A smallish feathered-friend tweeted me (okay, a little birdie told me!) about some ongoing forum discussions regarding the suitability of Shane Van Boening as ‘the face of pool.’ At least, American pool.
The South Dakota Kid -- from a corporate sponsorship POV -- would be a marvelous (pre-fall) ‘Tiger.’
Of course ‘corporate sponsorship’ is, mostly, an elusive dream. So this is, mostly, a ‘what if’ observation.
Clean cut, nice looking, overcoming a major handicap, dedicated to his art, trim, a practice-demon, a champion.
The supposed knock?
One heat-of-the-moment slip in the crucible of a tense and televised tournament match during the last Derby.
If what has been alleged is accurate, Shane was wrong. Absolutely wrong.
My sense, though, is that his ‘crime’ lands on the misdemeanor -- not the felony side -- of the Scales of Justice.
Supervised parole.
A single incident -- so long as it isn’t part of a pattern of fraud -- is not an image-killer. Not for Shane, not for pool. In fact, it’s an opportunity to elevate SVB to an even loftier plateau.
Think, for a moment, Public Relations.
Back in the Dark Ages -- a few years ago -- the most successful, the most highly compensated, NYC-based PR mavens earned their loftiest fees by keeping their clients out of the media ... sheltered from the storms, away from public purview.
Their mantra was ‘contain, control and consign’ (to the dustbin of history).
The Internet, of course, changed so much of that. The Web, hand-in-hand with social media -- Facebook, Twitter, etc. -- made obfuscation ever so much more difficult.
These days, everyone and everything is more visible and more vulnerable --through forums such as this one, through YouTube, podcasts, weblogs, photo sharing -- the public venues multiply, mushroom and skyrocket.
And now that seemingly everyone has a mobile phone camera, anyone can be a paparazzo!
The SVB opportunity?
Rather than try to bob and weave away from his apparent match-mistake … embrace it. Think of a television / print / streamed / blogged / web-paged / podcasted interview. A sympathetic interlocutor. Rueful admission, remorse, redemption.
Any corporate sponsor -- should one ever emerge! -- would be ever so media-savvy, ever so PR-competent,.
Real-life example?
(Frown alert! The two below-cited individuals are merely examples of the positive results that a savvy media machine can deliver. Referencing these guys is not meant to be an expression of political opinion.)
Think back to Bill and Hillary.
Affairs. Whitewater. That tacky blue dress. Stand by your man.
Today, Bill is, arguably, the most popular politician / statesman in the land. Post Monica. Post impeachment.
Hillary is the most admired woman in the galaxy.
If the Clintons can triumph over their serial adversities, think what a corporate public relations campaign could do with mere poolhall peccadillos.
My ‘little birdie’ friend mentioned also that there have been some rather animated conversations regarding the effect of poolroom attire on possible sponsorship considerations.
(Sidebar: is it true that one commentator during the recent Alex - Scott match mentioned that a potential beverage sponsor backed away because of language ((profanity)) concerns?
(Also … who was that mumblecore announcer on that stream? Sit up and speak up!)
Back to my favorite topic -- fashion! Specifically ... the three primary arenas of clothing-consideration:
Generational -- yep, oldsters have always complained about those ‘dern worthless kids’ of today. A sort of frowny ‘get off my lawn!’ perspective. (And, yes, one of these days, I fully intend to stuff that particular complaint box with negative ballots regarding my own nieces and nephews! When they’re a little older.)
Gender -- face it, guys ... girls have style.
Success -- to me, this is the determinative factor. I not only admit, but enthusiastically champion, the creative couture of the creative classes. From rappers to art directors to performance artists … well the beat goes on. And on!
But, realistically, very few of us will ever qualify as artistic successes.
The ginormous majority of successful people will dress within the -- admittedly vague and ever-shifting -- guidelines that are at least marginally acceptable to: elders, bosses, potential bosses, clients, financiers, the opposite sex, etc.
