What if the IPT fails????????

[catscradle]

I have had a few negative things to say about how the IPT seeded and picked players, but I only see good publicity coming from whatever happens. PR being good or bad is still getting the word out IMO. My only suggestion would be to call the tournaments "Grand Prix" like Snooker or car racing does. I think it sounds cool, like the Billiards Grand Prix of Florida...........Gerry

Yeah, they could have a Le Mans start too. The first one to reach the table gets the break.

 

[Tbeaux]

Yeah, they could have a Le Mans start too. The first one to reach the table gets the break.

THAT"S funny ,
Buddy Hall- Damn, I coulda won but that little Monica Webb kept beating me to the break!

Terry

 

[dooziexx]

Hmm.. all that beer... I heard she likes the taste of St. Pauly Girl...

First time I read this, I thought you wrote she TASTED like St. Paul Girl.....

 

[onepocketchump]

Well, I disagree. Look at what the WPA is suggesting, plus WPBA and UPA members aren't going to put up $500 entry to win $10k when they have the IPT taste in their mouth. It's hard to come back to those kinds of purses once you have a chance at $200k or more in a smaller field and a bigger title.

Either way it will help the sport, but if the IPT fails I think at least men's pool will be in jeopardy of not having an association. But I guess it doesn't matter too much since they didn't have one for years. Maybe people will start gambling, which would probably make you happier John since you are always looking for a good one pocket game.

God, why do i always have to do the math here? IF everyone on the IPT tour were to finish the tournaments relatively evenly over the events then the average income would be around $60,000 a player. More likely though, the average income is going to be higher with a large group making a lot less. If the average in the lower half of the group is around $25,000 a year in earnings then the players would need to supplement their income with something else - i.e. smaller tournaments.

I don't really care if the UPA continues to exist or not. IF they were really concerned about the betterment of their players then they would have submitted applications on behalf of their members to the IPT, if they were concerned about their membership then they would have bargained with Kevin to have their members accepted according to their ranking list and they didn't do either of these things.

I think the UPA will benefit form the IPT's success when other corporate sponsors start shopping for a pool tour. The UPA is positioned quite well to step in and be "pool" for another big sponsor. The WPA isn't going anywhere. The WPBA isn't going anywhere. If the upper echelon of the WPBA were to bolt totally for the IPT then it would only open up the field for a lot of talented players who aren't making it to TV yet. The general pubic was eating up the WPBA on ESPN when the level of play was not as good as it is today. The level of play on the second tier of the WPBA is as good or better than the top level was 15 years ago. So, in that scenario you will still see a WPBA tour on TV.

If the IPT really takes off, then I hope it will encourage more local and regional tournaments with larger payouts. I would love to have regular tournaments with $5000-$10,000 first prize where I felt like I had a chance to place and I didn't have to travel or put up $500 to play. If all the top pros are out making real money, then I would have that much more of a chance.

If the IPT goes away then nothing changes.

John

 

[DougT]

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY for the IPT to destroy all current associations or even dent them signifigantly, at least in the current state of the IPT.

The IPT has a field of 150 players and six tournaments. They got several thousand applications. The players that did not make it are not going to stop playing.

League players aren't going to quit leagues. German players aren't going to quit their associations. The San Miguel tour is going to keep going.

In other words, the hundreds of thousands of people who play pool in an organized fashion will continue to do so and natural progression will insure that there are always venues for the better players to compete on the world stage.

I'll agree with you John. Win or lose for the IPT, it will be no worse for billiards. Some organizations may suffer, but it won't kill the industry.

It think that IF the IPT makes it's two year commitment and then decides to bail out, and there is no guarantee the IPT will stick for 2 years, then the state of the billiards industry and its economics will have been changed. Obviously a good thing. And, public awareness and participation will hopefully grow.
But THEN, if the IPT bails out, someone else WILL examine the opportunity in a different light than they would today. IF there's a way to monetize it, its probably through increased advertising revenues. But remember, there has to be a money stream for the system. Advertisers want profits you know, and so do the pro sports leagues and their team owners.
Is there a big enough market? IPT is attempting to make the market bigger. But if they should bail out for whatever reason, the mistakes and successes will be evaluated, and with additional fine-tuning a new proposition will come along. (Possibly even sooner than 2 years in competion to the IPT. I suspect some organizations are already looking for money in different ways than they have in the past.)

Frankly, after watching the billiards industry for the past 15 years, you cannot convince me that this is a bad situation, other than some distaste for KT's current sales techniques and products and possible snake-oil remedies. Still, he is apparantly very capable, he has a vision, it seems to be just the right amount of 'fringe' that is needed here. After all, mainstream advertising didn't get it done. If he can keep the image relatively tasteful, and increase the audience, then the money will follow.

My questions are how much of a stigma there will be to overcome, and can the IPT keep it going for a number of years.

 

[cheesemouse]

Hemicudas,
That is hilalious...TAP TAP TAP