Mosconi Cup Popularity

RunoutJJ

Professional Banger
Silver Member
Do you think that Americans would watch the Mosconi Cup if televised?? Do you think that its energy and excitement would be enough to spark up ratings??

I've asked these questions to many after showing them clips of the 2010 matches. Some couldn't believe the energy of the crowd and emotions of the players while some were just.... Meh...

I truly believe that the Cup is the answer to televised pool. I really believe that matchroom does a fanstatic job with the slow mo shots and panning to the players faces to bring out their emotions of the match. What flag waving American doesn't want to see their country kick the snot out of those smelly europeans (just kidding guys) while eating nachos and drinking budwieser?? A good majority I'm sure.

So what does everybody think?? Is it possible to sell to ESPN or does Matchroom have a bug up its bum about sharing televised events?? I don't know the ins and outs of it but it would have to show the match in York Hall. No doubt the most edge of your seat nail biting excitment that you can't find anywhere else!!

Thoughts.....
 
The simple answer is that ESPN ranks pool lower the lawn mower races and hot dog eating contests. There is no interest.

As an aside, a friend of mine was going through a horrible child custody battle in court with the father of her child. There were some hanky panky things going on in the legal system up in northern Maryland, as the father lived in a small town and actually knew the judge. It was totally the "good 'ol boy" mentality in this area.

My friend decided to call Senator Barbara Mikulski to see if she would intervene. What was happening was totally illegal. Believe it or not, Senator Mikulski answered the phone when my friend called, which is really out of the ordinary for a Senator. Senator Mikulski advised her to get the media involved, as that would garner the attention of higher-ups; thus, resulting in justice for my friend.

And that's exactly what happened. I'm not giving out any names, but the judge ended up going before a judiciary review committee, and he stepped down from his elected position because of this case. Justice served!

Same thing has to happen with pool and ESPN. Something in pool needs to garner the attention of mainstream media. It just might pique the interest of ESPN if CNN, HSN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, et al., are broadcasting pool-related news stories.
 
So mayb e Fox Sports then?? Hell I saw some of the cup on MSG+ but how many people have that? Not many to 0.

I remember a member on here saying that he had ties to ESPN and was working on it. Well chim in if you're there!!!
 
Matchroom would sell the Mosconi Package to any network willing to buy it. The problem is that American networks do not want it at a fair price. They want it given to them the same way the rest of pool is given to them. They do not want to set a precedent for paying decent money for pool as that could cause their other sources for material to want to be paid as well.

From my point of view the problem with TV pool in the US is that the networks want it for free and as long as people continue to give it to them they see no need to pay for it. The TV networks could care less about 'growing the game' or 'popularizing pool'. All they want is a certain number of hours of pool to run up against football or NASCAR. And they want those hours cheap. Currently they get them so why should they change anything?

Those who give away the content cannot afford to do a Matchroom quality show and those who use the content do not want to pay a Matchroom price. Mexican standoff.

That was a major problem for the IPT. They put BIG bucks into TV production believing that their quality would produce a product the networks would bid against one another to obtain. 60 days after declaring that he was 'negotiating" with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ESPN Kevin T wound up with his show on 'Versus", and they got it for free.

The only answer I see is to refuse to give away content. Take pool off of American TV for ten or twenty years until an appetite for the game can be generated and until the generation of "we get it for free" suits has left the office suites of the networks. Might not work. But what we got now isn't working at all.

On the plus side, Fox sometimes does buy the highlight package which they run late at night.
 
Matchroom would sell the Mosconi Package to any network willing to buy it. The problem is that American networks do not want it at a fair price. They want it given to them the same way the rest of pool is given to them. They do not want to set a precedent for paying decent money for pool as that could cause their other sources for material to want to be paid as well.

From my point of view the problem with TV pool in the US is that the networks want it for free and as long as people continue to give it to them they see no need to pay for it. The TV networks could care less about 'growing the game' or 'popularizing pool'. All they want is a certain number of hours of pool to run up against football or NASCAR. And they want those hours cheap. Currently they get them so why should they change anything?

