Why are they a disgrace you ask? Well their fellow Americans have not yet been paid by FTP, and not even the patch wearers are being paid currently. I have no problem with an Euro player, Canadian player, heck any non USA resident player wearing The FTP patch, as FTP is legally allowed to do biz in those countries. However, as we all know, FTP is not allowed to serve American players, and are not allowed to play on FTP for money!
Allen Cunningham took some shit yesterday at The WSOP for wearing his patch. He should expect to take shit, as long as it is not out of line shit and overly rude and vile. Allen is said to have responded to the player giving him shit, “Hey you buy stuff made in China” LOL!! Horrible Analogy Allen;
The last time I checked, it is perfectly LEGAL to buy stuff made in China. Sure, I think a lot of us would like to see more American made products being bought and sold here, but WTF does any of us buying something perfectly legal and allowed for us to buy, have to do with FTP not paying USA players, and USA players NOT BEING ALLOWED to play for money on FTP? We have a choice to buy or not buy Chinese products, We do not have a choice as Americans when it comes to FTP now do we? Man Allen, that is really a lame excuse.. Man up and tear off that patch!!
I think it is a flat out slap in the face to those of us who are owed money by FTP, and cannot play for money on FTP, when FTP sponsored AMERICAN players wear FTP patches at an AMERICAN sponsored and played in our country event!
The next time any of you see someone wearing an FTP patch, ask them “WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?” There has to be something in it for them to be so bold and brazen to wear the patch of a company who owes over 100 million dollars to US AMERICAN PLAYERS!
Notice that Mike is not wearing The FTP patch.. I was as strong here in my opinion as I was with My Brother not to wear the patch. I am glad Mike has chosen to do the right thing, or even better said, chosen NOT to do the wrong thing…
You players wearing FTP patches, think about it carefully the message you are sending out there. Remember, The WSOP will not allow patches to be worn on the featured tables. The WSOP is an American event, FTP hoping to attract new AMERICAN PLAY MONEY ACCOUNTS? lol!!
So why are you wearing those patches? TEAR THEM OFF until at least FTP settles what is owed to American players! And Yes, FTP does have a target date to pay, and I beleive they will meet that target.. However, SHOW ME DA MONEY, Then wear that patch proudly! Wear it now, WEAR IT IN SHAME!
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Hey, first time I post here and this isn’t hating. Just giving my opinion on what Allen meant by the comment. Although sure it is legal to buy clothes from China, how do you know he wasn’t implying they are supporting sweatshops/near slave labour in China. The same as he is supporting Full Tilt who aren’t able to pay out their players at this time, the others who made the comments to begin with are supporting the huge clothing companies like Nike, who pay very little to their Chinese employees.
Also… “but WTF does any of us buying something perfectly legal and allowed for us to buy, have to do with FTP not paying USA players, and USA players NOT BEING ALLOWED to play for money on FTP? We have a choice to buy or not buy Chinese products, We do not have a choice as Americans when it comes to FTP now do we?”
This makes it seem as if it is Full Tilt’s choice to not serve US players. Sure they made the decision to do it, but it was under huge pressure and threats from the DOJ. Full Tilt poker WANT to run in the US, they showed this by running it in the US for the past few years despite what the govt sais. But don’t think they have not much choice now. (May be stating obvious there and just misunderstood your comment, forgive me if so).
Way I see his comment. The same way as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer etc all support Nike despite the common knowledge they use cheap labour overseas, making employees work 16 hour days for $2; he is allowed to wear and support Full Tilt Poker despite the inability to pay players. He is still an ambassador for the brand and if he wants to wear the patches, he can. He knows what he was getting into by wearing them to the WSOP and i’m sure he’d accepted it he was going to get hate long before appearing there.
Just what came to mind after reading your post here, btw read your latest blog ‘my life ramblings’ cool dude.. changed from my initial opinion of you.
The WSOP is a USA event. If USA players wish to support FTP with patches at a non USA EVENT. cool. 1. Those sports people get paid to support Nike. FTP is not paying these guys at the moment to wear teh patches. 2. It seems to me that by wearing the patch, those wearing in front of people who have yet to be paid is like slapping them in the face. This is specific to players sitting at the same table, who are owed money by FTP, looking at those wearing patches by http://FTP.. to give a more direct analogy, would be to say that those Nike Employees would be sitting at the same table with people wearing Nike shoes and flaunting it. While I can see your point as somewhat valid. I cannot agree with it. But that makes the world go around and why we have different opinions, eh? Thanks for reading my other blog!
I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. Not all that long ago, Communism was, according to the U.S. government, the greatest evil on earth. Eventually, “morality” gave way to greed, and the government “forgot” how bad Communism was and allowed our companies to do business in China. Wearing the Made in China brand is a slap in the face to those workers who were sold out by their government and who continue to be sold out by U.S. companies in the name of profit, much like your claim that wearing an FTP patch is a slap in the face to those who still have money tied up there. MILLIONS of good American jobs have been lost to this and will never come back, and these people have family to support, just like anyone else. Buying these products, legal or not, is an implicit acceptance of this new reality.
Name one FTP pro who ever wore a patch because FTP was a morally superior offering than say, Pokerstars. I don’t believe you’ll find any. Again, they wore it for the money. And just like you came down on Ivey for his lawsuit, and pretty much accused him of doing it for himself, the same could be said for the other FTP pros who have now chosen to go patchless and who also have money on FTP. I would have really liked to see what they’d be wearing now if they *were* getting paid to represent FTP. Then we’d see what prevails — the morality of helping to make those who played on FTP whole again, or their own personal paycheck. It doesn’t look like we’ll see the answer to that question anytime soon. Regardless, this issue isn’t totally black and white.
Thanks, Scott, for all of your blogs. I enjoy reading them very much.
One other question: How can you say the WSOP is a USA event? It’s a world event, as its name suggests: *WORLD* Series of Poker. It is held in the USA, yes, but a lot of foreign money is put into the prize pool as well. Are the Olympics a world event or does it happen to be “owned” by the country which hosts it that particular year? I certainly hope it’s not the event of the host country, or they may take offense to our athletes wearing their “patch”: The American flag.
Thanks,
Mike
Your welcome Mike, Thanks for reading them!
Every Poker tournament is world event Mike. World series of Poker Europe is one as well, so why do they call it WSOP =E? Comparing this to The Olympics is extremely far flung. These events cost money, and open to anyone with Money, trying to win pure cash. The WSOP is not held every 4 years and does not move to other host countries, it is for sure, and always has been an American Event, hosted always in America, but open to anyone with money to enter. Not a good analogy you make Mike IMO