Bottom line here. Pool is a non athletic sport. You don't need speed, quickness or strength. Heck, small Asian girls can hit the rack pretty hard too
I still believe pool is a sport because it does require hand eye coordination.
Folks want excitement. There is a reason why Football is number one in the USA, you have speed, quickness and strength. Nobody wants to watch pool unless they play pool. Heck, my wife has never seen me play in a tourney or a league match ever. She has seen me play baseball hundredes of times. In the good outdoors, nice field, other wives to talk to, can bring the kids to the games to watch, etc. etc.
I'm not some pool newbie. Heck, my father owned a few pool rooms growing up. I got to watch the likes of The Beard, Artie B, Billy I, Bugs, Cannonball, etc. And I played as a kid too. Heck, I worked the counter at the place almost everynight when I was 15 and 16.
But then the game left me. I stopped playing after college, got married, started a career, etc. Yeah, I would go out once or twice a year to shoot pool, but that was it. But, about 10 years ago, I bought a new house that had a big basement, and what better than to fill it with a 9 foot table. So, I was almost completely absent from pool for over 15 years. (and my stroke is proof of that)
OK, I came back, and now play in leagues and some local tourneys, and been to Vegas a few times, went to DCC a few years back....... and I like the game and more involved now than ever before.
But baseball NEVER left me. I still play to this day in a hardball league. I think baseball might be the finest game ever invented imho. I love baseball, I like pool.
The things you can do in baseball (or football, hockey, basketball, volleyball) are just so varied and more exciting. I mean, a break and run is nice, but diving for a ground ball up the middle and throwing the guy at first base is something that cannot even be described if you have never done it. The timing, speed, coordination and accuracy to pull it all off is not only fun, but magical in a way.
Pool will never have that component of raw athleticism. Heck, a good HS volleyball game is some good TV. It's tough to sell pool to kids. There is just so much more to occupy their time. Heck, my own son (12) has NO interest in pool, and I have a freaking pool table ?? Baseball, Karate, Band, School Paper, not to mention video games....... not much time for anything else even if he actually liked pool.
But whatever my son does decide to do with his life, I"m pretty sure the things he chose thus far are going to have a bigger lasting impact on him, or quite possibly be able to use in his career, than learning how to shoot pool.
It would be nice to shoot a few racks with him without having to "bribe" him. But it still does NOT compare that he is willing to go out and throw a baseball around the yard and taking some batting practice for hours on end
Don't get me wrong, I really like pool. But if someone called me today for a touch football game, or a pick up basketball game, softball game, volleyball game, tennis match or even badmitton game,, I would set my fine custom cue down on the table and head out immediately.
Heck, nobody likes watching Earl or SVB or JA or JB playing some fine pool in a tourney as much as me, but compared to the Superbowl or World Series excitement, not even close....
Pool is a fringe sport and will never be big. Nothing wrong with that either. It does not have to compete against other sports because it cannot. SO, let it be the fringe sport it is, and our little sub culture will keep motoring because I really believe there will always be an interest in pool by folks, just not by a large number of them.
