Golly gee.........
The poor game of pool is hanging on by a thread compared to other sports. So I long ago quit comparing it to other professional sports since it is unique. It is like nothing else and never will be, at least in the United States.
Also, some players are not as "professional" as others. Chang, Shane, Niels, Ko, Efren and a few others come to mind as good examples of a "professional". They go about their "business" relatively drama free.
For example, Thorpe, Shaw, Earl, Delchaine, they seem to occasionally have drama on and off the table, at least according to posting members of this forum. I think it is just the difference in pool players respecting their sport and promoting it's image.
But, who cares right? The only thing that really matters is how good they are at poking a ball in a hole with a stick. If they are good at that we love them and over look their faults.
I personally think most pro pool players are better in character then most pro foot ball players. They are always in the news for domestic violence, drug use and disrespecting our National Anthem. I no longer watch foot ball.
Maybe Thorpe is finally reaching a top level of play and will come to terms with how important his appearance is and his professional ethics are. I say give him a chance to grow up a bit, call fouls on him self that no one sees, make sure his clothes are squared away for a match, etc.
All that is a good character building stuff.