USA, all the way?

TheThaiger

TheThaiger

Banned
Does the world of pool need the USA? What does the US offer the rest of the world?

Players? Nope.
Tournaments? Nope.
Technique? (stop laughing at the back) Nope.
TV coverage? Nope.
Innovation? I don't think so, but am happy to be corrected.

I see the US as existing in its own Darwinian bubble, with your game evolving in a different direction to the rest of the world. I see it as pining for a lost age, and not embracing a potentially golden tomorrow. I see it protecting its past, not chasing its future. Sentimental nostalgia is hardwired throughout these forums.

Snooker is in rude health. It saturated its traditional market and has sought new ones around the globe. The anti China sentiment I see a lot on this forum is crazy - there's 1.5 BILLION people in that market and you're pulling up the drawbridge and restocking the moat? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Quality products from Predator and Kamui get bashed here all the time, yet American made products of dubious worth are lauded and prized. There is no end to the cost of a product if we TRULY believe it will help us. Protectionism is rife. The lines between what's in the best interest of the sport and the best interests of business are blurred.

Above all, there seems to be no strategic plan or even thinking. All I see is further slow descent - and that's in nobody's best interest.
 
TheThaiger said:
Does the world of pool need the USA? What does the US offer the rest of the world?

Players? Nope.
Tournaments? Nope.
Technique? (stop laughing at the back) Nope.
TV coverage? Nope.
Innovation? I don't think so, but am happy to be corrected.

I see the US as existing in its own Darwinian bubble, with your game evolving in a different direction to the rest of the world. I see it as pining for a lost age, and not embracing a potentially golden tomorrow. I see it protecting its past, not chasing its future. Sentimental nostalgia is hardwired throughout these forums.

Snooker is in rude health. It saturated its traditional market and has sought new ones around the globe. The anti China sentiment I see a lot on this forum is crazy - there's 1.5 BILLION people in that market and you're pulling up the drawbridge and restocking the moat? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Quality products from Predator and Kamui get bashed here all the time, yet American made products of dubious worth are lauded and prized. There is no end to the cost of a product if we TRULY believe it will help us. Protectionism is rife. The lines between what's in the best interest of the sport and the best interests of business are blurred.

Above all, there seems to be no strategic plan or even thinking. All I see is further slow descent - and that's in nobody's best interest.
Click to expand...
Players: We have the best player in the world right now.
Tournaments: The US Open is one of the biggest and most sought after tournies in the world.
Technique: The best player in the world developed the best 10ball break in the world
TV Coverage: ok this sucks... i will give you that.
Innovation: TAR
 
We have $30 chalk.

*edit-ok, so it is sold thru the USA distributor...

Eric >nuff said
 
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I can only speak to the China subject from an automotive viewpoint. I have had so many problems with the quality of parts manufactured in China that I will not buy any product made in China if I have a choice. I am not talking about parts that China has R&D time and engineering time invested but simple copying of existing parts and they cant seem to do that accurately, Im not sure if its a quality control problem or what. What I can tell you is that it affects any purchase that I make, I will openly admit I may be biased but after so much grief what would one expect?
 
TheThaiger said:
Does the world of pool need the USA? What does the US offer the rest of the world?

Players? Nope.
Tournaments? Nope.
Technique? (stop laughing at the back) Nope.
TV coverage? Nope.
Innovation? I don't think so, but am happy to be corrected.

I see the US as existing in its own Darwinian bubble, with your game evolving in a different direction to the rest of the world. I see it as pining for a lost age, and not embracing a potentially golden tomorrow. I see it protecting its past, not chasing its future. Sentimental nostalgia is hardwired throughout these forums.

Snooker is in rude health. It saturated its traditional market and has sought new ones around the globe. The anti China sentiment I see a lot on this forum is crazy - there's 1.5 BILLION people in that market and you're pulling up the drawbridge and restocking the moat? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Quality products from Predator and Kamui get bashed here all the time, yet American made products of dubious worth are lauded and prized. There is no end to the cost of a product if we TRULY believe it will help us. Protectionism is rife. The lines between what's in the best interest of the sport and the best interests of business are blurred.

Above all, there seems to be no strategic plan or even thinking. All I see is further slow descent - and that's in nobody's best interest.
Click to expand...

The same could be said about the UK if you substituted snooker for pool and the UK for the USA. Pool is not the only cue sport the Chinese are taking over...Pool gets absolutely NO help from any quarter in the USA, but keeps bubbling along, producing a higher (per capita) number of higher caliber players, much like the UK still produces more good to very good snooker players (per capita) than say, Canada, China, Taiwan, India, and anywhere else snooker is relatively popular and on TV. What we're seeing is a higher total number of top-end players coming from Europe and Asia because of the higher payouts in bigger tournaments; but if you took a per capita survey of the number of high level (A, AA, AAA rated) players, you'll find more in the U.S. than any European country...actually, in per capita terms, Canada's probably got everyone beat. Given the right conditions, like a viable tour with real money and TV exposure (like the IPT was SUPPOSED to be, but wasn't), the USA would quickly swamp the top twenty slots in the World once again.
 
