So, the World Pool Association (WPA) did what it had threatened to do all along, and that is to enforce bans on players who participate in events not sanctioned by the world governing body. The WPA announced its ban in an email following the non-sanctioned Hanoi Open, an event promoted by Matchroom Multi Sport under the World Nineball Tour banner.
And as the Hanoi event approached, many players were left having to choose between the WNT and WPA. With many beholden to national federations who fund travel and entry fees to WPA events, a division in the pro ranks was inevitable.
I certainly understand the spot many of these players find themselves in, having to weigh independence against contractual obligations to national federations.
My confusion and concern with player movement, however, is more about what’s being taken for granted and what’s being looked over. And I’m afraid that if this becomes a battle with only one winner, it will set the game back 20 years.
Many of us old timers have waited a very long time for something that looked like it was elevating the entire sport for people outside our little railbird world to take notice of. Something that look and sounded big. Something that got talked about all year long. Something you could follow. Players becoming stars. Events leading to something.
It’s about more than prize money. It’s about growth potential. I see that with Matchroom’s WNT. This may sound like a Matchroom crush, but it’s about more than a company. It’s about presentation of a sport. I honestly do not see that with the WPA.
(And for the record, very few people outside the WPA board room have tried to get people to understand the role and value of the WPA than me. Do I think they do a lot wrong? Absolutely. But the WPA is necessary, and it isn’t going away, so forget that notion.)
And here’s why I say this.
What I see with the WPA are independent deals with independent promoters who pay a sanction fee to run an event. Nothing wrong with that. But that event comes and goes, usually without a lot of fanfare and almost always without any residual value to the sport other than prize fund payout. When the event is over, it evaporates into the ether until the following year. It has zero relevance with regards to any other event the WPA sanctions. The Predator World Championships and Pro Billiard Series events attempt to go beyond that model, but most are events are still one-offs.
And with all those independent events you have inconsistencies. Nothing looks the same. There is no uniformity. No commonality.
And the WPA? Don’t kid yourself. They are not promoters. They have no interest in a tour. No interest in shaping the future of the sport. They don’t have any control over these events, nor do they want control. They are about sanction fees and federations and government subsidies.
So, what you end up with is a hodgepodge of events throughout the year, with little rhyme or reason other than a payday for the players — and I get that is important to the players.
But where is the growth? Where is something that fans or sponsors can latch onto? The WPA does not own these events, so they can’t market them. They can’t get a sponsor for all of the events because they don’t have the power. They can’t make a TV deal for all the events because they don’t have the power. They cannot speak for these events in any way. They are solely a seal of approval. And that’s fine. But that doesn’t get the sport any closer to becoming a real sport.
To me, the real value of the WNT is that it is a commercial product, owned and produced by a company. A company with a real live full-time production team. A real full-time marketing team. A real full-time television team. This is what they do. This is their job 365 days a year.
And because of that there is uniformity and vision and a product that, when it reaches a certain point, can be marketed and sold and promoted as a single entity… a tour. It boggles my mind that the players and even the WPA don’t realize the long-term value of that for the sport that everyone feigns to care about.
Instead, players get mediocre ballrooms, inconsistency and lack of visibility. The WPA doesn’t determine where the China Open is going to be played. Or the Maldives Open. Or the Qatar Open. They don’t determine where, or even if, the event will have adequate worldwide coverage on TV or a streaming platform. And those things matter in developing a sport or legitimate tour.
I am steadfast in the belief that the growth of the sport will come from a single entity whose sole reason for being is to grow a sellable product. That does not mean that the WPA doesn’t have its place and isn’t of real value to the sport. It’s different business models. That doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong, or that one should survive and one should perish. But I see the critical importance of the WNT and worry that we may be doing our damnedest to chase it away.
A lot has been written about player stances and statements and holding to one’s word. But if the players really want to affect change, demand that the WNT and WPA find a way to forge ahead in separate directions without forcing players to make choices. Both entities owe the players the courtesy of working toward resolution. If they proceed as “enemies,” no one will win. Certainly not the players.