The WPA vs. the WNT

[JAM]

i don't really get this. you lament that they don't have a union, but then support breaking the picket line?

That's the whole point. There is no picket line. There is no union. Yet virtual pool enthusiasts and others on social media who have no financial interest in the pro player's means of income; have no idea what it's like to live out of a suitcase and attend two, three, and four events a month; and travel the globe on a regular basis treat pros who make decisions based on their own situation, to include changing their minds, as scabs as if there was a union. They are free agents.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I’m surprised Kazakis is on the list. I could have sworn one of the Greek pros had stated Greece gives zero financial support.

Prior to the just-completed Ho Chi Minh City Open (WPA), which Biado won, Kazakis was the #1-ranked player on the WPA list followed by Denis Grabe. This is according to an article in the news subforum.

Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but I was unaware that the WPA was having a tournament in Vietnam.

 

[skogstokig]

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.

i think we can be more specific.. ACBS is mostly to blame. noone got banned for playing the US open or european open. asia is the sticking point, and ACBS is the tail wagging the dog. heyball is its cash cow and now they've pushed heyball into the EPBF calendar.

i don't hate on heyball but it's a bit like saying to the pool players "go play snooker" or "go play carom".

MR is probably also at fault in this, it takes two to tango.

 

[justnum]

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.

The US based billiard journalism is most of billiard journalism. News reports from Asian publications read like Matchroom advertisements.

Does the ACBS have a local newspaper that has been critical of their actions within its own country?

When the Russian ban was announced did any journalist from those regions cover it?

Billiard journalism is disproportionately from the American or commercial viewpoint. I am open to being proven wrong.

 

[Bob Jewett]

At this point it looks like the war is not affecting entries in St. Augustine. Some of the matchups might be interesting.

 

[sjm]

The US based billiard journalism is most of billiard journalism. News reports from Asian publications read like Matchroom advertisements.

Does the ACBS have a local newspaper that has been critical of their actions within its own country?

When the Russian ban was announced did any journalist from those regions cover it?

Billiard journalism is disproportionately from the American or commercial viewpoint. I am open to being proven wrong.

Yes, but the appetite of the pool public for the kind of "pool politics" journalism you seem to want is near zero. Do you really think the Russian ban mattered much to the Russian press, especially during the Ukrainian war?. The number of players impacted by the ban could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Pool journalism should, and does, focus on covering the world of pool competition at the pro and amateur level.

If you see a demand for someone who covers the game's politics alone, you can start one, but do not expect many subscribers.

 

[Jaden]

i think we can be more specific.. ACBS is mostly to blame. noone got banned for playing the US open or european open. asia is the sticking point, and ACBS is the tail wagging the dog. heyball is its cash cow and now they've pushed heyball into the EPBF calendar.

i don't hate on heyball but it's a bit like saying to the pool players "go play snooker" or "go play carom".

MR is probably also at fault in this, it takes two to tango.

That's like saying a woman invited rape because she wore a short skirt and a low cut blouse. It doesn't always take two to tango in that regard.

One group is allowing players to choose what they want to do without any repercussions and one is threatening to ban any players that don't cow tow to their ridiculous demands.

I will ALWAYS side with the side that allows freedom to choose for one's self.

Jaden