av84fun said:
Dear Mr. LaFond...First, I envy your having played pool with the late, GREAT "Babe" who was is one of the most under-appreciated players of all time.
Your ideas have great merit..and without question, the pros have suffered greatly due to their lack of organization...but then they were never forced NOT to organize. Hopefully this IPT saga will be the catalyst in overcoming the sort of "lone wolf" mentality that may have contributed to their lack of iron-clad unity so far.
But structurally, I would offer a different point of view. In virtually all major pro sports, the players are not in control of their "leagues/organizations"...rather those "controlling bodies" are headed up by wealthy individuals/corporations/team owners.
What I mean is that the players do not control the NFL/NBA/NHL etc. Those governing bodies are controlled by BIG wealth.
On the other hand, the players typically belong to a "Union" of sorts and those Unions act exclusively on the player's behalf and provide an excellent balance of power between the Controlling Bodies and the players.
My view is to not attempt to reinvent the wheel and that therefore:
A. The players MUST "unionize" and STICK TO IT and
B. The League/Tour/Governing Body should be constituted by those who benefit most from the billiard industry...i.e. an association of pool room owners, table and accessory manufacturers, cue and accessory manufacturers (like you), promoters etc. who...collectively...have the capital and the economic incentive to form a MAJOR, well captialized national tour.
Since such organizations come together several times a year at "expos" and the "major" tournaments, my suggestion is that the committee of players that seems to be forming due to the IPT saga, should attempt to arrange an "all hands on deck" fact finding meeting with the corporate sector of the pool industry to set in motion a PROCESS...and God knows it would be a PROCESS...to develop the ways and means of forming a cohesive NATIONAL Tour with WEEKLY (or nearly weekly) events during the "season"...culminating with the obligatory World Series/Superbowl type National Championship...or at the very least...a series of "Majors" as is the case with golf/tennis....(there being no "Superbowl" in either sport.)
What is for CERTAIN...is that the status quo has not...is not...and WILL not work. As my old man said..."If you can't be a genius...copy one." And by that I mean that simply COPYING the structure of other massively successful sporting organizations CANNOT be worse than the state of affairs today.
Regards,
Jim
Thanks for your nice post. My error when I stated "owned by players". The intent was Not for Profit and managed by those that love the game. Own was misleading, sorry.
Just some thoughts:
The billiards economy has been around longer than football and baseball though has not prospered. Time is the tell-all.
1. Most kids have baseball gloves and sneakers, kids and adults pay close attention to what the pros wear. Many families do have pool tables though the equipment used, balls, chalk and cues, does not matter to them. Differences.
2. Pros in football and baseball receive excellent salaries, though these salaries reflect a very small percentage of the total sport revenue. I do believe pro pool players fit well into similar revenue structures, their income is proportionately close. Similarities.
The billiards economy has had some opportunities to move forward, though each time it has returned to fit into its' economic space. The fact is that the sports economy is what drives the potential and billiards space is much smaller which is why I would opt to change the business model.
If any sport is to rise above its' current state it must dress it self up and promote, or otherwise let the natural economy take its course. Billiards fits more with golf and tennis than the other sports I mentioned, as type of sport with tours. The IPT is one tour of many events. Yes it pays well, though we must position billiards so that other tour stops also would like to join in. A good management team is what can make this happen, without it the players are lions bait.
My point is because the economy is small, we need to better herd all ends of it to make it bigger. Example is pop-Warner football does not add to football revenue directly, except it creates fans and sells products. Billiards on the other hand should capture the leagues because unlike football this could add direct revenue. Doing this helps dress up the economic picture. Again, I do believe that the business model must be different. It has been around for so long yet has experienced little boom-growth opportunity. Plus it has always been susceptible, rather mercy, of opportunists to test out potentials and players seem to always take the plunge.
Creating a good management team of retired pros, business leaders and sports fans will change this. Again these are just thoughts.