As evidenced by:
Wall Street, where the money is.
Washington D. C., where the power is.
Silicon Valley, where the future is. (Ever been to 1 Infinite Loop? Certainly the Apple dress mode is casual and comfortable. But, also, quietly professional.)
My point? Yes, the wannabes out there can emulate rappers, hoopsters, gangstas. But most of these pretenders -- and most of us -- have a far greater chance of success in the real world with some common sense, apparel-awareness.
Sharing boardroom and bedroom wisdom is my life,
Sunny
P. S. As long as I’m aboard the Fantasy Express of Pool Possibilities, let’s add a few more names to the SVB lineup that the corporate world could, in my vividly imaginary world, promote.
Let’s start with our own version of Double-J … Jasmin and Jeanette.
Hmm … pretty clean cut, pretty wholesome, all three of them … Jasmin, Jeanette, Shane. Rather bland, outlaw-wise.
I know! Even good girls love bad boys. So ... who else can we add to the mix? Earl? Mike D.? I’m sure there are many other candidates I don’t even know about.
Niels should be up for consideration. Obvious reasons.
And Efren!
When you think about it … boy, does our little corner of the universe have the characters -- refined and rakish -- who could play well on so many mainstream platforms.
P. P. S. Ever think about the Holy Grail of pool futures -- corporate sponsorship?
The single biggest misconception (this is my personal take only!) is that it would be expensive -- from a major company’s perspective -- to ‘own’ pool.
In fact, every tour, all major tournaments -- men’s and women’s, in the Americas, in Europe, in Asia -- could be financed for a relative pittance. This includes all expenses -- broadcast, cable, streaming, travel, prize monies … soup to nuts. Including the pudding and the port.
As far as the world of pool is concerned, should any of the major outside companies be interested in taking it over (why should they be? good question!), the investment would represent barely a rounding error on ever so many corporate bottom lines.
P. P. P. S. Sorry this missive had to be so condensed. I simply ran out of time to express most of my thoughts.
Eh? What’s that?
Same to you, fella!
The South Dakota Kid -- from a corporate sponsorship POV -- would be a marvelous (pre-fall) ‘Tiger.’
Of course ‘corporate sponsorship’ is, mostly, an elusive dream. So this is, mostly, a ‘what if’ observation.
Clean cut, nice looking, overcoming a major handicap, dedicated to his art, trim, a practice-demon, a champion.
The supposed knock?
One heat-of-the-moment slip in the crucible of a tense and televised tournament match during the last Derby.
If what has been alleged is accurate, Shane was wrong. Absolutely wrong.
My sense, though, is that his ‘crime’ lands on the misdemeanor -- not the felony side -- of the Scales of Justice.
Supervised parole.
A single incident -- so long as it isn’t part of a pattern of fraud -- is not an image-killer. Not for Shane, not for pool. In fact, it’s an opportunity to elevate SVB to an even loftier plateau.
Think, for a moment, Public Relations.
Back in the Dark Ages -- a few years ago -- the most successful, the most highly compensated, NYC-based PR mavens earned their loftiest fees by keeping their clients out of the media ... sheltered from the storms, away from public purview.
Their mantra was ‘contain, control and consign’ (to the dustbin of history).
The Internet, of course, changed so much of that. The Web, hand-in-hand with social media -- Facebook, Twitter, etc. -- made obfuscation ever so much more difficult.
These days, everyone and everything is more visible and more vulnerable --through forums such as this one, through YouTube, podcasts, weblogs, photo sharing -- the public venues multiply, mushroom and skyrocket.
And now that seemingly everyone has a mobile phone camera, anyone can be a paparazzo!
The SVB opportunity?
Rather than try to bob and weave away from his apparent match-mistake … embrace it. Think of a television / print / streamed / blogged / web-paged / podcasted interview. A sympathetic interlocutor. Rueful admission, remorse, redemption.
