More Pros not enjoying WTT and its expensive Costs

[pongfugrasshopper]

Recap on ITTF CEO on WTT in 2020....

The most significant outcomes of the new model expected to be seen from 2021 are:
• Increased prize money
• New professional event series with blockbuster marquee events
• Globally renowned commercial partners and investors
• Exclusive women’s tour to further promote the women’s game
• Unrivalled development / high performance opportunities for all future stars
• Robust commercial platform enabling table tennis to catch up with other sports
• Enhanced TV production to showcase the stars from a fresh angle
• Investment into a new social and digital strategy to further promote players and events

A Message from the CEO I World Table Tennis Origins - International Table Tennis Federation

Table Tennis, ping pong, whif whaf or whatever name has been used is a sport that has existed for more than 140 years and is believed to have first been played by the aristocrats in England in the late 18th century. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was subsequently founded in...

www.ittf.com

• Increased prize money -> except for 1 Grand Smash and 1 WTT Champions in 2023 FAIL
• New professional event series with blockbuster marquee events -> Unsure what the value add is here
• Globally renowned commercial partners and investors -> FAIL
• Exclusive women’s tour to further promote the women’s game -> FAIL
• Unrivalled development / high performance opportunities for all future stars -> FAIL
• Robust commercial platform enabling table tennis to catch up with other sports -> FAIL
• Enhanced TV production to showcase the stars from a fresh angle -> If this means the mind numbing side angle, then FAIL
• Investment into a new social and digital strategy to further promote players and events -> FAIL

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

• Increased prize money -> except for 1 Grand Smash and 1 WTT Champions in 2023 FAIL
• New professional event series with blockbuster marquee events -> Unsure what the value add is here
• Globally renowned commercial partners and investors -> FAIL
• Exclusive women’s tour to further promote the women’s game -> FAIL
• Unrivalled development / high performance opportunities for all future stars -> FAIL
• Robust commercial platform enabling table tennis to catch up with other sports -> FAIL
• Enhanced TV production to showcase the stars from a fresh angle -> If this means the mind numbing side angle, then FAIL
• Investment into a new social and digital strategy to further promote players and events -> FAIL

here is the list of globally renowned commercial partners and investors, for the WTTC Finals this year

 

[thomas.pong]

Yes, this is overall in my opinion a bad thing, similar to barriers to enter a trade, like union dues or a membership in a trade association or mafia safe money protection payout or similar thing... anything that makes it difficult to enter a trade works against free market principles.

Ultimately, they will need to carefully assess and act, but bigshot jokers in charge artificially making it difficult to operate freely to pursue the ability to earn enough to make a living and greatly increase the risk above what it would naturally be is so wrong.

There are way more barriers to becoming a TT pro in the US than in Europe lol

 

[thomas.pong]

I am certainly not confused about socialism and its evils, the goal of socialism is totalitarian control and later communism, it is out there for anyone to read and know.

Now to address your "Beef" (an Amercian word for complaint) about the national association taking amateur's money and funneling it to things that do not benefit the amateurs (this is exactly the USA TT system) entirely WITHOUT the consent of the (majority of) amateur players and there is practically zero ability of the amateurs to put checks and controls on the association...

This is easily WRONG in so many ways and I totally agree with you in this regard. The inability of the amateur player to have a say in this and control it is irritating at the least.

Socialism and capitalism look different in different places, some countries use a mix and various levels of both, America included. Both can have positive and negative effects, neither system leads straight to totalitarianism.

Politics aside, I think we can all agree that WTT is enforcing stupid systems / barriers that keep a lot of great players from competing, showing what they've got and from moving up the ranks on their own playing merit: cost higher than any prize money, not having a choice of hotels, playing at a loss just to scramble a few points... if the Olympics did the same, there would no longer be Olympic Games worth a damn.