Beating a "somewhat" dead horse. (Re: the state of our sport)

inside_english

inside_english

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have more questions than answers.
I have read many threads here regarding the "state of pool", at least in the US. Some threads are valid, productive discussions, but most devolve into name-calling and flame-wars.

Everyone has ideas on how to fix some of the problems, but the majority of us (myself included) seem to lack the energy, time, money, willingness <insert excuse here> to make any real, long-lasting differences.

Oh, there are some that literally bend over backwards, but they are few and far between. Their efforts are appreciated by few, and sadly, criticized by many...which would make the ventures thankless ones. With that comes a great deal of discouragement, and an unwillingness to keep trying, and keep pushing.

We all think we know what the problems are. List after list and post after post of everything that is wrong with pool have been beaten to death on these boards. Some seem to be proud of themselves by being able to list every fault, and are too happy to criticize, or poison any suggestion others may have.

There are those who do encourage, but in our cyber-world, they are drowned out by the negativity, much like the Evening News, who need to report the bad news first...which much fanfare...because it is more interesting.

I would argue that 90% of forum members truly love this game, some of them love it in all of its forms, some may only love a certain type of game, and others may simply enjoy the somewhat social aspect of these forums.

I would also argue that everyone would love to see high-dollar tournaments, and a lot more of them. Everyone wants more pool on TV. Everyone wants pool to be portrayed in a more positive light in the movies, magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc.

I think most everyone is tired of people regarding this sport as a "back-room" activity engaged in by the only the so-called "dregs" of society.

I would like pool to not be regarded as a "niche" sport. If you have hangups about whether pool is a sport, then call it a game. The tite does not diminish its greatness, in my opinion.

And pool is great, make no mistake. Just the sheer difficulty alone is enough to exalt it into higher levels of skilled achievement. The constant quest for the perfect stroke, or the perfect game, is similar to seeking the perfect high-dive...minus the grueling physical conditioning required for the latter.

So, we all know what to SAY regarding the betterment of this game.
What should we DO?

What are YOU able or willing to do?
What do WE really want for this game?
How much do WE really care?
 
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Nice post inside english. I think you hit it on the head for describing the state of pool, the description of this forum and its members and attitudes.

What am I going to do for pool? Sadly, nothing that I'm not already doing. If I hit the lottery or become independently wealths soon, I probably won't have much power or time to do anything for pool.
 
I'll tell you what is not good for pool,it's handicapped tourneys. If they were big money tourneys, they would be even more corrupt. What a shame.
 
On this dead horse I usually like to strike somewhere around the shoulder area. I like to take long tomahawk like strokes until I here something crunch or I get winded.

I always respond to these threads to encourage people to start youth programs, tournaments or leagues.

I run an afterschool program in Pasadena ISD in Pasadena Texas. At any given time I have 80 kids on my roll and have about 20 that show up on any given day.

2 years ago I asked the members of the forum to donate equipment and they stepped up in a big way and made it happy. For all the trolls on this forum there are people who are positive and ready to make good things happen.

I also do videos on youtube for beginner to novice players. I always get good feedback from my viewers who are usually league players trying to get better. Over the years many forum members have helped make my videos better. To date I have 5.5 million views on these videos. Everyone should make an effort to get players involved preferably through face to face instruction. Beginners can get easily frustrated with the game if they don't know what to do.

In the final analysis pool will not move forward until youth programs are established and are housed in places that do not depend on smoking, booze and/or gambling.
 
This is going to suck but....

My opinion is that society and economy have progressd to the point that no thing will be the next big thing for any period of time and its likely no existing sport or activity will ever be any greater than it ever was in the past.

Times have changed and people , by way of passing generations have changed. There is no more and probably will be no more 'time honored' or 'traditional' anything in the future. Trends move through faster and faster as we move on. Outside stimuli, information and entertainment is constantly bombarding our youth and even middle generations forcing us to lose focus on what was and constantly re-focus but with lesser intent.

