The ban/sanction issue seems to be heating up. Here is Panozzo's view on part of the matter. Stolen from FB.
I wanted to clarify this response to Darren yesterday and share some thoughts on “the line in the sand” pro pool is facing. This is no bash at Darren, who is as thoughtful and thorough with his stands on issues as anyone in the game. And, in reality, it’s not really about the WPA or their efforts.
My confusion and concern with player movement is more about what’s being taken for granted and what’s being looked over. And I’m afraid that if this becomes a battle with only one winner, it will set the game back 20 years.
Many of us old timers have waited a very long time for something that looked like it was elevating the entire sport for people outside our little railbird world to take notice of. Something that looked and sounded big. Something that got talked about all year long. Something you could follow. Players becoming stars. Events leading to something.
It's about more than prize money. It’s about growth potential. I see that with Matchroom’s WNT. This may sound like a Matchroom crush, but it’s about more than a company. It’s about presentation of a sport. I honestly do not see that with the WPA.
(And for the record, very few people outside the WPA board room have tried to get people to understand the role and value of the WPA. Do I think they do a lot wrong? Absolutely. But the WPA is necessary, and it isn’t going away, so forget that notion. And again, this is not really about the WPA.)
And here’s why I say this.
What I see with the WPA is a bunch of deals with independent promoters who pay a sanction fee to run an event. Nothing wrong with that. But that event comes and goes, usually without a lot of fanfare and almost always without any residual value to the sport other than prize fund payout. When the event is over, it evaporates into the ether until next year. It has zero relevance with regards to any other event the WPA sanctions.
(Of course, the Predator World Championships and Pro Billiard Series events do go beyond that, but still most are one-offs.)
And with all those independent events you have inconsistencies. Nothing looks the same. There is no uniformity. No commonality.
And the WPA? Don’t kid yourself. They don’t have any control over these events, nor do they want to be promoters. They are about sanction fees and federations and government subsidies.
So, what you end up with is a hodgepodge of events throughout the year, with little rhyme or reason other than a payday for the players — and I get that is all they’re concerned about.
But where is the growth? Where is something that fans or sponsors can latch onto? The WPA does not own these events, so they can’t market them. They can’t get a sponsor for all of the events because they don’t have the power. They can’t make a TV deal for all the events because they don’t have the power. They cannot speak for these events in any way. They are solely a seal of approval. And that’s fine. But that doesn’t get the sport any closer to becoming a real sport.
To me, the real value of the WNT is that it is a product, owned and produced by a company. A company with a real live full-time production team. A real full-time marketing team. A real full-time television team. This is what they do. This is their job 365 days a year.
And because of that there is uniformity and vision and a product that, when it reaches a certain point, can be marketed and sold and promoted as a single entity… a tour. It boggles my mind that the players and even the WPA don’t realize the long-term value of that for the sport that everyone feigns to care about.
When I said get used to mediocre ballrooms, inconsistency and lack of visibility, those are real things. The WPA doesn’t determine where the China Open is going to be played. Or the Maldives Open. Or the Qatar Open. They don’t determine where, or even if, the event will have adequate worldwide coverage on TV or a streaming platform. And those things matter in developing a sport or legitimate tour.
I am steadfast in the belief that the growth of the sport will come from a single entity whose sole reason for being is to grow a sellable product. That does not mean that the WPA doesn’t have its place and isn’t of real value to the sport. It’s different business models. That doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong, or that one should survive, and one should perish. But I see the critical importance of the WNT and worry that we may be doing our damnedest to chase it away. That said, I believe Matchroom is equally complicit in this conflict getting to this point.
In the end, what this all means is that, for the sake of the sport and the players everyone purports to “care about,” figure this shit out! Co-freaking-exist.
A lot has been written about player stances and statements and holding to one’s word. But if the players REALLY want to affect change, demand that these two entities meet and devise a workable solution for all. They both OWE you the courtesy, fellas. Help make it happen.
And if you’ve made it this far, bless you!
