The U.S. Pro Pool Tour

[pool101]

Why people on here continually blow smoke is beyond me when they have nothing more substancial to back up there claims than "IMO."

It's counterproductive to the goal. Vision is easy. The hard cold details of a business plan is what is needed. Getting 2 million from someone without being able to tell them specifically how and when they'll get their money just as starters is not a business plan. It's counterproductive.

No one has answered the first question (apart from IMO) in solving the problem. Is There A Demand For A Pro Tour? No one has made that case yet.

In the startup to midsize business world the first thing to happen when something isn't working is to start over or concentrate on just one thing that will focus the product for the customer. Mostly it's contraction to the point where money can be made or where there is proven success.

The only proven success i see are leagues, Big events like the BCA in Las Vegas, DCC and a couple other things. You need to look harder at what is working rather than what you and your friends would like it to be.

In order to achieve it you first must dream it!!
That is not blowing smoke. If enough people want to make it happen they will find a way, and I believe that an open discussion is how you start it. People throwing ideas out to give more perspective is a step in the right direction, but hey, that is just IMO...

 

[mlalum]

Uh, I happen to think that American pool players can beat anyone on the face of the earth and vice versa.

If you're looking for a thread two-step, my dance card is reserved for topics that can generate a positive result.

"Sexist" is probably a bad choice of words. I don't prefer men over women in pool or women over men in pool.

I knew if I responded to your post, it would like tickling a trout. :grin-square:

Was there an answer there about why you would limit a men's tour to just players for the United States? I didn't see one. Put me on super ignore please.

 

[JAM]

Was there an answer there about why you would limit a men's tour to just players for the United States? I didn't see one. Put me on super ignore please.

Well, I replied to the misuse of the word "sexist." As far as what you wrote, I did not think it warranted a reply because the assumption was far-fetched.

I don't need to utilize the "ignore" function of this forum when I read words that are offensive. I can just decide for myself when and when not to read posts, but when you quoted my post in this thread, I elected to reply. I can see that with your sparking forum personality that this was a grave mistake.

BTW, there should be a comma before "please" and after "ignore."

 

[JAM]

In order to achieve it you first must dream it!!
That is not blowing smoke. If enough people want to make it happen they will find a way, and I believe that an open discussion is how you start it. People throwing ideas out to give more perspective is a step in the right direction, but hey, that is just IMO...

And a good "IMO," IMO. :grin:

 

[Big Perm]

What we have here, is a failure to communicate.

The pool bums with no immediate future want some sugar daddy to come along and save them.
........
........

yada, yada, yada, sombody peed in my cherios for about an hour this morning, my truck broke down, my dog is dead, my wife banged my brother, my penis fell off, I think I'm going blind, and my house burnt down....
......
........

a new color of money type film, movie, centered around the tour, making it so glamorous, then pool takes off into another expansion and we clean up.

:grin-square:

Do you even like pool? Did Jay steal your lunch money? Is the sky falling?

WTF? The negativity is strong with you young jedi :grin:

 

[mlalum]

Well, I replied to the misuse of the word "sexist." As far as what you wrote, I did not think it warranted a reply because the assumption was far-fetched.

I don't need to utilize the "ignore" function of this forum when I read words that are offensive. I can just decide for myself when and when not to read posts, but when you quoted my post in this thread, I elected to reply. I can see that with your sparking forum personality that this was a grave mistake.

BTW, there should be a comma before "please" and after "ignore."

so that's a no. ok but i'm not surprised my use of sexist went over your head. thanks for the grimmor lessen.

 

[mlalum]

Do you even like pool? Did Jay steal your lunch money? Is the sky falling?

WTF? The negativity is strong with you young jedi :grin:

there's a lot more truth in what he says than not. i do wish he were a little more eloquent. i think people just get tired of the silly cheerleading that goes on here and they tend to go overboard the other way. you get the goal by first facing facts.

 

[JAM]

so that's a no. ok but i'm not surprised my use of sexist went over your head. thanks for the grimmor lessen.

Well, truth be told, it wasn't really a grammar lesson. It was a punctuation correction as it pertained to the comma.

The word "sexist" means the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior. I'm not sure I understand how you could comprehend anything I wrote in this thread as being sexist.

There is a word for prejudice against nationalities, though, and it begins with a "J." No, it's not "JAM," either. :grin:

 

[justadub]

there's a lot more truth in what he says than not. i do wish he were a little more eloquent. i think people just get tired of the silly cheerleading that goes on here and they tend to go overboard the other way. you get the goal by first facing facts.

Then again, at least the cheerleaders are attempting to move forward, if nothing more than in theory.

