Why do we have to chip-in for the cost of the pool table on match night???

Well, I have received a few complaints about the new rule both from a few players and a few bar owners but most of the people I’ve talked to do understand why it’s being done. As with any changes there are always some who aren’t going to be happy with it. If I were to make a rule that the bar has to buy the first round of drinks I can guarantee you that I’d get a call saying “But I don’t drink. Can the bar just give me the $3.50 instead of the drink?”

One of the comments was “but I don’t eat the food”. Well, my answer is that you’re not paying for the food, you’re paying for the table (and by the way….did you call ahead to the bar owner to let him/her know that you’re not eating so they don’t waste their money making sure that there is food for you if you change your mind??).

The reason for the change is very simple. In order to expand the league (which would ultimately result in different bars to play at and less travel between the bars) I need to make it more attractive to the bar owners. The cost to a bar owner as it stands right now is somewhere between $60 to $75 per night that they sponsor a team. At that price, sponsoring a team is not all that attractive to a prospective sponsor. By dropping that cost to somewhere between $35 to $50 we can surely attract some new bars into the league.

Hey…here’s a better idea…..why don’t I just run the league for free and pay all the expenses out of my own pocket?? That would work, wouldn’t it.

Now I do know that some of the bar owners are not going to ask for the $12. I’m certainly not going to force them to take your money. I really don’t care if they do or not. It’s not going into my pocket. It’s their prerogative, but if they do request it, it’s up to the team captain to collect it from his team and give it to the bartender. There are some that may only collect from the away team. Again, it’s their prerogative.

For the last few seasons, it’s been difficult to keep the league up to the 48 teams that we have. 48 teams is just above the break even point for me after expenses for printing, postage, awards, administrative fees, etc. For the little that I do make, it’s not really worth the aggravation. With more teams, I can make a little profit and you’ll ultimately benefit from decreased travel time and more diversified teams to compete against. If I can ever get the league back up to 64 teams, I can afford to reinstate the Gold Conference.

The bottom line…..$3.00 is chump change for getting to hang out with your teammates for a few hours, have a couple of drinks, eat some free food and play a few games of pool. If you have more than 4 players on your team, it’s even less than that. If you can’t afford the $3.00, I would suggest that you find a less expensive league (don’t bother looking because there are none).