Quote from: PatRyan on Yesterday at 09:40:34 AM
The product is not new, and lots of people have been exposed to the game. However, the product is new to mainstream sports television, and table-soccer as a SPORT is new to anyone not currently playing in major tournaments. The reason there are not many sponsors, is that there is very little exposure of the SPORT to the general public (via mainstream media), to justify spending the dollars. Too little return on the investment.
Quote from: bbtuna
Hello! News flash! Foosball, the product, Is Not New and has been Exposed to Nearly Everyone!
I would say that there were obviously problems with Farid and the ITSF getting sponsorship from the organizations they would like, and keep control of all the money and all the financial support. I'm sure that Farid wanted Umro or Parmalat or similar org to finance and support the World Cup as originally slated for South Africa, but couldn't get the absolute say he wants and needs, and DEFINITELY not the sponsorship like the "accursed and American-based" Coca Cola sponsorship that Foozi seemed ot get with complete ease a ridiculous few days after the event became the Farid n Cronies Cup in Nantes.
Comparing sponsorship of the ITSF World Cup and the Foozi promotion is not a good comparison. The ITSF World Cup of Table Soccer is a sporting event, the Foozi promotion is just that, a promotion to get tables to the youth of South Africa. It is like comparing Apples and Oranges in my opinion.
Quote from: PatRyan on Yesterday at 09:40:34 AM
They would do it because the ITSF is recognized as the international governing body for the sport of foosball. They are also the organization that has arranged for the television exposure. I probably should not have put the TV coverage and production in my previous list. Competitions under the banner of the ITSF have the track record to gain the mainstream exposure needed for more sponsorship. And as you well know, there is no such thing as free money, there are always strings. The ITSF doesn't make money when they sanction and help organize these large tournaments. The sponsor dollars (Euros) currently go toward putting on a first class event. Much like you would see for other international sporting events (local and national news coverage, advertising to the general public through signage around the host city, banners across the streets, advertising at bus terminals, etc.), getting the potential spectators interested, building up the competition as an EVENT, not just a tournament.
Quote from: bbtuna
Not trying to give you a hard time Pat, but all that just sounded like a bunch of nonsense to me. Just my opinion.
Quote from: Pat Ryan
That is not giving me a hard time, that was stating an opinion. I am more than happy to respond with what information I have.
It is already way beyond obvious that Farid and the three manufacturers of the 5 remaining wish to have complete control of a European-managed World Championships and World Cup, sponsored by Euro firms with no strings to have to kowtow to as-large and as-powerful American or other conglomerates/entities. He and they absolutely realize that if Versus or other media corporation outside their sphere (like ABC-ESPN), as well as a large North American, English or Asian sponsor were to give their aegis or support, it would be be to the Tornado and similar styled tables as proliferated in North America and Asia, and NOT THEIR POCKETS. I don't really blame them, and their posturing to "represent all global foosball", but when their percentage of top players are such a tiny and almost inconsequential portion of the top professional players in the world, THAT IS A JOKE.
I am unclear as to which 3 of the five official tables you are referring to, but it really doesn’t matter. And I am not sure what to say to that. EuroSport is a HUGE network (much larger than Versus, not quite as big as ESPN, I think). You think that corporations outside of the US spend their marketing dollars more frivolously in Europe than US corporations do in the US. Business is business, anywhere in the world, what the potential sponsors/marketing partners want is return on investment, no matter where in the world the dollars come from, no matter who they partner with.
Additionally, not the ITSF as an organization, nor Farid, nor any of the manufacturers, are lining their pockets with sponsorship or marketing dollars (Euros). There are contracts for a particular event, just like everywhere else in the world.
It's like the Euro basketball league posturing to OWN the world basketball championships. They can do that all they want and have all the tournaments they want, but the Americans, Russians, Lithuanians, the former Yugo states, and Asia will just laugh at them. The ITSF in turn dumped the best and most legendary Euro player's home table/s, for chrissake! Weren't there 9 or 13 originally? Jupiter and Leonhart not good enough to represent the world either? Now do you get why most people here and the rest of the world may look suspiciously at the ITSF as a bunch of crap?
There are, and have been, only 5 “ITSF Official Competition” tables, and 5 “ITSF Recognized” tables. In the beginning the five “Official” tables were: Tornado, Bonzini, Garlando, Eurosoccer, and Roberto Sport. Sometime in 2006, Eurosoccer and the ITSF decided to end their partnership, for whatever reason. Then TecBall (made be Lemacher) applied to be an Official Competition Table, and was accepted by a vote of the ITSF executive committee.
Originally, there was only ONE table in the recognized category, that was the Rosengart table. Now there are 5: Rosengart, Leonhart, Sardi, Fireball, and Eurosoccer.
Pretty petty and insular for such an all-encompassing world organization "representing" the best of the best of the world, WOULDN'T YOU SAY? We all know how proud Ryan and Tony and Tmac and Gumby were to represent the US, and likewise Rico for Belgium, and Rob and Jonny for the UK, but does the ITSF really represent them and the interests of foosball? Instead of being prouder to have done well even in the fractured world of the North American professional tour? Where whatever available REAL MONEY has been for the better part of two decades? As well as the best foosball play in the world (don't ask your fellow Americans, Pat, ask any Euro or Asian player, even Antarcticans...)
The ITSF is supposed to govern the sport of table soccer, on the international level. They should represent the interest of the sport, as a whole, on the international level. The names of the players will change over time, the skills of the players will change, but the interest of the sport is what the ITSF is about. And yes, part of the interests of the sport is the rights of the players, and the protection of those rights.
And for the record, I don’t need to ASK anyone about the best players in the world, who they are, or where they live. Like you, I have played with and against them, many times.
Now the new battleground is Asia, and specifically China, where Farid has been obviously lobbying for the last decade, as well. If he doesn't change his vision to include all major tables (and their lookalikes or similar tables made in China and the rest of Asia) and agree to not demand control of manufacturers, which makes the vision ludicrous to ANY PROSPECTIVE MAJOR WORLD SPONSOR, then he should rightfully fail there, too. That kind of bullcrap doesn't fly with any global sponsors that have any kind of decent due-diligence.. They would righteously dump him and even mirror his organization's structure and rules, before they would be dumb enough to give him or the ITSF any control whatsoever. Especially in this new World Order, post-Bear-Stearns, post-Madoff. Might've flown in the 80's but not now, not ever.
I don’t know anything about what Farid has done (if anything) in China. Nor do I know about anything that the ITSF has done with regards to any “lobbying” in China. So I can’t really address those questions/statements in an informed manner.
As to including all major tables, what would constitute a “major” table.
For the record, I believe that there should be more that 5 ITSF recognized tables. But I see the need for limiting the number of “Official ITSF Competition” tables. By that, I mean the ones that the World Cup and the World Championships (Multi-table) are played on.
The sponsorship money I have been referring to is for specific events, not for the ITSF as an organization. The potential sponsors will look at the event, its exposure to the public, etc. as previously touched upon.
They will look at the ITSF, they will look at how they ITSF runs the event, does the ITSF event give the potential sponsor what they are looking for if they should enter into an agreement for particular events? They could care less what table is used for the competition, as long as they get a good return for their marketing money.
Pat Ryan
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