WPBA Fine of $2,000

336Robin said:
I've had a few and unless someone has to make a business work, they generally don't understand it when they do things that get in the way....contract or not. Nothing says contracts can't be in their own bad interests which I think is part of the problem. Strictly my opinion.
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Now I think we are basically on the same page. While the thread deals with the "was there a breach or not?" issue, what ultimately matters is the question "what will future contracts look like?" It is incumbent on the players to take the process of negotiating the contract seriously to ensure that the contract is not overly restrictive and that their rights are protected.
 
Honestly didn’t we cover this already a few years back. I want to recall a player like April Larson opted not to sign with WPBA because they would t let her play in regular regional women’s events. I recall a Windows Open episode where LoreeJon really flew off the handle and shit the PR bed. Maybe Dean had a follow-up appearance. They said it wasn’t just about concurrent events. They said a talking point they sell to the casinos is that the marquee names they bring to the venue can be seen at the WPBA events but it dilutes their marketing pitch if those same players can also easily be seen at any mom and pop pool hall robbing a bar box event. It keeps the prestige of the WPBA brand higher to make sure those players are only found at upper echelon events.

The sad thing is that the list of elite WPBA players is too long for how shallow the talent pool is. When you’re talking women that play at a 730+ level, I get it. Kristina, Jasmin, Kelly, Margaret, Seo, Rita, Pia, etc. but when you’re talking second and third tier talent. Junior talent. Kids still grinding their way up and haven’t even crested 700 yet. The only way a pro female at that range can navigate their career is on the wallets of their parents or their spouse. There’s no way a 670 is paying their bills on WPBA and Predator winnings. They’re lucky to cash at all. To take away even the option to grind out winnings at the regional and local level is to kneecap any possibility of building a personal bankroll to fund their travel and entries into these more prestigious events. We’re eating our young and chasing them out of the industry.
 
loggerhead12 said:
The higher you go in a company the less true this becomes. Lots of normal people have non-compete clauses.
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Absolutely right, and you don't have to go very high. Most jobs are "at will" employment, not contractual, and often it's just right there in the Employee Handbook that you don't work for competitors.
 
On Window’s Open a few points came up:

The restriction is on “Elite” players (as defined). The real issue there is the definition of Elite is very broad. Too broad in my view.

The restriction is on women only events that (a) aren’t handicapped; and (b) non WPA sanctioned. So mixed events are fine. I assume they are trying to protect their product (being the women’s professional tour) from someone running their own competing events. This seems reasonable to me, but I do question whether an 8b BB event like Ultimate Pool is really in competition with the WPBA. Also, the WPA exemption has a disproportionate impact on US players vs European based players (since there are many WPA tournaments for women in Europe and few in the US).

Also, the Mast situation really arose because of her sponsor. I’m pretty sure the sponsor was sponsoring the Ultimate Pool event. They offered to pay her fine when the WPBA refused to grant her an exemption.
 
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VTEC John said:
Absolutely right, and you don't have to go very high. Most jobs are "at will" employment, not contractual, and often it's just right there in the Employee Handbook that you don't work for competitors.
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Normally in business, non-compete agreements are not enforceable without some kind of compensation attached to them. If you are an employee and getting paid a non-compete is valid. If you get let go, normally they will ask you to sign a non-compete in order to get some kind of separation package. Without the package it would be unenforceable. Which makes me wonder if the "elite" WPBA players get any compensation from the tour. If they do not, maybe that clause should be scrutinized a little more closely.
 
When has WPBA last put on an event in Asia or Europe? They need to acknowledge they’re a US promoter. These guidelines are fine for elite touring international women. They are only coming to our continent for WPBA and Predator events anyway. And nobody is keeping tab on what they are playing back home which likely includes a lot more WPA sanctioned events than we see even available here.

This rule makes no sense for our domestic women because there’s not enough WPBA and Predator events to fill up their calendar. And when these restrictions apply to players under 700 and even under 600 FargoRate, you know these aren’t the players at a caliber yet to go to Asia and Europe to fill up their calendar. This guideline is a noose around the necks of any budding American women to kill their careers before they’ve started. Pia Filler doesn’t need an Ultimate Pool pay day as much as it would help a Kennedy, Kaylee, Sofia or Savannah who happen to all be WPBA Elite Pros.
 
sjm said:
Now I think we are basically on the same page. While the thread deals with the "was there a breach or not?" issue, what ultimately matters is the question "what will future contracts look like?" It is incumbent on the players to take the process of negotiating the contract seriously to ensure that the contract is not overly restrictive and that their rights are protected.
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In my personal opinion:

I understand why the contracts have been restrictive in the past, but maybe its time for the WPBA to change. Players become mentors to other players who then want to be like them, but that isn't going to happen near as much as when players are free to go out into the market and make enough money to live on.

Not changing means, we create a class of players who have families backing them and how many are so well heeled these days?

That means it's not so possible for the rank-and-file player who plays well and wants to play on that level.

I think it should be about exposure if I were the one running the show and I would want more exposure for the WPBA not less and having
that exposure shines a light on the positive aspects of being a WPBA player and doing away with all of the negative ones if at all possible.

I did help a local tours TD years ago to run a lady's event that was done modified round robin, and it was an awesome experience.

The women hugged each other and exhibited truly fine sportsmanship until it was time to take it to the table.
They also smelled a lot nicer than a group of men.

I walked away with a great appreciation for the WPBA, and I think we need more of that in Pool.
 
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