Michael Panozzo
𝗣𝗦𝗔 — 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜!I wanted to clarify this response to Darren yesterday and share some thoughts on “the line in the sand” pro pool is facing. This is no bash at Darren, who is as thoughtful and thorough with his stands on issues as anyone in the game. And, in reality, it’s not really about the WPA or their efforts.
My confusion and concern with player movement is more about what’s being taken for granted and what’s being looked over. And I’m afraid that if this becomes a battle with only one winner, it will set the game back 20 years.
Many of us old timers have waited a very long time for something that looked like it was elevating the entire sport for people outside our little railbird world to take notice of. Something that looked and sounded big. Something that got talked about all year long. Something you could follow. Players becoming stars. Events leading to something.
It's about more than prize money. It’s about growth potential. I see that with Matchroom’s WNT. This may sound like a Matchroom crush, but it’s about more than a company. It’s about presentation of a sport. I honestly do not see that with the WPA.
(And for the record, very few people outside the WPA board room have tried to get people to understand the role and value of the WPA. Do I think they do a lot wrong? Absolutely. But the WPA is necessary, and it isn’t going away, so forget that notion. And again, this is not really about the WPA.)
And here’s why I say this.
What I see with the WPA is a bunch of deals with independent promoters who pay a sanction fee to run an event. Nothing wrong with that. But that event comes and goes, usually without a lot of fanfare and almost always without any residual value to the sport other than prize fund payout. When the event is over, it evaporates into the ether until next year. It has zero relevance with regards to any other event the WPA sanctions.
(Of course, the Predator World Championships and Pro Billiard Series events do go beyond that, but still most are one-offs.)
And with all those independent events you have inconsistencies. Nothing looks the same. There is no uniformity. No commonality.
And the WPA? Don’t kid yourself. They don’t have any control over these events, nor do they want to be promoters. They are about sanction fees and federations and government subsidies.
So, what you end up with is a hodgepodge of events throughout the year, with little rhyme or reason other than a payday for the players — and I get that is all they’re concerned about.
But where is the growth? Where is something that fans or sponsors can latch onto? The WPA does not own these events, so they can’t market them. They can’t get a sponsor for all of the events because they don’t have the power. They can’t make a TV deal for all the events because they don’t have the power. They cannot speak for these events in any way. They are solely a seal of approval. And that’s fine. But that doesn’t get the sport any closer to becoming a real sport.
To me, the real value of the WNT is that it is a product, owned and produced by a company. A company with a real live full-time production team. A real full-time marketing team. A real full-time television team. This is what they do. This is their job 365 days a year.
And because of that there is uniformity and vision and a product that, when it reaches a certain point, can be marketed and sold and promoted as a single entity… a tour. It boggles my mind that the players and even the WPA don’t realize the long-term value of that for the sport that everyone feigns to care about.
When I said get used to mediocre ballrooms, inconsistency and lack of visibility, those are real things. The WPA doesn’t determine where the China Open is going to be played. Or the Maldives Open. Or the Qatar Open. They don’t determine where, or even if, the event will have adequate worldwide coverage on TV or a streaming platform. And those things matter in developing a sport or legitimate tour.
I am steadfast in the belief that the growth of the sport will come from a single entity whose sole reason for being is to grow a sellable product. That does not mean that the WPA doesn’t have its place and isn’t of real value to the sport. It’s different business models. That doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong, or that one should survive, and one should perish. But I see the critical importance of the WNT and worry that we may be doing our damnedest to chase it away. That said, I believe Matchroom is equally complicit in this conflict getting to this point.
In the end, what this all means is that, for the sake of the sport and the players everyone purports to “care about,” figure this shit out! Co-freaking-exist.
A lot has been written about player stances and statements and holding to one’s word. But if the players REALLY want to affect change, demand that these two entities meet and devise a workable solution for all. They both OWE you the courtesy, fellas. Help make it happen.
And if you’ve made it this far, bless you!
Last edited:
