Hard to believe but googling {"jai-alai" Paris} dredged up:
Here's an excerpt from a Jeff Holtz column, 7-1/2 years ago. After the initial announcement, it was off, on again, on hold, etc. Now I can't find anything - it just seems to have fizzled.
Maybe it's just a well-kept secret.
INSIDE JAI-ALAI FOR SUNDAY MAY 5TH, 1996 //BY JEFF HOLTZ JAI-ALAI COMING TO PARIS, FRANCE -----Jai-Alai is scheduled to be coming to Paris, France late in 1997 when construction is completed on a 2,500 seat fronton that will be attached to the grandstand at the city's Auteuil horse track. -----The project has been started by French businessman Andre Cessart, who is from the construction company Lefevere. He's working in conjuction with the French Federation of Pelota and officials from both the fronton in St. Jean De Luz and the Biarritz Athletic Club. ----Ultimately, the jai-alai operation will be headed by France Galop, the pari-mutuel firm that provides the steeple chase races at the track, which it rents from the city. It's begun negotiating with the Paris City Council regarding the remodling procedures and a revised agreement for the future. ----Sources tell us the company plans to aggressively pursue the top stars in the game. It wants to have a set roster of around 20 to be complemented by a rotated, visiting contingent of 20 others in a circuit built through agreements with frontons from all over the world. -----Current Fronton Mexico Players' Manager Jean Sales, who is French, is said to be the early frontrunner for that same position in Paris. One-time Milford and Bridgeport backman Elorza might be one of first the players he signs. -----Cessart is flying to the United States this week to visit Milford and the frontons in Florida and see how the quiniela/Spectacular Seven version of the business is handled. Early speculation is that the complex in Paris will go predominantly with that system. ----Betting on jai-alai at the Auteuil fronton would require a revision in French law, which has always prohibited action on humans and forced all of the tournaments and partidos in the Basque country to be held as spectator events only. Through interviews we did for this column, it wasn't clear if that change had taken place. Although, a number of people believed it had. ----The Auteuil Race Track is located on the western side of Paris. It has a capacity of nearly 10,000 and is usually jammed on weekends and at about 50 percent for its two weekday performances. All of the slates are held in the afternoon. The average handle wasn't available. However a spokesperson for France Galop said "the track does very well".
Also we should remember Jai-Alai Australia, Texas, Louisiana etc.
One more thing about amateur jai-alai.
If we rounded up the 100 most enthusiastic amateurs and shipped them to a place with no jai-alai history - let's say Denver - and checked back in 5 years, do you think that their existence would cause a professional fronton to spring into existence?
On the other hand, if some rich patron built a pro fronton in Denver and spent whatever it took - even losing big bucks - to make jai-alai popular, after 5 years there would certainly be plenty of enthusiastic amateurs.
My point is that amateurs were a by-product of pro jai-alai, and ABSOLUTELY NOT a key ingredient for its operation. When jai-alai was thriving, it was because the experience was entertaining to the general public.
So until the total jai-alai experience - either live or via the internet - becomes appealing to at least a tiny slice of the general population, jai-alai is not likely to rebound from its present state.
However, this move by Dania is still great because it shows a commitment to stick around and try to improve.
And with Benny and (maybe) Big Dave still in the the jai-alai world, why can't they do an el cheapo YouTube resurrection of Miami-Jai-Lites? But this time for both frontons.
