Is billiards a sport or a game?

1

1on1pooltournys

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Interestingly enough I have been kind of bored lately and not been able to play much pool. I picked up a book that I have had for years titled Byrnes's Book of Great Pool Stories. Although I've had the book for a long time, I have never really read it in it's entirety. It is several short stories written over the past 200 years or so. One notable author in the book would be that of Danny McGoorty. I always read the introduction to any book and the title of this thread is a direct question from Robert Byrne. Byrne points out that if billiards is considered a game then it is second to only chess. If it is sport than it's predecessors are only boxing and wrestling. He feels that billiards falls between a game and a sport, which is why it does not receive the publicity it deserves. He goes on to suggest that billiards is second only to bowling in the United States among participants, and sites research that suggests between 35 and 45 million people play pool at least once a year, which is more than play golf and tennis.

After digesting all of this, I think Byrne has hit the nail on the head. This also explains why writers are more compelled to write about pool than producers are to make movies. It seems more attractable to read about some of the colorful characters and stretched stories that have been told through the years. I always defended pool as a sport up to this point. After really conjuring this idea, I'm afraid I think Billiards is stuck between a game and a sport.

What do you all think? Is billiards a game or a sport? I am curious to here arguments for and against both. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

Btw, the book does have some nice short stories about pool. Others bored me a bit.


Edit: As Mr. Smith points out, these stats are from the mid 90s.
 
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More recent statistics have stated the pool has around 60 million particapnst per year, in other words it has surpassed bowling quite a while ago.

Considering pool requires physical activity, and that there is no offical definition that I have seen that indicates that ppol must exhaust the participants, pool fits quite nicely within the definition of sport along with bowling I might add.

However whether anyone else considers it so matters very little, as long as people are enjoying it.
 
I would have to agree that it can fall as either a sport or a game. For the average bar player, they like to go to the bar and drink. It's almost that pool is an excuse to get plastered. Then, you have the ball bangers that hangout with their friends. To all these people, it is more of a hobby than anything else.

If you take the time to practice correctly, seek lessons and advice, and get out there and compete. It is very much a sport. Look at how much time the pro's practice at this. It has become their way of life. Plus, like all other sports the competition is much tougher the higher the level you achieve. Some players are seeking out sports Psychologist for a mental edge and also have a workout/nutrition regimen.

I guess it all depends on how serious you are about pool and how much time you spend at it. I tell the younger players that come in to our pool hall that if you are serious then, this will become a way of life. Instead of going to a movie with your friends, you will come practice for a few hours and watch the action.
 
tread2004 said:
I would have to agree that it can fall as either a sport or a game. For the average bar player, they like to go to the bar and drink. It's almost that pool is an excuse to get plastered. Then, you have the ball bangers that hangout with their friends. To all these people, it is more of a hobby than anything else.

If you take the time to practice correctly, seek lessons and advice, and get out there and compete. It is very much a sport. Look at how much time the pro's practice at this. It has become their way of life. Plus, like all other sports the competition is much tougher the higher the level you achieve. Some players are seeking out sports Psychologist for a mental edge and also have a workout/nutrition regimen.

I guess it all depends on how serious you are about pool and how much time you spend at it. I tell the younger players that come in to our pool hall that if you are serious then, this will become a way of life. Instead of going to a movie with your friends, you will come practice for a few hours and watch the action.
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Very insightful. I agree it is a game to some and a sport to others.
 
sport, game or something inbetween, it doesn't matter what the label is, it won't change anything..............
 
That is sad because pool is a very marketable sport/game. Look at the pga for instance. They have had a very successful marketing campaign and golf is bigger than ever. They are teaching golf to inner city kids, kids with disabilities, etc. Plus, the money is flowing to the companies that are producing all the equipment for the game. Even poker is still booming. If the pool world could only come up with some idea to get the professional aspect of pool out there. We could actually have money in the game.
 
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I'm voting sport because my feet get really tired after playing for a few hours. I was thinking about getting a little rascal to move around the table.:thumbup:

images
 
Sport

Webster's Dictionary
Sport --> Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

I guess it is a sport.
 
1on1pooltournys said:
Interestingly enough I have been kind of bored lately and not been able to play much pool. I picked up a book that I have had for years titled Byrnes's Book of Great Pool Stories. Although I've had the book for a long time, I have never really read it in it's entirety. It is several short stories written over the past 200 years or so. One notable author in the book would be that of Danny McGoorty. I always read the introduction to any book and the title of this thread is a direct question from Robert Byrne. Byrne points out that if billiards is considered a game then it is second to only chess. If it is sport than it's predecessors are only boxing and wrestling. He feels that billiards falls between a game and a sport, which is why it does not receive the publicity it deserves. He goes on to suggest that billiards is second only to bowling in the United States among participants, and sites research that suggests between 35 and 45 million people play pool at least once a year, which is more than play golf and tennis.

After digesting all of this, I think Byrne has hit the nail on the head. This also explains why writers are more compelled to write about pool than producers are to make movies. It seems more attractable to read about some of the colorful characters and stretched stories that have been told through the years. I always defended pool as a sport up to this point. After really conjuring this idea, I'm afraid I think Billiards is stuck between a game and a sport.

What do you all think? Is billiards a game or a sport? I am curious to here arguments for and against both. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

Btw, the book does have some nice short stories about pool. Others bored me a bit.


Edit: As Mr. Smith points out, these stats are from the mid 90s.
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it is a sport.
play a match for 30 hours and see what you think.
 
I would consider it a sport.
It can be physically demanding like going deep in a big tournament. You need to be in relatively good shape both physically and mentally to stay sharp and focused as in most sports.
 
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Baseball is a sport.... all they do is sit on their ass for a few hours and get up to swing a piece of wood and stand in the field once in a while. :thumbup:
 
RAFA1825 said:
Sport, when is the pool game going to be added to the olympics?
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I don't remember the specifics, but billiards WAS an Olympic sport some years ago (I do not recollect what year this was, but it wasn't all that long ago). Unless I am thinking of another event, IIRC the Olympic billiards players had the highest percentage of failed drug tests of ALL the genres of atheletes in the games. Maybe this is why there is no pool in todays games.

FWIW: "Let's go to the football GAME today!"

"Let's get some guys together and play a GAME of basketball!"

"I just got some free tickets to todays baseball GAME!"

IMO the word game and sport are synonomous with one another. I feel that pool/billiards falls into this category.

Maniac
 
It's a sport....

Playing at a high level, it requires coordination, physical aptitude, strength, touch, endurance, and a ton of other qualities present in all sports....

Now, if you just drink beer and bang balls around, where a rack of 8 ball can last 30 minutes, then I can see the arguement of it being a game.....

But you could make that same argument for bowling, golf, and softball, and other sports....

IMHO, it's a sport.....and a tough one at that.....
 
If you are just drinkign beer and banging balls, that's not playing pool.
 
Years ago, around the early 90's I was watching ice skating on TV with a group of friends. While all played and ball-banged recreationally, I was the only one in the room who played pool more seriously. This very question came up between all of us...what is a sport and what is a game. They felt pool was not a sport. When I asked them what constituted a sport here is what the consensus was if my 18 or so year memory serves me correct):

1. Something that takes physical ability, dexterity, an stamina (check I answered)

2. Something that takes knowledge and training (check again)

3. Something that you are able to compete in (oh yes, we're there too)

4. Something which requires mental focus (most definately I replied)

There were a couple of other items brought up....by the end of the evening, my non-pool playing friends began to agree that pool is a sport.

Sometimes collectively we don't always treat it that way...maybe we should more.
 
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