Darren argues that professional pool is a growing sport with entertainment possibilities, but its tournament economics are not sustainable for the majority of professional players. And I agree 100 percent. It's the same old battle cry I've been saying for decades.
His criticism isn't simply that there isn't enough prize money, though. He believes the payouts are distributed poorly. A $40,000 winner's prize, as an example, sounds great, but if a player spends 2- to $3,000 to enter a tournament and receives only $350 after an early loss, the tournament is financially disastrous, even for the strong pros in the top 20.
His proposed philosophy is to lower the extreme top-end payouts , pay more players, cover more of their real expenses, create a stable calendar, and most importantly, make professional pool a financially viable career.
He repeatedly acknowledges the improvements in production, venues, international events, and investment, but he believes the organizers like WNT, WPA, and Predator Pro Billiards Series need to coordinate better.
The underlying message is optimistic that pool has enormous potential, but the industry needs to build a sustainable ecosystem around the pro players who actually make the tournaments possible. Without them, there is no future in pool. Darren made some valid points, but me personally, I think the promoters care more about pleasing the industry members (sponsors) than they do the future careers of pro players. Without the sponsors, there is no future in pool. What a quagmire!
