Does anyone know why the WPBL folded? I wish it had worked...cool concept!
What killed the WPBL?
- Thread starter RichSchultz
- Start date
There were a few issues. I worked as part of the video production crew so I have some insight into it. The game plan was to have online betting for the league but it didn't come together. Bonus Ball was a neat game but they really needed the teams to be playing Bonus Ball, 8 ball and say 10 ball which would have been interesting and better received. Hockey jerseys needed to go and just have some nice dry fit polos I think.
Shot clock, arena, team concept and video production were very well done even if my opinion is biased you can watch the matches on YouTube and see besides Matchroom we covered pool better then anyone quality wise. We were spread to thin with many of us doing jobs we weren't supposed to be doing as we didn't have the staff. They needed to have a PR and marketing person instead of guys like me coming here to tell you all things.
I learned some lessons being involved in it and am glad I was regardless of it not working out. I do hope we see a pro tour or team league down the road, whoever does it will surely take notes from its failing.
Shot clock, arena, team concept and video production were very well done even if my opinion is biased you can watch the matches on YouTube and see besides Matchroom we covered pool better then anyone quality wise. We were spread to thin with many of us doing jobs we weren't supposed to be doing as we didn't have the staff. They needed to have a PR and marketing person instead of guys like me coming here to tell you all things.
I learned some lessons being involved in it and am glad I was regardless of it not working out. I do hope we see a pro tour or team league down the road, whoever does it will surely take notes from its failing.
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Thanks Lenny...I knew you'd know. Another thing that struck me: a lot of the players seemed to have no ties to the city/state they represented. Is that accurate? I know Johnny and Shannon did, but the Minnesota team for example?
Jesse Engel is from and i believe still lives in MN.
Ahhh, thank you!
Bonus Ball looked fun!
Bonus Ball was a mirage. Each team represented a city, and the players rarely had any ties to that city. The Chicago Rockets consisted of Raj Hundal, Mika Immonen and Rodney Morris. They could just as easily have been called the Bulgarian Bombers or the Malaysian Maulers. All the matches were played in Las Vegas. Would a team in any sport succeed if it played road games only?
The biggest problem, though, was Bonus Ball itself. I'll quickly concede that it was a game of great skill and subtlety, but it was a game completely unknown to the public and there was no way to learn it without watching the stream, something only serious pool players did and which no non-pool player would have likely considered.
The proprietors of Bonus Ball always gloated that this was the game the pros WANTED to play. As I posted then and repeat now, what the pros want to play should not even be considered in the establishment and marketing of a professional pool product.
I also never accepted the premise that what viewers craved was team play over individual play. Though I'll admit that the Mosconi races to five are very exciting, I can do without team play in the general case.
There were positives. The production values were pretty solid, the Bonus Ball arena was impressive, and I liked the uniforms.
I really wanted it to succeed, and am grateful to all who participated for their efforts, but it was mostly ill-conceived.
The biggest problem, though, was Bonus Ball itself. I'll quickly concede that it was a game of great skill and subtlety, but it was a game completely unknown to the public and there was no way to learn it without watching the stream, something only serious pool players did and which no non-pool player would have likely considered.
The proprietors of Bonus Ball always gloated that this was the game the pros WANTED to play. As I posted then and repeat now, what the pros want to play should not even be considered in the establishment and marketing of a professional pool product.
I also never accepted the premise that what viewers craved was team play over individual play. Though I'll admit that the Mosconi races to five are very exciting, I can do without team play in the general case.
There were positives. The production values were pretty solid, the Bonus Ball arena was impressive, and I liked the uniforms.
I really wanted it to succeed, and am grateful to all who participated for their efforts, but it was mostly ill-conceived.
Minnesota is highly comprised of of German descendants (Scandinavian too) and has a strong German American culture. The only American on the team, who was previously mentioned as being from there, has a German surname. So in having to place two Germans on a team, Minnesota was a pretty fitting choice for them. Probably just a coincidence, but maybe not.
Speaking of Engel...I haven't heard of him in a while.
Yep; as a Schultz, you are preaching to the choir about that. Interesting.
This is about how I feel....I'm starting to warm up to the Mosconi Cup...
...but once a year is enough.
Billiard games are well known loner's sports.
Teams in leagues are great for introducing and developing players...
...but when your game gets world class, it's time to get out of the sand box.
Can you imagine Ali and Foreman fighting on a team of boxers?
Pool is the same way....it's for elitists and lone efforts.
I would drive past five Mosconi Cups to watch one US Open.
Are the olympics boxers part of a team?
I'm pretty sure Jesse Engels lives in Los Angeles now. I visited with him out there summer before last.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
It's a fine thing to represent your country and win a gold medal in the Olympics...
...but if somebody nails you in the ring, you better hit the sob back....
....'cause nobody else is going to do it for you.
Thanks Scott! I know Beau moved out there, but hadn't heard about Jesse.
A few things hurt it for me:
1. The game was too complicated to follow. I really tried to understand it, and it was too tricky to figure out what was going on.
2. The streaming was horrible. It was unwatchable for the first several weeks, due to technical issues such as freezing/lag. They should have gone to free ustream from day 1.
1. The game was too complicated to follow. I really tried to understand it, and it was too tricky to figure out what was going on.
2. The streaming was horrible. It was unwatchable for the first several weeks, due to technical issues such as freezing/lag. They should have gone to free ustream from day 1.