Those who give away the content cannot afford to do a Matchroom quality show and those who use the content do not want to pay a Matchroom price. Mexican standoff.

That was a major problem for the IPT. They put BIG bucks into TV production believing that their quality would produce a product the networks would bid against one another to obtain. 60 days after declaring that he was 'negotiating" with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ESPN Kevin T wound up with his show on 'Versus", and they got it for free.

The only answer I see is to refuse to give away content. Take pool off of American TV for ten or twenty years until an appetite for the game can be generated and until the generation of "we get it for free" suits has left the office suites of the networks. Might not work. But what we got now isn't working at all.

On the plus side, Fox sometimes does buy the highlight package which they run late at night.

I totally agree...you beg or give for nothing, you get the respect you
deserve.....nada
 
Matchroom would sell the Mosconi Package to any network willing to buy it. The problem is that American networks do not want it at a fair price. They want it given to them the same way the rest of pool is given to them. They do not want to set a precedent for paying decent money for pool as that could cause their other sources for material to want to be paid as well.

From my point of view the problem with TV pool in the US is that the networks want it for free and as long as people continue to give it to them they see no need to pay for it. The TV networks could care less about 'growing the game' or 'popularizing pool'. All they want is a certain number of hours of pool to run up against football or NASCAR. And they want those hours cheap. Currently they get them so why should they change anything?

Those who give away the content cannot afford to do a Matchroom quality show and those who use the content do not want to pay a Matchroom price. Mexican standoff.

That was a major problem for the IPT. They put BIG bucks into TV production believing that their quality would produce a product the networks would bid against one another to obtain. 60 days after declaring that he was 'negotiating" with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ESPN Kevin T wound up with his show on 'Versus", and they got it for free.

The only answer I see is to refuse to give away content. Take pool off of American TV for ten or twenty years until an appetite for the game can be generated and until the generation of "we get it for free" suits has left the office suites of the networks. Might not work. But what we got now isn't working at all.

On the plus side, Fox sometimes does buy the highlight package which they run late at night.

Thanks for a well considered and well presented post, Jerry. Look forward to seeing you at Derby City.

Stu
 
Somebody who is a good pool writer should create an article on Huffington Post about the Mosconi Cup while it is in progress -- WITH PICTURES.

The Huffington Post sports section would be the place to highlight it. Lou would be a good candidate. I realize Jerry will be busy with the broadcasting of the Mosconi Cup.

If done well, it might shine a bright light on the competition of Team USA versus Team Europe in a cool way. This would be a start to get the Mosconi Cup noticed, and pool as a whole would leap one giant step forward in mainstream media. :)
 
Somebody who is a good pool writer should create an article on Huffington Post about the Mosconi Cup while it is in progress -- WITH PICTURES.

The Huffington Post sports section would be the place to highlight it. Lou would be a good candidate. I realize Jerry will be busy with the broadcasting of the Mosconi Cup.

If done well, it might shine a bright light on the competition of Team USA versus Team Europe in a cool way. This would be a start to get the Mosconi Cup noticed, and pool as a whole would leap one giant step forward in mainstream media. :)

I think it's a good idea...and I nominate JAM.
...you got the technical skills, and you're literate
 
I think it's a good idea...and I nominate JAM.
...you got the technical skills, and you're literate

I don't have time, but thanks for the kind confidence. My workload is brutal right now. I wish I could write to convey my excitement and get others excited. If done well, it would be a boost to pool. :)
 
I'd settle for the networks just including the last few winning shots in their nightly sports news segment.

"And here it is folks...the winning shot by a deaf kid from North Dakota, that clinched the title for the Americans!"

Of course, it's not the 5 seconds of a straight-in 9-ball that's of interest. The "wow" part to the TV producer is the crowd going wild and all the teamates hugging each other (if one of them could manage some tears, that would be helpful).

And yes, the network would expect to get those few seconds of film for free. There's more in it for Matchroom than there is for the network.
 
I don't have time, but thanks for the kind confidence. My workload is brutal right now. I wish I could write to convey my excitement and get others excited. If done well, it would be a boost to pool. :)

One of the finest people I ever knew said to me...
..."If you want something done, give it to a busy person."
 
