What The ABP Should Do......

What is the ABP and the players bringing to the table. There are three parties involved in this. The promoters the players and the spectators.

I understand the players want certain issues resolved (timely payment of prize money) and rightfully so. Other than this issue what are the players offering to make any tournament more successful and profitable while being enjoyable to the spectator.

The same goes for the promoter. What is the promoter doing? The SBE has been successful but I don't if it is very profitable. The ABP needs to realize they are in bed with the promoters and work with each other to promote and help each tournament grow. Obviously both are doing a great job of alienating the one group that needs to be embraced and that's the spectator.

You have Barry failing to live up to his commitment of timely payouts and the ABP taking a you are with me or against me attitude which has gone beyond the dealings with the promoter. The bottom line is simple. Quit the public bickering and sit down and talk. As a person that has been attending the Open since the early 90's this drama really doesn't make me want to continue too. And from reading some of the other post plenty of others feel the same as me. How is this helping bring in and retain the casual spectator when the longtime fans are questioning their support.

Sorry for the long post and rant
 
Spot on Justin -

The problem pool also has (well there are many) - is that anyone with $500 can put up and play in the US Open. Sport unions, which essentially is what the ABP is trying to be, represent all the players in the game. Either you are in or you are out. Unless tournaments like the US Open and other top events close their participation to only ABP members, the ABP will still be lacking the strength they need in the long run - and eventually disolve and be back at square one.

The other problem here is - if some of the accusations that Behrman is making is true in that player representation is refusing to respond to requests to communicate. Along with multiple users representing the ABP on this site - then the problem is again, just because you can draw your ball doesn't mean you are a great businessman. It doesn't mean you know what it takes to open a pool room, run a pool tournament or pool tour, or represent all the pro players. You might know what the needs are but you don't know how to go about receiving them.

Finally, to Behrman's statement today - if he spends $15K a year on renting bleachers - maybe he should have bought some years ago, made payments on them if need be and then he could rent them out himself the other 51 weeks a year.

Oh and yes, I do think that the money should be posted and paid as the tournament ends.
 
Justin,

Although I don't always agree with everything you post (as you are much more fervent for the "cause" of professional pool than I), you pretty much hit quite a few nails on the head with your OP. Nice work (for a cameraman ;))!!!

Maniac
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
"Earth to Aaron, earth to Aaron, come in, Aaron. Over." :D

Well, from the number of threads about ABP lately, you might figure it's a new aiming system.

Here you go:

http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=7651

And the thread that started the recent fracas:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=237207
Click to expand...


I was only half serious - seems like every third post has been about the ABP over the last week or so. But I didn't know the whole story, so thanks for posting the links.

Hard to argue with the ABP players wanting the money to be posted prior to the event. Most of us wouldn't even play $500 sets without the money being on the light.

Aaron
 
The real problem here is that most of these groups that form are trying to herd cats. These are lone wolves trying to form a union with one express goal. Make more money for the player. Unions have their place and their function in society but it is not about collective bargaining for the individual.

The ABP or a similar group should look at the way real professionals organize, AMA, engineers, scientists and truly act like professionals to better their profession. Unfortunately, in today’s climate it isn’t going to work until they get some truly professional people involved.

A professional is different from a person who works for a living in that a professional’s goal is the improvement of their profession, not self aggrandizement, and therein lays the problem.

I know my comments fall on deaf ears but perhaps, at some point, someone might listen. It begins with a few people and expands over time.
 
Great post Justin! Most of them are new to this so there will certainly be a learning curve but I do commend them for trying to organize something. I think it's a step in the right directions and hopefully they will get some meaningful results.

As for the U.S. Open...For an event that has been in existence for so long, I don't understand how his business model has not changed. IF you are short on payouts one year, don't pay out on projected revenue in the next year. The event would suffer for one year but if Barry just paid out his guaranteed revenue one year and took the money he makes from the gate and additional sponsors in that year to pay out the following year he would never be promising money he didn't already have. But I guess if the players continued to accept the late payments then there is no incentive for him to do otherwise.
 
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