jax_joe
Well-known member
Umm, their business practices with scheduling and other nonsense of the past couple of years.
Go look it up.
The WPA vs. the WNT
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
Go look it up.
Well said! This is a very important point.
The most important role that WPA must play is in growing the sport, and to some extent sanctioning fees enable them to do so. Yes, WPA plays some other roles, but none as important as this.
We were all upset in 2006 when the IPT chose to steer clear of the WPA because we saw a large new pool venture showing no interest of any kind in growing the sport. Kevin Trudeau had no interest of any kind in pool's future and it repulsed us.
Matchroom, however, is a different puppy. Beyond any sanctioning fees paid to WPA to date, Matchroom has taken a great interest in stimulating the growth of pool at the junior level, having already staged and financed the prize funds of the FSR junior event at the Spanish Open, the SVB junior Open at the US Open, the Filler junior event at the European Open, and the Shaw junior event at the UK Open. Through its continuing investment in junior pool, Matchroom has proven itself a very positive force in growing the sport.
Matchroom has raised our game's profile and established the only major professional tour since the PBT, which folded in 1999. The fact that obstacles are being placed in their way is regrettable.
Matchroom is about to rescue our sport. Will the WPA pull a "Gilligan's Island" on them and make a silly mistake that gets in the way of the rescue, leaving the players stranded as before in a sport that had very limited growth until Matchroom came along? We shall see.
federation support or not is just one aspect. another aspect is the world 10b and 8b championship, and predator events, and sponsor politics..
I've found that you have plenty of time to argue on this board.
If there are notable others not on the list above who don't play, I might alter my view. But only Ouschan and Filler on the list you showed were legit threats to win. He, Lechner and Kazakis could be viewed as having an outside chance. Raga would fall into that category too, though he has not been stellar on the world stage since his surprise run in the European Open last year.
In any case, I thank you for your other thoughts. I was interested to know what you really think.
Not surprisingly, I don't agree that MR orchestrated a boycott, encouraged social media shaming or created a poisonous atmosphere. I go where the evidence goes, and I have seen none. Zilch. Not even a whisper from ANY of the players.
I would mostly blame the WPA, with some likelihood that MR is also at fault. MR has admittedly been cagey over what its dispute with the WPA is really all about.
On 10-ball vs 9-ball, any real organization of the sport for public consumption will have to revolve around one game. I think MR made the right choice even if 10-ball is more interesting.
I would like MR to play nice with others - if the others are being reasonable. We simply don't know enough about the tensions between the WPA. MR and Predator to know who is mostly to blame for what. Which is why I don't give MR a total free pass.
I don't want to "look it up." I want Panozzo to explain it. He wrote a long post, then inserted basically that throw-away line.Umm, their business practices with scheduling and other nonsense of the past couple of years.
Go look it up.
I could ask you the same as what I asked VVP since you are another staunch MR critic. What is your vision for pro pool and how does MR fit in?
Um, one Dimitris L who is on the list made it to the final in the Peri Open, but since you are an authority on the subject keep on carrying on, I have a dog to eat. They taste great well done, by the way.
Credit to Loukatos. He beat Gorst and some other good players. Perhaps he is truly breaking out.
He did lose, however, and has never won a major tournament.
In any case, plenty of great players in the Hanoi Open. Won't think much if at all about the players who chose not to go.
He did lose, however, and has never won a major tournament.
In any case, plenty of great players in the Hanoi Open. Won't think much if at all about the players who chose not to go.
Badpenguin
Well-known member
It is Predator events that players are getting banned from, the WPA sanctioning these events is largely coincidental. And it is Predator that has effectively banned their sponsored players from playing in non-WPA events. Everyone is picking the wrong bone.
What also can be happening. These younger players are getting better allot faster nowadays. Fillers move could be money based, knowing his equals are nearly gone now, he may be realizing he doesn't want to work twice as hard to receive similar financial results.
Many pool players that I've met over a steady 30 yrs out and about.....Think this way.
Badpenguin
Well-known member
I would bet that the way pool players from US thought over the last 30 years bears little resemblance to the way European pool players think now. Just saying.
Agreed. The top pro player knows that his or her world-class skills will likely be gone long before they reach retirement age.
The ambitious pros will, consequently, do everything in their power to maximize income while still in their respective primes. Far too many of the previous generation of pros saw their primes pass before they gained financial independence, and this generation of pros know that and will do what they must to avoid landing in the same spot.
Hope you got the reference. The castaways on Gilligan's Island were on the verge of being rescued on several occasions, but they always made a silly mistake that obstructed that rescue."...a three hour tour, a three hour tour"
Dawn Wells, who portrayed her, was Miss Nevada in 1959. Fine looking woman for sure.
You guyzzzzzzzzzzzz. 
I agree. They also know the money in pool is volatile. Historically, pro pool money has been full of promise but failed miserably, at delivering, long term. It is understandable that a player would want to “get while the getting is good”. Just as the current state of pool politics shows, you never know.
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Billiards is growing. Unfortunately billiards journalism is not growing.
WPA and WNT both have interesting metrics to conduct their growth along.
Can the WPA attract more new country members faster than WNT can create events for their tour calendar?
The race to grow pool has taken on new meaning in areas of government participation through federations and WNT emerging tour growth.
WPA and WNT both have interesting metrics to conduct their growth along.
Can the WPA attract more new country members faster than WNT can create events for their tour calendar?
The race to grow pool has taken on new meaning in areas of government participation through federations and WNT emerging tour growth.
This is false. If you mean physical pool publications, fine, but much of the billiards media is online and many podcasts dedicated entirely to billiard news have emerged in our sport in the last few years alone.
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