I have no desire to ever get involved with a "non profit" tour/organization again....
I don't know why, but that statement right there tickled my funny bone. :killingme:
Maybe I've been a reader of this forum too long, but, man, the same comments about what's wrong with professional pool, CW, UPA, APB, Dragon, et cetera, seem to be repeated and repeated and repeated.
A good back-and-forth discourse can sometimes, though, produce a positive outcome, but in the case of pool, I don't believe there can be any positive outcome without money. Money is the key to pool's success.
You can shout from the highest mountaintop how great Efren Reyes is, how strong Earl's break is, how cute Alex Pagulayan is, or how interesting Johnny Archer's playing mannerisms are, but nobody cares.

Until somebody can invest in pool, as Kevin Trudeau tried to, with a public relations vehicle, an agent to teach pool pros how to handle themselves off the table in public, and have a real tour with real rules and rule money, as the saying goes, pool will continue to be a non-entity in the sports arena in the United States. :grin-square:
We can enjoy pool afar when they compete in Philippines and China, but in the United States, professional pool has begun to stink like a dead fish in the water. The only people who can profit are industry members, and even they are struggling, i.e., print media, those who film pool, regional tours, et cetera. The only folks guaranteed a profit are the tournament directors. In fact, they make more money than the players do at most events.

Those who continue to keep professional pool alive in their hearts are those who have passion for it. Money isn't important. Losing your life savings, a significant other, or a well-paying job to play professional pool is a sacrifice they are willing to make. They sometimes die a lonely death with no family to comfort them in their time of need and no money to bury them. :sorry:
When the pro players can't run a rack anymore and dance like a monkey in professional pool, he's discarded like yesterday's trash in the American pool culture. There are some on this very forum who say, well, hey, that's how it is in sports. Look at boxing. This may be so, but those boxers and other sports figures make a hell of a lot more money doing what they do than pro pool players. :wink:
Yeah, I know, I know, nobody forced them to play pool for a living, and I've found these folks who utter these words are the very ones fighting to get in the front of the line to get that autograph or photo taken with very pro players they ridicule. I can't tell you how many times I have seen that at pool tournaments. The biggest forum trolls and bullies are the ones with the brownest noses when it comes to pro pool players. You should see these sorry SOBs kissing butt when they see a pro player in person.

It may be time to move on and accept the fact that pool is a recreational game. Social shooters, recreational play, and leagues is what's happening in American. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but that is the stark reality.