The simple answer is that ESPN ranks pool lower the lawn mower races and hot dog eating contests. There is no interest.

As an aside, a friend of mine was going through a horrible child custody battle in court with the father of her child. There were some hanky panky things going on in the legal system up in northern Maryland, as the father lived in a small town and actually knew the judge. It was totally the "good 'ol boy" mentality in this area.

My friend decided to call Senator Barbara Mikulski to see if she would intervene. What was happening was totally illegal. Believe it or not, Senator Mikulski answered the phone when my friend called, which is really out of the ordinary for a Senator. Senator Mikulski advised her to get the media involved, as that would garner the attention of higher-ups; thus, resulting in justice for my friend.

And that's exactly what happened. I'm not giving out any names, but the judge ended up going before a judiciary review committee, and he stepped down from his elected position because of this case. Justice served!

Same thing has to happen with pool and ESPN. Something in pool needs to garner the attention of mainstream media. It just might pique the interest of ESPN if CNN, HSN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, et al., are broadcasting pool-related news stories.

What does your story have to do with this topic?
 
What does your story have to do with this topic?

Thaiger,

JAM said this was an example of how you can get things to happen - get the media involved.

In a later post, she offered the suggesiton of getting Huffington News to do a story.

These are just suggestions and have a lot to do with the topic.

I think JAM and I both do ramble a bit - but there is always a 'moral of the story' or connection to the topic at hand.

Now sometimes the poster just takes off in another direction and hijacks the thread - that I don't agree with. But in this case I think her post is appropriate.

Don't be so critical - sheesh!

Mark Griffin
 
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Somebody who is a good pool writer should create an article on Huffington Post about the Mosconi Cup while it is in progress -- WITH PICTURES.

The Huffington Post sports section would be the place to highlight it. Lou would be a good candidate. I realize Jerry will be busy with the broadcasting of the Mosconi Cup.

If done well, it might shine a bright light on the competition of Team USA versus Team Europe in a cool way. This would be a start to get the Mosconi Cup noticed, and pool as a whole would leap one giant step forward in mainstream media. :)


JAM, coming from someone as familiar with the English language as you are, I consider that quite a compliment. Thank you.

Just a couple of quick thoughts: first off, Lou usually gets paid a lot of money for helping deep-pocket clients promote themselves and/or their product. BH probably couldn’t afford me anyway :-) Second, Matchroom has it’s own PR operation, so it’d be unethical of me to get involved.

But, this discussion leads to some pretty obvious questions about Mosconi Cup PR: why, if a client has deep-pockets and its own PR operation, haven’t any of us seen the faintest blip on the media radar when the MC rolls around each year? Certainly, if they wanted to they could at minimum get a few items placed here and there, no? And yet, though I keep a pretty good eye on many of the significant media outlets in this country, I see squadoosh on the MC each year.

Personally, if their PR folks have been trying and repeatedly show they can’t generate any coverage in this country (and I do mean *any* kind of coverage), then they should all be canned. What episode of this show is it since 1994 and the mainstream, sports, and web media in this country are unconscious about the event?

So what are we left with then? Can we come to any other reasonable conclusion than this is pretty much a made for the European market only event? I'm guessing they could give a flip about how we really feel about it here other than to stir up a kurfuffle on AZ once a year and fill enough seats in Vegas to make the Euros believe we care.

But that’s just me.

Lou Figueroa
 
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quality of production THIS GREAT not to be shown Live in the USA.

Matchroom would sell the Mosconi Package to any network willing to buy it. The problem is that American networks do not want it at a fair price. They want it given to them the same way the rest of pool is given to them. They do not want to set a precedent for paying decent money for pool as that could cause their other sources for material to want to be paid as well.

From my point of view the problem with TV pool in the US is that the networks want it for free and as long as people continue to give it to them they see no need to pay for it. The TV networks could care less about 'growing the game' or 'popularizing pool'. All they want is a certain number of hours of pool to run up against football or NASCAR. And they want those hours cheap. Currently they get them so why should they change anything?

