From: Steve Bruno [mailto:desertmysterian@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 7:31 PM
To: Kitty and Steve Cooper
Cc: kenm@kenmonzingo.com; bonnie@bonniebagleyd17.com
Subject: Re: WBF, etc.
Kitty and Steve,
Thanks for providing input. I applaud you for recusing yourself from any attempt at beating the drum for the USBF. I wish all persons who benefit financially and otherwise from the actions of the USBF or WBF would be honorable enough to recuse themselves from such discussions. This, of course, includes many ACBL Board Members.
In addition to the fiscal arguments that Ken eloquently makes for the ACBL distancing itself from funding the USBF and the WBF, I'm particularly concerned with the "disconnect" between the ACBL rank-and-file and the two organizations and the players which "represent" the ACBL in international competition. Even though the ACBL, through it's Bulletin and Editor continually attempt to deify our "stars" and their sponsors through glowing accounts of their exploits and allowing some sponsors to write articles in the Bulletin, praising the cleverness of themselves, their wives and their minions, the average ACBL member looks at these very successful bridge professionals as people not worthy of respect, no matter what they have achieved bridgewise. The reason for that is the typical hired pro who wins world championships is a person who didn't finish college or, if he did, did not work at a full-time job other than playing bridge. He ingratiated himself into the life of a rich sponsor who pays him to play bridge. He's a parasite. How can a retired person who worked at least thirty years to earn a pension and social security identify with or wish his money would be given to support a person who never knew the burdens of hard work or never took his responsibilities to his family or others seriously? Now, I admit these are huge generalizations. Of course not every top bridge pro is a bum. But the perception of these players by the average player is as I described. There is tremendous resentment of these sycophants by rank-and-file players. So the disconnect exists, whether warranted or not. And the disdain with which the WBF, USBF and the ACBL Board of Directors treats their constituency when it dares to request some accountability only exacerbates the "disconnect" and paranoia. I've written to Brent Manley about this topic. To say he was disbelieving of my characterizations is an understatement.
I once had a boss who was a truly great guy. But he lost site of who he was working for; instead of representing and working for people under him in the organization, he thought he was working for himself and his bosses. He became ruthless and uncaring and unaccountable to his employees - even disdainful to them. I said to him, "Floyd, do you know what your trouble is?" He said, "No, what is it?" I said, "You've begun to swallow your own bullshit."
I think that may be what's happened here.
Until all parties involved acknowledge the huge chasm that exists between most ACBL members and the "stars" and the USBF and WBF orgainzations and also acknowledge the virtue of those organizations and the ACBL Board of Directors being accountable to the people whose money they spend on a very small group of people, including themselves, the problem will never be solved. It will be time to seek an alternative to the status quo.
Thanks for listening.