wait a minuteJust picture the WPA as a bunch of humanoid purple 5balls. Now you get it??
i thought MR made the 5 purple
WPA Bans 245 Players
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
i thought MR made the 5 purple
Yep. MR WNT just had to have their own set of balls. these are horrid.
Obviously, this is very disturbing, but it is hardly unexpected. We all understood that more than a few WNT pros skipped the Hanoi Open because they expected to be banned if they did not.
WPA feared losing any leverage with the players, and I suspect that this move is one of many, the remainder of which are yet to come. I'm sure the folks at WPA will use the leverage they've gained against the 245 players somehow to advance their own agenda in some way.
My prediction is that this ban will be undone at some point, but not until WPA gets certain concessions and becomes convinced that its worldwide position has been strengthened.
It's a very sad day for the players, who have had little to no control or influence of any kind since the edicts of Qatar in October 2023. This is just one of many chapters, and we will all have to stay tuned.
All of that said, there's a side of me that is pleased to see the fervor with which the services of the players are being fought for, as it will likely lead to more prize money in our sport down the road.
WPA feared losing any leverage with the players, and I suspect that this move is one of many, the remainder of which are yet to come. I'm sure the folks at WPA will use the leverage they've gained against the 245 players somehow to advance their own agenda in some way.
My prediction is that this ban will be undone at some point, but not until WPA gets certain concessions and becomes convinced that its worldwide position has been strengthened.
It's a very sad day for the players, who have had little to no control or influence of any kind since the edicts of Qatar in October 2023. This is just one of many chapters, and we will all have to stay tuned.
All of that said, there's a side of me that is pleased to see the fervor with which the services of the players are being fought for, as it will likely lead to more prize money in our sport down the road.
I think the majority of Matchroom's income is from broadcast rights. The broadcasters insert commercials or charges for subscriptions. The money eventually comes from people selling products or viewers.
As much as I'd like to believe you are right, I not so sure.
MR has been closely tied to gaming for years. Various on-line and in-person gaming concerns have fueled the MR machine.
Badpenguin
Well-known member
There isn't a Chinese or English 8 Ball table within 1000 miles of me. Where do you propose I practice? What would the point be? Should I practice Curling while I'm at it?Practicing both of the games you mock at would make you a better pool player overall. That is of course if you play, and also if you are interested at your skills developmentI know that for good as a game instructor, of a kind.
Chinese 8ball has a been a huge aid to me. It cured my insomnia almost instantly. A few minutes of that lameness and its 'snoozeville' for 'ol Gar.
Yes, the title sponsors are largely bookies, but there have been some other non-gambling sponsors such as Cazoo and Johnstone's Paint. I think the broadcasters are still a major part of the deal by adding rights money and greatly increasing the number of eyeballs.
I wouldn't call outfits like PartyPoker/BetVictor mere 'bookies'.
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I recently talked to someone who is in a place to know about international cue sports markets. He told me something very surprising but was believable coming from him. He said: The majority of all cuesports players worldwide play heyball (Chinese 8-ball).
Would you bother to list those wealthy money bags from the snooker world?
Just go check the money list every year for the last 25yrs. I don't follow snooker closely if at all. Those pros pre-Hearn/MR were basically second-class chumps living off scraps til MR modernized/monetized the game. Did Barry Hearn do your ol lady or what???? Why you so pissed at these guys?? Without them you'd have basically no pro pool worth watching.
Just a small point of clarification, I'm not sure if you had a typo. The juniors do not have an entry fee at the MR events. They pay an entry fee to reserve their spot, but it is reimbursed at the event. This was written on the Junior's player contract someone posted here a few days ago.
George the Greek
Well-known member
Interesting to see how many pool players will become multi millionaires in a 10 year span like Steve Davis or Stephen Hendry. Hearn might be blowing smoke and forgets there were fewer tournaments with huge sponsors and player endorsements back in the day. Tobacco and distillers were on board and today's pansy society has shut it all from advertising.