Of course, we can have the other side, represented so nicely by you and Rory, who apparently find no better form of entertainment than to come on here and rain on peoples parades. Negativity appears to be your hook-up, that which drives you.

And that's a shame. Must be a tough life, having to drag things down all the time. Nothing can ever work, everyone is a crook, everyone that has a positive idea is a cheerleader...

Try and have some fun today. Hopefully not at someone elses expense...

 

[JDB]

Jay Sorry........................I did not win the Mega Millions Jackpot last night so unfortunately I am unable to stake you the $2M

I really wish I had because I would love nothing better than to see this become reality and Jay would have had the cash by the end of the week I got paid! This is something that needs to be done, somewhere, somehow and by someone. I see no other option for the long term prosperity or even survival of the sport.

And this is why most lottery winners are broke within 5 years of winning...:wink:

 

[peteypooldude]

AZ Billiards has 20,654 registered members so if you divide $2 million by 20,000 ...... that means that if each member donated $100 we would be there.

We could call it the AZ Billiards US Pro Pool Tour. :wink:


But seriously I like the idea, even though you haven't given us all the details yet.
I like this part for funding, I am in lol

 

[JohnnyShakes]

Well, truth be told, it wasn't really a grammar lesson. It was a punctuation correction as it pertained to the comma.

The word "sexist" means the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior. I'm not sure I understand how you could comprehend anything I wrote in this thread as being sexist.

There is a word for prejudice against nationalities, though, and it begins with a "J." No, it's not "JAM," either. :grin:

JAM- not a lot if people are familiar enough with the term jingoism to use it properly, and those who are don't get to use it very often. Thanks for giving me the chance.

Johnny

 

[Scaramouche]

If this is going to be strictly an American party, I suggest interstate competition.

For starters:
West Virginia vs South Dakota:grin:

 

[bobroberts]

The truth is a television show like the UFC started would be the way to go first.
Hire a group of pro players and have it totally scripted just like any reality show.
Have challenge matches arguments, betting sharking and the occasional fight. You can include women and have the promiscuity factor. That is what it would take to get the non pool playing public interested. Then maybe a company like Budweiser and Ford would endorse it and arrange for a tour. Now you would have qualified people who understand the entertainment business.
That's how pool makes money, and money makes pool.
Some decent ideas here but it will take a lot more then 2 million and the right writers and producers to get something like this started.
I would love to have Earl go off on say Charlie Williams just for example when Charlie turns around and roundhouse kicks Earl. Then when they are shooting on a table getting ready for the next competition they will be talking about the fight. This is what would make ratings and ratings make money.
Oops IMHO

 

[rorywayne]

Ah geeze Bob, get a grip, have pro's fighting on TV like its the Jerry Springer show, if you want to really finish us off for good, do that one.
If you want to really go down in the gutter, and get ratings, have the ladies play naked. That will get us some TV attention. Maybe, that's our only hope.

Here is a Mexican Joke amigos.

A americano federalies cop joke....

What does a cue ball and a mexican have in common??????????????????


The more you beat on them, the more English you get out of them.

Shoot straight and if you cant beat them, then cheat.

Pancho.

 

[cardiac kid]

Do you even like pool? Did Jay steal your lunch money? Is the sky falling?

WTF? The negativity is strong with you young jedi :grin:

Perm,

I think this guy is shadowing Jay. He's posted some negative comments about Jay on other threads he posted on. Must be a personal thing. Too bad. As JAM says, we need positive input. We, as a group, have been negative too long. It's hard to do. I understand that. Someone has to look at the bright side and take that first step.

Lyn

 

[cardiac kid]

JAM- not a lot if people are familiar enough with the term jingoism to use it properly, and those who are don't get to use it very often. Thanks for giving me the chance.

Johnny

And we thought there was nothing new to learn on AZ Billiards! Well said Johnny.

Lyn

 

[shakey91929]

Yes, it could be done! I just thought the time was right to put this out there. There is no reason why a successful professional pool tour can not be accomplished, other than a serious lack of funding. Such a tour would be a huge shot in the arm for our sport and all the people (players, manufacturers, dealers etc.) who are a part of it.

And guess what, I know just the guy who can make it happen. :smile:
All I need is two million. That's right, I said TWO MILLION dollars! With that amount of money I could and would produce a high profile eight city tour in major U.S. cities across the country during a four month time frame. Call it a "season" if you will.

All these events would have a guaranteed $200,000 purse with $50,000 going to the winner each week! The likelihood of television and other major media coverage would be highly likely for such a tour. Too bad that the "leaders" of our industry have no interest in funding such a tour, even though it would only make their respective businesses grow.

