It is, but my point about the tournaments was that it isn't about the prize money, it's about the sponsor exposure.
Everything needs to be uniform including the shot clock. Somebody watching might see one table watching the clock and keeping up and the outside table staring knowing the ball ain’t moving.
Considering that is a massive decline over the last 20 years of pool for winning a ‘World Champion’ title, it doesn’t scream “come play”. The inflation over the last twenty years, combined with the decline in prize money. I’d say you’re quite far off base is your claims. We’ve already seen a steady decline over the last two years, both in top world players and payouts for tournaments.
The caddy for the winning player in the just completed Arnold Palmer PGA event made at least 6 times what Kaci made for winning the world title and the player made 60 times as much. Pretty sad by comparison.
Nonsense.
Joe Rogan has star power and popularity greater than any top pro. Controversial is an opinion and I happen to disagree. So what qualities do think Mickey Mantle, Muhammad Ali, Federer, and Arnold Palmer have that you think are so important? Mickey Mantle was an alcoholic. Muhammad Ali what is a draft dodger. Why not Jack or Tiger? If you want personality and charisma, then you must be an Earl fan. He didn't grow the sport, in fact sent it back in my opinion with the Camel tour. The smoky dark past is over. The events being put on today are very professional. What more do you want?
Is $60,000 cash buying you as more value today, or 20 years ago? A $60,000 tournament win in 2000, following inflation should be north of $100,000 now. It doesn’t matter if the numbers are up or not since the passing of a previous tournament promoter. You are not factoring the entire picture of what’s going on. I’m not saying we need $300,000 1st place payouts every major. Having the current world championships paying so little compared to the majors of other sports is quite debilitating. Even up and coming sports are passing pool in terms of payouts. We’ve neutered pool from a viewing perspective, and have lost millions in potential sponsor money. Yes the game is more challenging to play. But unless the top 100-150 pool players in the world can earn a true full time traveling career, making payouts work the way you want to doesn’t help that. There just isn’t enough $$$$ in the prize fund to justify expanding the lower payouts without taking away the prestige of the world champ title. Fix the sponsor side of the game, and we’ll get more money to pay out like you desire. But don’t diminish what first place gets because you have turned sour.
I think we agree 100% that the sums being earned today are paltry compared to where they would be if pool, over the last forty years, had kept pace with inflation. We are also 100% aligned on where pool stands among the sports of the world, which number in the hundreds. Pool is a second tier, and maybe even a third-tier sport that has nearly never garnered any interest from out of industry sponsors, which means it has always be cut off from those with deep pockets.
You must be a millineal
By my recollection, and I was there, when Ray Martin won the 1978 PPPA World Championship in New York City, the first prize was $4,000. The PPPA, which folded in 1986, certainly never had an event in Europe, as it was a tour consisting chiefly of players from New York and New Jersey. There was little to no international participation in PPPA events.
Well said, Mike. This really is the crux of the matter. Things are improving of late in our sport, and we should be pleased about it rather than singing dirges about what might have been.
You must be a liberal... spewing insults and deflecting questions. FYI...member here 5 years before you.
I don’t think you understand what top heavy means. That may be where we’re having a problem at. A 400% difference in pool terms is no where near what 400% in golf is. Let alone just the actual difference and not looking at the percentage. Looking at golf, we see a clear difference between what a top heavy tournament year end winner looks like. If 50% of an overseas players tournaments a year are played on USA soil, and they win $60,000 one time. How much is their actually profit? What they can legitimately tell the government they earned for the year? Maybe $20,000? After all expenses for the year, there’s not one player claiming a full years earning more than 50% of what they’ve ‘won’. The worst pga your card holders are still earning more than some of the best pool players after expenses.