Any corporate sponsor -- should one ever emerge! -- would be ever so media-savvy, ever so PR-competent,.
Real-life example?
(Frown alert! The two below-cited individuals are merely examples of the positive results that a savvy media machine can deliver. Referencing these guys is not meant to be an expression of political opinion.)
Think back to Bill and Hillary.
Affairs. Whitewater. That tacky blue dress. Stand by your man.
Today, Bill is, arguably, the most popular politician / statesman in the land. Post Monica. Post impeachment.
Hillary is the most admired woman in the galaxy.
If the Clintons can triumph over their serial adversities, think what a corporate public relations campaign could do with mere poolhall peccadillos.
My ‘little birdie’ friend mentioned also that there have been some rather animated conversations regarding the effect of poolroom attire on possible sponsorship considerations.
(Sidebar: is it true that one commentator during the recent Alex - Scott match mentioned that a potential beverage sponsor backed away because of language ((profanity)) concerns?
(Also … who was that mumblecore announcer on that stream? Sit up and speak up!)
Back to my favorite topic -- fashion! Specifically ... the three primary arenas of clothing-consideration:
Generational -- yep, oldsters have always complained about those ‘dern worthless kids’ of today. A sort of frowny ‘get off my lawn!’ perspective. (And, yes, one of these days, I fully intend to stuff that particular complaint box with negative ballots regarding my own nieces and nephews! When they’re a little older.)
Gender -- face it, guys ... girls have style.
Success -- to me, this is the determinative factor. I not only admit, but enthusiastically champion, the creative couture of the creative classes. From rappers to art directors to performance artists … well the beat goes on. And on!
But, realistically, very few of us will ever qualify as artistic successes.
The ginormous majority of successful people will dress within the -- admittedly vague and ever-shifting -- guidelines that are at least marginally acceptable to: elders, bosses, potential bosses, clients, financiers, the opposite sex, etc.
As evidenced by:
Wall Street, where the money is.
Washington D. C., where the power is.
Silicon Valley, where the future is. (Ever been to 1 Infinite Loop? Certainly the Apple dress mode is casual and comfortable. But, also, quietly professional.)
My point? Yes, the wannabes out there can emulate rappers, hoopsters, gangstas. But most of these pretenders -- and most of us -- have a far greater chance of success in the real world with some common sense, apparel-awareness.
Sharing boardroom and bedroom wisdom is my life,
Sunny
P. S. As long as I’m aboard the Fantasy Express of Pool Possibilities, let’s add a few more names to the SVB lineup that the corporate world could, in my vividly imaginary world, promote.
Let’s start with our own version of Double-J … Jasmin and Jeanette.
Hmm … pretty clean cut, pretty wholesome, all three of them … Jasmin, Jeanette, Shane. Rather bland, outlaw-wise.
I know! Even good girls love bad boys. So ... who else can we add to the mix? Earl? Mike D.? I’m sure there are many other candidates I don’t even know about.
Niels should be up for consideration. Obvious reasons.
And Efren!
When you think about it … boy, does our little corner of the universe have the characters -- refined and rakish -- who could play well on so many mainstream platforms.
P. P. S. Ever think about the Holy Grail of pool futures -- corporate sponsorship?
The single biggest misconception (this is my personal take only!) is that it would be expensive -- from a major company’s perspective -- to ‘own’ pool.
In fact, every tour, all major tournaments -- men’s and women’s, in the Americas, in Europe, in Asia -- could be financed for a relative pittance. This includes all expenses -- broadcast, cable, streaming, travel, prize monies … soup to nuts. Including the pudding and the port.
As far as the world of pool is concerned, should any of the major outside companies be interested in taking it over (why should they be? good question!), the investment would represent barely a rounding error on ever so many corporate bottom lines.
P. P. P. S. Sorry this missive had to be so condensed. I simply ran out of time to express most of my thoughts.
Eh? What’s that?
Same to you, fella!
