Let me preface my remarks by saying that I may not have all the facts, but I have enough of them to assess the current situation. Let me add that I know another thread on this subject exists already, but I feel I am taking analysis of the subject matter in a very different direction and that is why I have begun this thread.
It is a sad day for free enterprise in pro pool.
WPA has flexed its muscle and has basically said to the players “while you are doing business with our biggest competitor, you’ll be barred from doing business with us.” It is as if Pepsi said “You can’t buy Coca Cola and if you do, you can’t buy Pepsi any longer.” Most of us believe in free enterprise, but it seems pro pool has been forced by the WPA to go in a different direction.
Most of us feel that there is room on pool’s landscape for both Matchroom and the WPA, but this turf war will have some consequences. Will there be a winner in this scuffle? It is tough to say.
I think it would be foolish to presume that Matchroom Pool has the entire financial weight of Matchroom Multi-sport behind it. Nor, for that matter, would it be wise to assume that the profits from long established brands like the World Cup of Pool, the World Pool Masters and the Mosconi Cup are available for reinvestment into major new tournament productions. It is entirely up to Matchroom.
Let history be our guide. I was among very few on this forum that understood that the IPT was not backed by all the assets of Kevin Trudeau and was not surprised in the least when the IPT business venture folded in its first year, collapsing under its own weight. Good business people know when to pull the plug on any business venture, large or small and, while many were repulsed by his character, Trudeau was a good businessman. The “too big to fail” concept does not apply to professional pool.
That is how business ventures work, and Matchroom's venture into major tournament pool is a venture begun in the fairly recent past. Like any other venture, it has its own set of financial books and records, and those records will, to a great extent, dictate its business strategies.
Matchroom Pool is growing our sport in ways we have not seen in decades, and most of the fans love their new events. Matchroom has delivered fields having a quality that is unsurpassed in the game’s history. They are offering the best professional pool product we have ever seen. They are globalizing our sport in ways not previously seen, creating pro tours in new corners of the world. We hope they are here to stay.
The real question of pertinence here is “will WPA’s actions impact Matchroom Pool’s ability to turn a profit going forward?” That is to be determined. Certainly, WPA is going to reduce Matchroom’s access to some of the world’s most elite players. How that translates to the bottom line is far from clear, and if Matchroom retains a sufficient nucleus of superstar players to keep their product elite, maybe the impact will be minimal.
The worst-case scenario, it would seem, is that reduced access to the most elite players will make it harder for Matchroom to make the best TV and sponsorship deals, which could possibly make their events less profitable, or even unprofitable. In that scenario, it is at least possible that Matchroom would exit the world of major tournament production and restrict its pool business to the World Pool Masters, the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi. We would all like to think this unlikely because of Matchroom’s superb management team, but that would be to live in denial.
This is not a battle between good and evil, just a business turf war between competitors. Pool needs both WPA and Matchroom, and players need full access to all events.
For those of us who believe in free enterprise and that competition in the marketplace tends to result in a better product, however, it seems that WPA is playing what many of us call “dirty pool.”
The result might possibly be more money in pro pool. Maybe the long game is that the players make more money, but maybe WPA one day regains the monopoly it once enjoyed and returns to those times in which it had a lesser sense of urgency in growing the pro game. Time will tell.
Most of my sympathies lie with the players, who are, as a group, being abused here, but I feel sad for Matchroom, too, for they have invested heavily to bring the professional pool product to a level I haven’t seen in my 47 years as a pool fan and they must now overcome obstacles unnecessarily placed in their way.
Finally, I’d like to make a request of my AZB brethren. Let’s not ever view any players as defectors or traitors, for whatever choices they make, they remain victims denied a chance to maximize earnings in their chosen profession.
It is a sad day for free enterprise in pro pool.
WPA has flexed its muscle and has basically said to the players “while you are doing business with our biggest competitor, you’ll be barred from doing business with us.” It is as if Pepsi said “You can’t buy Coca Cola and if you do, you can’t buy Pepsi any longer.” Most of us believe in free enterprise, but it seems pro pool has been forced by the WPA to go in a different direction.
Most of us feel that there is room on pool’s landscape for both Matchroom and the WPA, but this turf war will have some consequences. Will there be a winner in this scuffle? It is tough to say.
I think it would be foolish to presume that Matchroom Pool has the entire financial weight of Matchroom Multi-sport behind it. Nor, for that matter, would it be wise to assume that the profits from long established brands like the World Cup of Pool, the World Pool Masters and the Mosconi Cup are available for reinvestment into major new tournament productions. It is entirely up to Matchroom.
Let history be our guide. I was among very few on this forum that understood that the IPT was not backed by all the assets of Kevin Trudeau and was not surprised in the least when the IPT business venture folded in its first year, collapsing under its own weight. Good business people know when to pull the plug on any business venture, large or small and, while many were repulsed by his character, Trudeau was a good businessman. The “too big to fail” concept does not apply to professional pool.
That is how business ventures work, and Matchroom's venture into major tournament pool is a venture begun in the fairly recent past. Like any other venture, it has its own set of financial books and records, and those records will, to a great extent, dictate its business strategies.
Matchroom Pool is growing our sport in ways we have not seen in decades, and most of the fans love their new events. Matchroom has delivered fields having a quality that is unsurpassed in the game’s history. They are offering the best professional pool product we have ever seen. They are globalizing our sport in ways not previously seen, creating pro tours in new corners of the world. We hope they are here to stay.
The real question of pertinence here is “will WPA’s actions impact Matchroom Pool’s ability to turn a profit going forward?” That is to be determined. Certainly, WPA is going to reduce Matchroom’s access to some of the world’s most elite players. How that translates to the bottom line is far from clear, and if Matchroom retains a sufficient nucleus of superstar players to keep their product elite, maybe the impact will be minimal.
The worst-case scenario, it would seem, is that reduced access to the most elite players will make it harder for Matchroom to make the best TV and sponsorship deals, which could possibly make their events less profitable, or even unprofitable. In that scenario, it is at least possible that Matchroom would exit the world of major tournament production and restrict its pool business to the World Pool Masters, the World Cup of Pool and the Mosconi. We would all like to think this unlikely because of Matchroom’s superb management team, but that would be to live in denial.
This is not a battle between good and evil, just a business turf war between competitors. Pool needs both WPA and Matchroom, and players need full access to all events.
For those of us who believe in free enterprise and that competition in the marketplace tends to result in a better product, however, it seems that WPA is playing what many of us call “dirty pool.”
The result might possibly be more money in pro pool. Maybe the long game is that the players make more money, but maybe WPA one day regains the monopoly it once enjoyed and returns to those times in which it had a lesser sense of urgency in growing the pro game. Time will tell.
Most of my sympathies lie with the players, who are, as a group, being abused here, but I feel sad for Matchroom, too, for they have invested heavily to bring the professional pool product to a level I haven’t seen in my 47 years as a pool fan and they must now overcome obstacles unnecessarily placed in their way.
Finally, I’d like to make a request of my AZB brethren. Let’s not ever view any players as defectors or traitors, for whatever choices they make, they remain victims denied a chance to maximize earnings in their chosen profession.
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