Oh come on guys.
If this was still held at Valley Forge and the prices for the players to play got jacked, I might understand more.
But who knows or cares. Business is tricky.
Costs change in business all the time.
Same supplier might increase costs because they want to make more money off a product, or because it actually costs them more. Prices go up.
New Venue? How do we know that the Venue itself didn't jack prices up? Prices go up.
I remember pizza shops getting pissed because every year, at a certain time, the cows didn't "produce" as much and the price of cheese went up.
Why is it that every summer right around the time people start to take vacations, the price of gas seems to go up?
The venue had the same pricing to play for over 20 years.
Like I give a crap if prices go up a little.
Allen should just CANCEL the pro events, and stick to the leagues, and bar table events.
Then what would people bittch about?
Does it suck that the players can't make a decent living because pool sucks in America? Yes. I know pool players that have no other skill sets and this is all they know. That has to suck given the way pool has declined in the past 2 decades.
It is Hopkin's responsibility to give the players a huge handout to compensate for it? No. Absolutely not.
Just like any product, no one has to buy it.
If you don't like the price, don't spend your money, and instead, spend it on something you feel is worthwhile.
In the meantime, I will continue to support this event for all time.
It's one of the best things that ever happened to pool, and the fact that it still survives in today's pool climate, is a testament to that.
Could be worse.
It could fold, and we could all be on the internet telling war stories remembering the good old days of when the expo used to be around and how we miss it.
Big picture people.