Factoring in that nothing today is done anymore without serious monetary gain , either for profit or at the very least for minimum continued support , there leaves little room for 'charity' cases or anything done purely for the love of it at anything passed the grass roots level. Forget about activities the require leaving the home at a regular basis when virtually every move in our lives is to put us back in the house. Fast food has detroyed fine dining and home theaters and big screens have put movie house up to or past the breaking point across the board. Neighborhood bars have gone under left and right and pool halls have followed suit. And our entire population is literally at epidemic levels of poor general health and overweight issues.

Its just a different world than it was 50 years ago and like it or not , it's not going back anytime soon.

Geez , that came out worse than I thought. :(
 
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Great post. I think the key is to clean up all the negative connotations that is widely associated with pool (gambling, alcohol, and bar-like setting) and encourage the youths to participate in this game. The reason why America dominates most sports is that we have good training and knowledge, but most importantly kids are heavily involved in sports. Here in America, there's a lot of resources for pool but are not used correctly otherwise Americans should have no problems dominating the sport, but not a chance with the way it is now.
 
That is absolutely wrong, and the stance the BCA took 20 years ago, which was one of the key factors in the games demise. If what you say is true, explain why all these young kids leave pool for poker. They get thousands in Vegas all paying 10K just to play. If pool had pushed its true roots, gambling, it could have done, what poker did.

The two biggest resurgances in the game, everyone made a lot of money off of, was two movies glamorizing a gambling pos pool hustler. If we had done, or even financed a 3rd one, pool would be rolling today, because it would put the message out there, pool is cool. Instead we did nothing, its been 25 years since the last movie, and the game died.

Its not too late, to still do that. What we did prove is putting pool bums in penguin in fancy ball rooms does not sell, because they are playing for peanuts. What poker proved, is they take scum that looks like came out of the drunk tank, let them gamble for a million, and millions tune in to watch these punks.

There it is, and the pool guardians were too stupid and blind, to see it.

Fatty told them years ago, puttin a pool player in penguin, is like puttin whipped cream on a hot dog.
 
DoubleD said:
If you can argue any of the points you claim everyone wants, you haven't been paying attention.

I don't care if there is never another big money tourney.

I hate pool on tv and streaming. It is boring. It is poorly shown. There is nothing about watching pool on tv that I enjoy.

I don't care how tv and movies portray pool players--the players do much worse portraying themselves in public.

There is nothing wrong with the state of pool except the whiners complaining about the state of pool.

Dld

Ps--literally means that someone actually does something. I fail to see how someone bending over backwards helps pool. The word you were looking for is 'figuratively'.
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You simply answered my questions with your responses:

"I don't care"...

"I hate"...

Pretty much says it all, as far as your opinion goes.

Thanks for your feedback and grammar lesson.

As far as there being nothing wrong with the state of pool...take a good look at my avatar. See that smile? I am wearing it right now.
 
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RRfireblade said:
This is going to suck but....

My opinion is that society and economy have progressd to the point that no thing will be the next big thing for any period of time and its likely no existing sport or activity will ever be any greater than it ever was in the past.

Times have changed and people , by way of passing generations have changed. There is no more and probably will be no more 'time honored' or 'traditional' anything in the future. Trends move through faster and faster as we move on. Outside stimuli, information and entertainment is constantly bombarding our youth and even middle generations forcing us to lose focus on what was and constantly re-focus but with lesser intent.

Factoring in that nothing today is done anymore without serious monetary gain , either for profit or at the very least for minimum continued support , there leaves little room for 'charity' cases or anything done purely for the love of it at anything passed the grass roots level. Forget about activities the require leaving the home at a regular basis when virtually every move in our lives is to put us back in the house. Fast food has detroyed fine dining and home theaters and big screens have put movie house up to or past the breaking point across the board. Neighborhood bars have gone under left and right and pool halls have followed suit. And our entire population is literally at epidemic levels of poor general health and overweight issues.

Its just a different world than it was 50 years ago and like it or not , it's not going back anytime soon.

Geez , that came out worse than I thought. :(
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I don't have the answer. but after reading your post I'm going to go suck on a gas pipe. :(
 
Seems in every thread someone says "this is what's wrong with pool" or "because of what this guy said/did that's why pool is where it is today: nowhere."

Am I the only one that doesn't get this?