I not only know how to produce such a tour (securing locations, staff, equipment, PR, advertising etc.), I know how to make it an ongoing entity in the sports firmament. Will it ever happen? Doubtful. I don't have the money to do it and the people who could raise the money don't appear to be too interested. Call it pie in the sky or whatever, but I just want you to know such a thing is possible with the proper funding. How would it change the future of pool in America and the world is anyone's guess. I guess we'd just have to do it and see what happens. But in my opinion it's one gamble that could pay off big time!

Would we make money initially on this tour? NO! Could we make money on this tour eventually? YES! I see the income from the first year at maybe one million total, so there is some return on investment. How much value could you place on increased sales of product for table manufacturers, cue makers, room owners, and other related billiard businesses? I'm guessing it amounts to much more than two million dollars. Maybe more like ten to twenty million, even in the first year. Putting professional pool on the map, so to speak, has to be a good thing for all parties concerned.

For me it's a dream long overdue. I don't have too many more years where I have the energy to take on such a task. But I still would given the opportunity.

Jay,

You sound very sincere in your post. You seem like an honest and intelligent individual. I am also a pool fan. I played pretty good years ago but drifted away from the game after a successful marriage and 2 wonderful daughters. It seems to me that your pushing on a rope in trying to get the people that would benefit the most to put up the necessary funding. Maybe you could set up your own corporation and be the president. You could sell shares to the public in an IPO. You could call it the US Pool Tour Inc. I for one would buy some shares and maybe someday down the road make a little money. It would'nt be too hard to raise a few million dollars in an initial public offering. Just saying!!!! Good luck in pursuing your dream.

 

[duckie]

I happen to wander over to the main site and just happen to be checking on the 2010 player money list.

Interesting reading. There must be tourneys somewhere already that seem to payout. (Disclaimer: I'm just using these figures for examples, so kinda go with it.) Some seem to be doing OK. Maybe the year end totals would better if the game was bigger for sure, but at least there is some money to earn.

So, I wonder what tourney's out there could provide these types of money figures.

So, I checked on the tourney schedule. I was surprised to see the list. Quite a range out there. Some with not too bad money added, either.

So, I wonder if there are ones happening not listed on this site.

Anyway, to me, it seems there is a pro level circuit out there. If the desire is to increase the winnings or even to pay further down the order, seems there all ready exist a few tourneys that maybe choice one or ones to really promote.

I say really support and grow from what exist now in order to get to the big show.

FWIW

 

[jay helfert]

Just want to take a moment to thank everybody (with one exception) for their feedback on here. I don't profess to have all the answers. I'm just like most of you, wanting to see professional pool have a higher standing in the sports firmament. I am certain that a pro tour is doable, based on my previous experience. It just would take a lot of work and a lot of organization.

The truth is that I'm not anxious to take this one on at this time. I'd rather sit back at home and write books or work on TV shows or maybe just do one or two special events. But I also believe that I'm well qualified to operate such a tour if it were possible to get one funded. If an interested party or parties came along and wanted to create a pro pool tour, I would get onboard, just like I offered to do with Trudeau years ago. But I quickly figured out he was up to something that was not all kosher, so I backed off.

I would be quite willing to play a role in making a pro tour a reality in this country. I don't have to run the show or even handle the money. Like all of you, making money and living well is important to me, but money does not run me! I already have enough for all my needs, and have worked for little or nothing at many events just to help out. Ask Greg Sullivan how much he pays me for running the events I do at DCC sometime. You might be surprised.

It is true that I have gambled extensively in my life, both winning and losing. But I pride myself on being an honest gambler. I pay off when I lose and expect to be paid when I win. I'm not in this to take anyone's money. My goal would be to do something to further our sport. Sure, I would like to make a buck as much as the next guy. But an honest one! I have always been willing to work hard for my money. Let me tell you that running a pool room seven days a week, 14 hours a day, 365 days a year is no piece of cake. And I've done it for several years in a row, with only a few days off once in a while.

To answer one more question, it could definitely be done with less money. Smaller events like maybe 100K each and/or fewer events are all a possibility. I just happen to think that to make it work and to be a credible pro tour, the events have to be on a par with other professional sports or at least close. 50K is not a big amount for first place, but it's not chopped liver either. I'd personally like to see half million dollar purses and 100K for first, but that is not realistic either. To me two million is the magic number, enough to create several "major" events and not too much to raise.

And yes, I agree that would not carry us beyond the first year. I would suggest that another million would be necessary to have a second year on this tour. For a major corporate sponsor that is not a of of money. What they would get in return is national publicity for a period of time. A two year commitment would be a great test of how feasible it all is from a sponsors point of view.

My only purpose in starting this thread is to point out that it could be done if funding were available. Where that funding would come from I couldn't say at this time. It's good to have this dialogue as a starting point. EVERYTHING begins with an idea!