Those who give away the content cannot afford to do a Matchroom quality show and those who use the content do not want to pay a Matchroom price. Mexican standoff.

That was a major problem for the IPT. They put BIG bucks into TV production believing that their quality would produce a product the networks would bid against one another to obtain. 60 days after declaring that he was 'negotiating" with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ESPN Kevin T wound up with his show on 'Versus", and they got it for free.

The only answer I see is to refuse to give away content. Take pool off of American TV for ten or twenty years until an appetite for the game can be generated and until the generation of "we get it for free" suits has left the office suites of the networks. Might not work. But what we got now isn't working at all.

On the plus side, Fox sometimes does buy the highlight package which they run late at night.

I agree with the past attemps and why they've failed as you're outlined. However, in business there's the "mexican strandoff" and those that believe "there's always a way" if every angle is examined. There's another angle used in doing several TV broadcasts with Fox Sports that seems to be forgotten and we may want to examine here. I just have to find out the details of what's going on "behind the scenes" if possible.

We've going to see what Matchroom's positon is on working to reach an agreement. I really dislike thinking about a quality of production THIS GREAT not to be shown Live in the USA.

We're also optimistic the "Show" could be "sold" to the networks, and extra work with have to be done to achieve this result. Maybe they haven't had anyone to do this for them in the past, I'm not sure yet. I'll hear back from them soon and see if "anything's possible". One things for sure, we will never know{for sure}unless we try. :wink:
 
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Thaiger,

JAM said this was an example of how you can get things to happen - get the media involved.

In a later post, she offered the suggesiton of getting Huffington News to do a story.

These are just suggestions and have a lot to do with the topic.

I think JAM and I both do ramble a bit - but there is always a 'moral of the story' or connection to the topic at hand.

Now sometimes the poster just takes off in another direction and hijacks the thread - that I don't agree with. But in this case I think her post is appropriate.

Don't be so critical - sheesh!

Mark Griffin

Just seemed like yet more thinly-veiled propaganda from the Ministry of Wimmin to me.

Use the media to get some publicity for the event! Who'd, er, thunk? :rolleyes:
 
I agree with the past attemps and why they've failed as you're outlined. However, in business there's the "mexican strandoff" and those that believe "there's always a way" if every angle is examined. There's another angle used in doing several TV broadcasts with Fox Sports that seems to be forgotten and we may want to examine here. I just have to find out the details of what's going on "behind the scenes" if possible.

We've going to see what Matchroom's positon is on working to reach an agreement. I really dislike thinking about a quality of production THIS GREAT not to be shown Live in the USA.

We're also optimistic the "Show" could be "sold" to the networks, and extra work with have to be done to achieve this result. Maybe they haven't had anyone to do this for them in the past, I'm not sure yet. I'll hear back from them soon and see if "anything's possible". One things for sure, we will never know{for sure}unless we try. :wink:

Well put CJ. You see this is how I feel. Most people say "oh this won't work and that won't work..."

Personally I think that maybe the wrong people was the main issue. Not to say that they didn't have good intentions but maybe went about it it the wrong way. Or giving up to easy instead of brainstorming or finding a way to convince people.

I thought about this all day today. How would you pitch it and promote it to build an audience. Would you send out a new letter with the APA TAP and all the other leagues to tune in to watch your Team USA take on Team Europe?? Would you get sponsors to get involved. Sponsors like Simonis, Kamui, Predator, or Joss??? I know that somebody said in the Sponsors thread that cue product guys are not rich and I understand but... Any type of help is better than no help.

All in all i would try my hardest to win a spot. I think one person (the right person) can make the difference needed to get the support of the needed viewers. That person has yet to come forward...

Good luck to you CJ I truly believe that if anybody can make things like this possible than CJ is the man for the job :cool:
 
To answer the original question, yes. I don't watch much golf if any in any given year but I never miss the Ryder Cup. I would never watch curling but when it's on during the Olympics I watch. Something about national pride I guess. In my opinion, the Masconi Cup is our best shot of public interest in pool.
 
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