Sure I'd like pool to be mainstream and sure I'd like to make a living of playing pool, but it's not possible right now.

What can we, the little pool players, do to make pool mainstream and popular and to the point we can make a living off it? Sorry, but even I (the biggest optimistic person you will prolly ever meet) don't think it's possible.

And so what?

I am okay with that.

People think because we have a few bad apples that "that is what is wrong with pool." WTF? Every sport / game has bad people and bad events associated with them. This isn't something new or something JUST associated to "pool."

And pool is just like darts and shuffle board and foosball: We all think it's the best game in the world and want to see high-end sponsors shove money at the game/sport/us. These other three sports are in the same boat. And I bet they have bad peeps, too, and yet that's NOT why their sport OR pool is not main stream.

Who really knows why? The fact of the matter is, we all get to play pool. Only a handful of us are talented enough to make money in the sport we love.

But pool is NOT mainstream BECAUSE we have drugs, gambling, people who make mistakes, etc. Other high profile sports have these same indiscretions and yet they are making money and have sponsored events.

Sorry for the side rant, but I just get frustrated over hearing complaints and wrong accusations.

Why did poker become hot and mainstream? That little gem secret would be the key for pool. I just don't know what it is but MORE SO: what can be done about it? And again, I'm okay with pool the way it is. And I don't blame anyone or anything for it not being mainstream.

Wishes and dreams are nice, but the fact is, I am still blessed I get to play the game I love; compete in big tournaments across the country; and still learn about myself through pool. Yea, so, I don't make a lot of money on it. Would I like to make more money in my little amateur tournaments. Sure. But eh, that's the way it is.
 
akaTrigger said:
Seems in every thread someone says "this is what's wrong with pool" or "because of what this guy said/did that's why pool is where it is today: nowhere."

Am I the only one that doesn't get this?

Sure I'd like pool to be mainstream and sure I'd like to make a living of playing pool, but it's not possible right now.

What can we, the little pool players, do to make pool mainstream and popular and to the point we can make a living off it? Sorry, but even I (the biggest optimistic person you will prolly ever meet) don't think it's possible.

And so what?

I am okay with that.

People think because we have a few bad apples that "that is what is wrong with pool." WTF? Every sport / game has bad people and bad events associated with them. This isn't something new or something JUST associated to "pool."

And pool is just like darts and shuffle board and foosball: We all think it's the best game in the world and want to see high-end sponsors shove money at the game/sport/us. These other three sports are in the same boat. And I bet they have bad peeps, too, and yet that's NOT why their sport OR pool is not main stream.

Who really knows why? The fact of the matter is, we all get to play pool. Only a handful of us are talented enough to make money in the sport we love.

But pool is NOT mainstream BECAUSE we have drugs, gambling, people who make mistakes, etc. Other high profile sports have these same indiscretions and yet they are making money and have sponsored events.

Sorry for the side rant, but I just get frustrated over hearing complaints and wrong accusations.

Why did poker become hot and mainstream? That little gem secret would be the key for pool. I just don't know what it is but MORE SO: what can be done about it? And again, I'm okay with pool the way it is. And I don't blame anyone or anything for it not being mainstream.

Wishes and dreams are nice, but the fact is, I am still blessed I get to play the game I love; compete in big tournaments across the country; and still learn about myself through pool. Yea, so, I don't make a lot of money on it. Would I like to make more money in my little amateur tournaments. Sure. But eh, that's the way it is.
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I also mentioned in my OP that I have read those same threads. I am asking what we can do.

I have no delusions that pool will ever be as big as UFC or Golf, but it CAN me more than what it is, no?
 
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RRfireblade said:
That is true for sure. I'll take about 30 seconds of it myself. ;)

How the heck have you been? Been forever man.
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Doing well, back to living in the West Texas desert - right now its 106 and climbing - I do miss Orlando! Hope you're well!
 
inside_english said:
I also mentioned in my OP that I have read those same threads. I am asking what we can do.

I have no delusions that pool will evebe as big as IFC or Golf, but it CAN me more than what it is, no?
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I wasn't pointing my comments at you. I was using your thread for my rant. :) It was the perfect spot! ;)
 
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