Another post I turned into a thread...

[lfigueroa]

Things run in cycles kids. Pool isn't going away anytime soon. There are still money games of note being played all over the planet. Last year at DCC I saw more big money games going on at the same time then in any previous year. It was non stop action every night! Just like a revival of Johnston City with more games and bigger crowds. All this talk of doom and gloom is a bit unfounded imo. There are still tens of millions of pool players worldwide and the numbers are growing every year. I still see big crowds of spectators at major events like The U.S. Open and World Cup of Pool.

Yes, the trend is that pool is becoming more of an international game, not just a U.S. one. This is similar to what we see happening in other sports as well. Look at how golf has changed over the last 10-20 years, with great players coming from all over the globe. True, the money in pool doesn't compare with other major sports, so what else is new. I will say this, a top player today can make a better living than a top player of twenty years ago. He just has to be willing to travel extensively. Look at Johnny Archer and Rodney Morris, traveling more now than they did in the 90's.

If it was only about the money, every kid would get into golf or tennis, or try to play baseball or basketball. But not all kids have the required skills or desire to play those games. There will always be young people who fall in love with pool, for the game and not for the money. The chance to make money at it comes afterwards! If they can play the game they love and make a decent living at it (which many top players are able to do), why not go for it. Life is not just about money, contrary to what some people may think. It is about fulfillment of our dreams and desires as well. How many times have we heard about a successful businessman or attorney giving it all up to live a more simple life? And make far less money!

Pool may be down as a professional sport in the USA, but it is growing in other parts of the world. We on AZ tend to be egocentric in how we look at things. There is a bigger world out there, actually much bigger than the USA. Who knows, there may even be some better players on other planets :smile:. One day we'll find out and they'll kick all our asses!

Well then, let's make a distinction: big table pool in the United States is dying.

Sure, pool is growing in popularity in Europe and Asia. But here at home things are getting pretty thin and the number of 9' tables is getting whittle down to next to nothing. Rooms featuring the large track are closing every week. Look around and there are fewer and fewer big table events in 9ball, 10ball, 8ball and 1pocket, and fewer rooms that can even host that kind of event, simply because they don't have enough 9' tables.

The bar table activity will continue to flourish. But nowadays there are fewer and fewer events on a weekly, monthly and even yearly event for the large table crowd (or small group Of course pool will always survive. But increasingly it will shrink to a level not unlike what 3C currently enjoys: a few pockets of enthusiasts across the country keeping the discipline alive, with a few tables scattered here and there.

Lou Figueroa

 

[jay helfert]

Well then, let's make a distinction: big table pool in the United States is dying.

Sure, pool is growing in popularity in Europe and Asia. But here at home things are getting pretty thin and the number of 9' tables is getting whittle down to next to nothing. Rooms featuring the large track are closing every week. Look around and there are fewer and fewer big table events in 9ball, 10ball, 8ball and 1pocket, and fewer rooms that can even host that kind of event, simply because they don't have enough 9' tables.

The bar table activity will continue to flourish. But nowadays there are fewer and fewer events on a weekly, monthly and even yearly event for the large table crowd (or small group Of course pool will always survive. But increasingly it will shrink to a level not unlike what 3C currently enjoys: a few pockets of enthusiasts across the country keeping the discipline alive, with a few tables scattered here and there.

Lou Figueroa

Lou, you may be right, but somehow I don't think so. First of all there may be more regional tours than ever before. So more opportunities to compete. True there are fewer pool rooms, but the ones that survive are often more active with their promotions, like leagues and tournaments.

The key word in my first post is "cycles." I have already seen a couple of slumps in the pool world (during the 70's and the late 90's) and a couple of corresponding rejunevations shortly afterwards. Many poolrooms have closed in the last few years, not unlike restaurants, clothing stores, and other small businesses. If and when the economy recovers, we may see more poolrooms opening up again. It's still a good business from many perspectives that I won't go into here.

 

[Scaramouche]

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/

Snooker Scene blog reports that Barry Hearn, the World Snooker Ltd chairman, will be demanding greater professionalism from competitors, specifically addressing entering tournaments and either showing up close to match time or not at all.

To quote the latter part of the the entry:

"snooker has been stuck in the mire, going nowhere, and there’s a certain attitude among certain players that it doesn’t really matter. They’re being educated now. Some of them are quite surprised I’m delivering the things I said I would and they need a wake-up call to be more professional.

“In other sports I’m involved in I don’t have any of this. In snooker, the contracts haven’t been tight enough and people abuse it, but they don’t abuse it with me twice. I bumped into one them who said, ‘you won’t discipline me.’ Trust me, I’d do it to my mum, and she’s dead.

“I need the top players to illustrate to the younger players the rules that exist, on etiquette. They all come from the top players. If your kid at home watches a footballer take a dive, when he’s out playing for the under 11’s, he’ll take a dive because he’s seen it on TV. That’s not good. We have to set the standards. In the 1980s, it was all built on the bowtie image and that’s one that carries a huge financial premium.

“When I was in Shanghai I couldn’t believe the red carpet treatment I got. I mean, I know I’m important but I was astonished how well I got treated. Then I’m in my hotel room in Bangkok and the phone goes. It’s the prime minister’s office asking if I’d go and see him. It shows you how big this sport is. It all comes about through the image you create And this is where the top players have a responsibility to the game.”


Pool is American. It has no leader. Where would it be welcomed with the red carpet?

Bush league is bush league. Nobody gives a damn about whiners in the wilderness squealing 'Money me!".

Pool players betting amongst themselves is a zero sum game, or worse, because there are expenses attached.