Tuesday 2 August 2016

My Frustration With the Lack of Promotion from the World 9 Ball Championships



By: Markus NoƩ

For players who have not won a major title, winning a World Championship is supposed to do a lot for them. It essentially puts them on the map. After winning a World title ideally you are now a household name throughout the pool world, making it easier to obtain sponsors and not have to grind it out as much as many have to do now. The life of a professional pool player is not easy as everyone knows. The light at the end of the tunnel is that a World title can give you some breathing room.
Unfortunately the media coverage has been next to nothing. In 2016 a brief article pictures and score updates is not enough. Where are the video interviews of players? Where is the proper stream with commentary? Why is there no mention of a television deal in the works. If you cannot promote our greatest players on the biggest stage then what are we doing here? How can you except to grow and promote the sport if 90% of the world has no idea whats going on at the moment. Do fans of other sports have to seek out random Facebook pages for updates of their most prestigious events... I think not.
Again I will ask what does the WPA do to ensure the continued growth and success of the sport. What do they do for juniors throughout the world? Is there referee programs? These are all just basic questions, they might be doing all this but for certain they are not getting their point across. The most action I have ever seen from the WPA is when they attacked Charlie Williams for calling his 14.1 Event a World Championship without their sanctioning.
This year event started off with the announcement that they wont be streaming every table like they have been. The company involved could not guarantee their product because the infrastructure was not adequate, something the host country and WPA were made aware of last year. All this and I haven't even mentioned the less then remarkable payouts.
There really needs to be more thought into promotion, otherwise the players we respect so much will all continue to struggle. My feeling is that the winner of this years event is getting robbed, because the promotional platform provided by the WPA and host are grossly inadequate. Does it matter if you won if nobody knows?