TheThaiger said:
Does the world of pool need the USA? What does the US offer the rest of the world?

Players? Nope.
Tournaments? Nope.
Technique? (stop laughing at the back) Nope.
TV coverage? Nope.
Innovation? I don't think so, but am happy to be corrected.

I see the US as existing in its own Darwinian bubble, with your game evolving in a different direction to the rest of the world. I see it as pining for a lost age, and not embracing a potentially golden tomorrow. I see it protecting its past, not chasing its future. Sentimental nostalgia is hardwired throughout these forums.

Snooker is in rude health. It saturated its traditional market and has sought new ones around the globe. The anti China sentiment I see a lot on this forum is crazy - there's 1.5 BILLION people in that market and you're pulling up the drawbridge and restocking the moat? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Quality products from Predator and Kamui get bashed here all the time, yet American made products of dubious worth are lauded and prized. There is no end to the cost of a product if we TRULY believe it will help us. Protectionism is rife. The lines between what's in the best interest of the sport and the best interests of business are blurred.

Above all, there seems to be no strategic plan or even thinking. All I see is further slow descent - and that's in nobody's best interest.
Click to expand...

Rather than dispute any of your claims above, let me just ask you this...

Does the world of pool need ANY one country or region? Does it need The Phillipines? Does it need China? Does it need Europe???

No. It doesn't NEED any of these places for the game to be loved and adored by millions the world over. But since the USA is part of the WORLD, why can't it have a place in the pool world???
 
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The US may as well stop making cars while we're at it. But dang it, we got the best prison population in the world! Take that you other countries!
 
fastone371 said:
I can only speak to the China subject from an automotive viewpoint. I have had so many problems with the quality of parts manufactured in China that I will not buy any product made in China if I have a choice. I am not talking about parts that China has R&D time and engineering time invested but simple copying of existing parts and they cant seem to do that accurately, Im not sure if its a quality control problem or what. What I can tell you is that it affects any purchase that I make, I will openly admit I may be biased but after so much grief what would one expect?
Click to expand...

My point was about selling TO china!
 
West Point 1987 said:
The same could be said about the UK if you substituted snooker for pool and the UK for the USA. Pool is not the only cue sport the Chinese are taking over...Pool gets absolutely NO help from any quarter in the USA, but keeps bubbling along, producing a higher (per capita) number of higher caliber players, much like the UK still produces more good to very good snooker players (per capita) than say, Canada, China, Taiwan, India, and anywhere else snooker is relatively popular and on TV. What we're seeing is a higher total number of top-end players coming from Europe and Asia because of the higher payouts in bigger tournaments; but if you took a per capita survey of the number of high level (A, AA, AAA rated) players, you'll find more in the U.S. than any European country...actually, in per capita terms, Canada's probably got everyone beat. Given the right conditions, like a viable tour with real money and TV exposure (like the IPT was SUPPOSED to be, but wasn't), the USA would quickly swamp the top twenty slots in the World once again.
Click to expand...

That's quite a big claim. Are you saying the standard of play in America is higher now than ever before, relative to the rest of the world?
 
Icon of Sin said:
That's because all the mass produced super shafts and cues are way better then any custom cue you can purchase here... and cheaper too! ;)
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In essence, yes.

Perhaps the new age of austerity hasn't fully permeated over there yet. Demand for highly decorative pieces of wood is likely to low in emerging pool markets.
 
TheThaiger said:
Does the world of pool need the USA? What does the US offer the rest of the world?

Players? Nope.
Tournaments? Nope.
Technique? (stop laughing at the back) Nope.
TV coverage? Nope.
Innovation? I don't think so, but am happy to be corrected.

I see the US as existing in its own Darwinian bubble, with your game evolving in a different direction to the rest of the world. I see it as pining for a lost age, and not embracing a potentially golden tomorrow. I see it protecting its past, not chasing its future. Sentimental nostalgia is hardwired throughout these forums.

Snooker is in rude health. It saturated its traditional market and has sought new ones around the globe. The anti China sentiment I see a lot on this forum is crazy - there's 1.5 BILLION people in that market and you're pulling up the drawbridge and restocking the moat? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Quality products from Predator and Kamui get bashed here all the time, yet American made products of dubious worth are lauded and prized. There is no end to the cost of a product if we TRULY believe it will help us. Protectionism is rife. The lines between what's in the best interest of the sport and the best interests of business are blurred.

Above all, there seems to be no strategic plan or even thinking. All I see is further slow descent - and that's in nobody's best interest.
Click to expand...

Then why do your best players live here?
 
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