Monday, November 16, 2009

Generational Relay in Jai-Alai

We all know who the current jai-alai stars are: Goiko, Lopez, Egiguren II... Having said that, let us consider that the average age in the recent World Championship was 32 years. In the next ten or twelve years, who will those celebrities be and, most importantly, where will those generational replacements come from?
We know where the stars have come from until now: from American jai-alai frontons. Nevertheless, with the closing of US frontons, how many young pelotaris have made their debut in Florida in the last 5 years? In the past, quality was derived from abundance of players. It has been that way for decades. The system intrinsically produced super stars. That market tumbled and no longer demands or attracts candidates, but for a few exceptions. Reflection is required:
1. If jai-alai no longer motivates and, therefore, the outflow of players towards Florida is reduced to its most basic expression, where will the future super stars come from?.
2. For the motivated few who wanted to pursue the sport professionally, where will they develop their skills? In the past, development and apprenticeship took place mainly in frontons like Barcelona and Florida. But now where will it happen? Can Dania and Miami serve as farms to pump out the quantity of players necessary to produce quality?
In recent years, how many young players have turned pro in the Basque Country? Master Jai and Jai Alive round out their respective rosters with three or four "American" stars. The remaining roster is made up of "finished product" with low risk. In other words, experienced players that have completed their North American tour and return home where few of them continue playing pro jai-alai, becoming their "part time" occupation.
I understand that the situation is difficult for both companies, which face the difficult task of surviving and issues like mid to long term planning may not be appreciated. Additionally, they have not yet faced the shortage because the US market has addressed the need to create stars and they have only to pick and choose players. I think that this luxury will come to an end in a few years.
Can these two companies do something to prevent the generational vacuum from becoming reality in the mid to long term? Why did Master Jai not organize a Pro-Am this year as it did last year?, when it was so succesful and well received?.
Can jai-alai survive the future without farms that can produce super stars? With the aging of current stars and the jai-alai birth rate declining to a minimum, I am afraid that in the future the Goiko, Lopez, Egiguren and others who are 50 years or so will continue playing and being the best.

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