In your opinion....what happened to Brunswick as a WPBA sponsor?
Where are they now? The WPBA Players
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
In your opinion....what happened to Brunswick as a WPBA sponsor?
Sorry Majic...I was not part of the negotiations for 2010, so I have no knowledge. I will not speculate as to what was offered or requested.
Melissa
I can tell you it's got nothing to do with ESPN - They've always been highly enthusiastic about the WPBA. Many Indian Gaming Casino's are hurting right now and yes they've been the main Site supporters and yes a venue pays a hefty Site Fee to host a WPBA event which is why they keep the gate (ticket sales for the layman) among other incentives.
Here's the basic chain - The WPBA has commercial units to offer the sites and sponsors which are all negotiated as part of contracts (with other incentives too) Without those units, there is very little incentive to pay the kind of site fee's the WPBA requires. The Site/Sponsor fee's go towards paying the player's prize fund, the WPBA's production costs (in order to give ESPN a final product ready for airing) and day to day operating costs - when one leg of this beast fails, it can all fail. Sure, the WPBA could go back to having smaller non-televised events in billiard rooms (although the rooms would still have to pay a site fee but reduced by comparison to televised events). The prize funds would be smaller, and perhaps the field would be too. The Sponsors would have less incentive to pay more for sponsorship and the WPBA takes a major step backwards into the stone age.
In 1993 at the very first WPBA event I played in at the Bicycle Club in Los Angeles, the total prize fund for the entire event was $25,000. Last year, the average prize fund was nearly 4 times that amount. Why? Because of ESPN and the opportunities for incentives they've offered the WPBA over the years. Anyway, that's how I feel about that
The WPBA has a great product - it's players. Player's of all types - Smart, Funny, Beautiful, Talented, Humorous (Think Julie Kelly whom I adore!).... the variety is stunning. But what really can that offer a non-industry company? Kudo's to Jeanette for the way she's marketed herself over the years but she is truly the exception to the rule. Allison, Kelly, Jasmin, Sarah, they've all stepped up and are pushing the boundaries best they can but in the end, unless a major non-industry sponsor comes in because they believe in the sport, it will never grow beyond what it is now. I'd like to see small steps - partnerships with major hotel chains, car rental services, shoe companies, make up companies, clothing, hell even deodorant companies (never let'm see you sweat eh?) that offer discounts or incentives to purchase their products with high profile players in commercials and advertisements would be fantastic! Just the association with major brands (or even regional one's) would be a step in the right direction.
It can happen, but there's one big problem right now (ok several but those have to do with the people involved not the issues discussed here)..... The economy! Let's be real - How many corporations, mid/small businesses and even us as individuals have cut back on extraneous expenses? I know I have. Fun Money just ain't there right now.
The WPBA has a great product - it's players. Those will hopefully remain constant and the organization will weather the storms its facing (the storm clouds that are being driven by both people and the economy) -
Ah well, we'll see what happens... in the meantime, there's always gardening!
xoxoxo
Anne
i think having events with smaller prize payouts is still better than zero events and zero prize payouts no? i also don't see how having two events, one really since the 2nd event is by invite only, isn't a bigger step back into the stone age and even more damaging to the image and reputation of the wpba as a viable product to sponsors.
the tour's been shrinking over the last few years and the wpba hasn't adjusted their business model accordingly. there's a heavy reliance on casinos because it seems to be the only venues who can come up with the extremely high site/sponsor fee. with the economy the way it is and the fan turnouts at wpba events held at casinos being typically low...it's not surprising they've all pulled out. casinos don't like losing money either.
i'd like to see wpba tournaments back in pool rooms, supporting pool rooms and easily accessible to fans. stream instead of espn. grow the sport and get people interested back in the sport by being more visible and accessible to recreational players.
<--running for the board in 2011 :thumbup:
Well said, and you have my vote lol. I agree. Johnnyt
Actually i think losing the NY event (in a pool room) and the Valley Forge
(not in a casino) began the downslide. Two unwise decisions were made there.Those 2 events were the backbone of the tour.
WPBA President's Message
I guess, we can squash all the rumors. The lastest from www.wpba.com
---------------------------
From John Rousseau - President of the WPBA
As I begin my 4th month of this exciting opportunity as President of the Women's Professional Billiard Association, I thank all of the WPBA players, sponsors, host sites, and most of all our fans for your continued support.
The WPBA Board’s long-term goals include adding diff...erent formats for tournaments, increasing the purses, establishing international tournaments, and increasing player/fan interaction. Perhaps most importantly, we need to improve the WPBA’s ESPN ratings.
With that in mind, I am asking everyone to help us promote the broadcast of the San Diego Classic airing this Saturday, April 10th. Go to your social networking sites, use your e-mail lists, spread the word in your pool league, and encourage everyone to watch the San Diego Classic final rounds this weekend. Viewers will be treated to an exciting match with a Taiwan rookie in her first WPBA tournament after winning the Regional Tour Championship in February to earn her exemption on the WPBA. (If you also a golfing fan, tape the golf – watch the San Diego Classic!)
Here’s the schedule:
DATE: 4/10/2010
EVENT: SAN DIEGO CLASSIC
NETWORK: ESPN 2
TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 1200 p.m. PST
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. MST
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST
---------------------------
S.
I guess, we can squash all the rumors. The lastest from www.wpba.com
---------------------------
From John Rousseau - President of the WPBA
As I begin my 4th month of this exciting opportunity as President of the Women's Professional Billiard Association, I thank all of the WPBA players, sponsors, host sites, and most of all our fans for your continued support.
The WPBA Board’s long-term goals include adding diff...erent formats for tournaments, increasing the purses, establishing international tournaments, and increasing player/fan interaction. Perhaps most importantly, we need to improve the WPBA’s ESPN ratings.
With that in mind, I am asking everyone to help us promote the broadcast of the San Diego Classic airing this Saturday, April 10th. Go to your social networking sites, use your e-mail lists, spread the word in your pool league, and encourage everyone to watch the San Diego Classic final rounds this weekend. Viewers will be treated to an exciting match with a Taiwan rookie in her first WPBA tournament after winning the Regional Tour Championship in February to earn her exemption on the WPBA. (If you also a golfing fan, tape the golf – watch the San Diego Classic!)
Here’s the schedule:
DATE: 4/10/2010
EVENT: SAN DIEGO CLASSIC
NETWORK: ESPN 2
TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 1200 p.m. PST
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. MST
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST
---------------------------
S.
I heard from reliable source it was 200K