calling a pool event a World Championship, just like there is no penalty for calling yourself a world champion.

It's all well and good that ideally we would like to have a high caliber pool event for it to be considered a World Championship. It's a Catch Two situation. There isn't enough money in pool to mandate what constitutes a World Championship, so promoters will do what they think needs to be done to have one.

For those who can do a better job than CW or DP, I say go for it. I'll be singing their praises night and day.

JoeyA
Click to expand...
 
JoeyA said:
Maybe you're right. Maybe the forum's constant denigration of CW and DP will make something positive happen. I personally doubt it.

Sarah has a right to complain about the tournament (it sounds like it isn't going well for her and her complaints are being amplified by others) and apparently she is well aware of the ramifications that are involved with being critical about the promoters and is set to pay the price. If I were in her shoes, I would be complaining loudly, with respect, but in private and only to the people who make the decisions to change the way things are done. That's all I'm saying.

The forum members can complain all they want. I'd like to know what it accompishes?

If it's just a healthy exercise in freedom of speech, I'm all for it.

If it is just to vent without regard, to the detriment of our sport, I'm against it.

JoeyA
Click to expand...


JoeyA-

I would agree with CatsCradle that I also got the impression that Sarah spoke out in private and didn't get a response or a logical one that made sense.

I am not sure if you know Sarah but I do. Not saying that we are great friends but I have spent time talking to her and consider her a friend/acquaintance. I can let you know that is a very smart women and understands both how the internet works when it comes to putting your word out there and how her life as a professional pool player can impact her life. She would have known what type of response her blog would create. She has said things to me in private that I know she has bitten her tongue about in public. Sometimes it makes sense to do so. Sometimes it doesn't. Sounds like she has made a decision that unless things change with DP/CW, she wouldn't want to be apart of anything future. I commend her for that. Again, Sarah is someone that has spent her entire life devoted to pool and getting herself to the status in the pool world that she has today. Just think how you would feel if you were her and then you got this 'World Tournament' occurences for all your hard work. How disappointing. Summing it up - IT SUCKS.

And all this was done by CW, not a KT or someone outside of pool. CW has played in enough tournaments and been around pool far too long to not realize what he 'created' for this tournament and how it would be accepted by the majority of the players.

In regards to the forum's constant denigration of CW and DP will make something positive happen - it would be nice if the poster DP would reply to a question or post once out of five times that it comes up. Some are legitimate questions. Secondly, on the CW issue - again, I have stated, if I was CW and those accusations were made against me, the person making them against me would have a lawsuit filed for slander/libel so fast their head would spin. Nothing is usually accomplished with a flame war on the internet so I don't damn CW for not responding on that issue here, but in the courts I would think something would be done.
 
My first thought was when reading this was wow before long woman's pool will be fixed much like wrestling . Then I realized that this event sounds as if it was fixed if you start leaving off some of the best woman players for any reason other then ability and character then you are fixing the field for a lesser player to win the event.

I was watching Sarah play in a 9 ball tourny on ESPN late last night . I think she does herself a disservice she is a attractive woman who shoots a good game. And after reading her blog you can't help but to respect her even more for not being afraid to stand up for what she believes in. The playing conditions were terrible , the tables sound as if they were a joke . No lighting the field was selected baised on how attractive the players looked. picking refs out of the crowd and putting them on the tv table . The list goes on and on and they are legit beefs. A players meeting where the public was allowed into and complaints were brought to the front then and they were laughed at. If they are going to laugh at you when you try to talk to them how can you be knocked for taking it public?

CW and DP can surly be a asset to this game of pool but not by hosting events in this manner. I hope somehow they wake up and do things the way they should be done . I applaud Sarah for coming forward with this and she has certainly earned my respect not only as a player but also as a person ...

Well done Sarah...
 
Well said

The King said:
My first thought was when reading this was wow before long woman's pool will be fixed much like wrestling . Then I realized that this event sounds as if it was fixed if you start leaving off some of the best woman players for any reason other then ability and character then you are fixing the field for a lesser player to win the event.

I was watching Sarah play in a 9 ball tourny on ESPN late last night . I think she does herself a disservice she is a attractive woman who shoots a good game. And after reading her blog you can't help but to respect her even more for not being afraid to stand up for what she believes in. The playing conditions were terrible , the tables sound as if they were a joke . No lighting the field was selected baised on how attractive the players looked. picking refs out of the crowd and putting them on the tv table . The list goes on and on and they are legit beefs. A players meeting where the public was allowed into and complaints were brought to the front then and they were laughed at. If they are going to laugh at you when you try to talk to them how can you be knocked for taking it public?

CW and DP can surly be a asset to this game of pool but not by hosting events in this manner. I hope somehow they wake up and do things the way they should be done . I applaud Sarah for coming forward with this and she has certainly earned my respect not only as a player but also as a person ...

Well done Sarah...
Click to expand...




Well said I agree completely.:thumbup:
 
Nice job Sarah.

Sarah is a personal friend who I have known for over 10 years. Sarah has completely devoted her life to pool, and sacrificed quite a bit in doing so. It appears that she has decided to be the spokesperson for the players in attendance in the Woman's 10 ball World Championship, and I applaud her for that. The little Sarah of 10 years ago would have never said a word. But, after paying her dues, and putting blood, sweat, and tears into the sport, she has finally decided to let her voice be heard, and why shouldn't she? Sarah is not stupid, and she obviously is very disappointed after traveling so far and looking forward to this experience. It really sucks that DP would put this much publicity into something and do it so half a$$ed. CW is a pool player and should have known that all of the faults (sounds like there are several) of this tournament would be broadcast. It seems like there are more problems with his tournaments than any other tournament promoter. I hope that he learns from this, but unfortunately it is probably too late. I feel bad for the girls that scraped together all they could to make this voyage, only to discover they were going to play under these conditions (no lights on over tables, no practice, sun glare, wtf?) as they are completely embarrassing for anybody that has their name tied to DP and this World 10 ball championship.

Sarah, again, I'm sorry this turned out so bad and for the disappointment you and the others feel. Make the best of it and kudos to you for standing up for something. I'm proud!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top