"... the local poolroom — once a civic institution — has almost vanished."
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/opinion/24wertheim.html
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/opinion/24wertheim.html
Why pool is dying.
- Thread starter Bob Callahan
- Start date
I met Jon Wertheim at a Glass City Open in Toledo. He was at the time following Kid Delicious around, just beginning to pen the book. I have a picture of him I took at this event, but it's on my other computer in the garage.
That article really describes American pool in a nutshell. He is an excellent writer, one which I admire. I only wish I had a thimble of his talent in writing. I could produce a masterpiece if I did.
Enjoyed the read very much, even though it's kind of sad for a pool enthusiast like me.
That article really describes American pool in a nutshell. He is an excellent writer, one which I admire. I only wish I had a thimble of his talent in writing. I could produce a masterpiece if I did.
Enjoyed the read very much, even though it's kind of sad for a pool enthusiast like me.
True dat, but the article was written in November 2007. The last IPT tournament in Reno was September 2006. I guess the IPT dust hadn't settled quite yet, as some of the IPT competitors were still hoping to get paid fully via the IPT monthly installments at the time of that writing. :embarrassed2:
So it would appear that we are an abacus in a world of super computers. Still useful, but only as a novelty, and hardly necessary, a bit of nostalgia from an America passed. Maybe we should take our place in history right next to Regular Gasoline, The Console Stereo TV, and Disco
I don't think anything is dead. I think it has changed, quite a bit in fact. But there will always be some level of hustling, gambling and the like. It's just evolving, changing out of necessity.
In 20 years people will look back and still find something to long for from this era of pool.
In 20 years people will look back and still find something to long for from this era of pool.
Pool is not dying because the hustler or rather con artist can not make a living cheating people out of their money by hiding their true skill level?
I think not. It is the thinking that the pool world needs hustlers or the "pros" to grow pool.
There is so much more to pool than hustling, than always having to play for money. Pool will never get the respect it deserves until this idea of hustling is what playing pool is all about.
I think not. It is the thinking that the pool world needs hustlers or the "pros" to grow pool.
There is so much more to pool than hustling, than always having to play for money. Pool will never get the respect it deserves until this idea of hustling is what playing pool is all about.
There may not be hustlers on the road like in the past, but there are now many more people playing league pool. It seems to me that pool is not so much dying as changing its identity. It has become more of a recreational activity than a chosen profession.
There are more baroom/pool halls than classic pool halls. The small towns suffer when there is not enough people interested in league play. But in the larger cities, there are many leagues and places to play.
My great hope is that the very popular Asian market will someday get pool accepted into the Olympics. Couple that with a strong league system in the USA and perhaps pool will make a comeback once again. But I will probably be way too old to enjoy it.
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I'm not sure it's fair really to say that pool is dying. It's been dead a long time. I think it's only through the new media that most players not realize it's not a well-known game.
Fear not...people still play badminton so I don't think that pool is going anywhere.
Fear not...people still play badminton so I don't think that pool is going anywhere.
When I was a C player i was on the road in 88, i broke out even. I didnt play good enuff to get in any real action. But it was possible to cover gas, motel, food.
Those days are long gone,
KT had zero to do with killing pool, anyone who quit pool cause of him never had any heart anyways. He set up a tour the UIGEA came along messed him up and so goes the tour. So what? just keep on playing, yeah the big $$4 was gone but before him it wanst like it was big. Now its gone.
I get it, I put $5000 into Fatboy Challlenge and what do I get for my 5 dimes?
I been around this for enough years and know enough people at all parts of pool, pros, rail birds and everything in between and I know that that was a well written article except for the KT part. Someone pissed at KT got to the person who wrote that. I dont give a rats ass what KT did or didnt do, people are not playing for many other reasons, video games, facebook, poker, pool is a relic of a game and time marches on....
Those days are long gone,
KT had zero to do with killing pool, anyone who quit pool cause of him never had any heart anyways. He set up a tour the UIGEA came along messed him up and so goes the tour. So what? just keep on playing, yeah the big $$4 was gone but before him it wanst like it was big. Now its gone.
I get it, I put $5000 into Fatboy Challlenge and what do I get for my 5 dimes?
I been around this for enough years and know enough people at all parts of pool, pros, rail birds and everything in between and I know that that was a well written article except for the KT part. Someone pissed at KT got to the person who wrote that. I dont give a rats ass what KT did or didnt do, people are not playing for many other reasons, video games, facebook, poker, pool is a relic of a game and time marches on....
All Good Points Here. Butt
Here is my 2 cents:
The Video game market is certainly one of the main reasons that
Pocket Billiards has really been knocked out of the loop.
The list of other factors goes on and on!!!
Room availability for kids is almost gone so the next generation
simply lays on the couch and plays video games. Sad but true.
Here is my 2 cents:
The Video game market is certainly one of the main reasons that
Pocket Billiards has really been knocked out of the loop.
The list of other factors goes on and on!!!
Room availability for kids is almost gone so the next generation
simply lays on the couch and plays video games. Sad but true.
Oh yeah, and don't forget this....
http://www.azbilliards.com/thepros/2000thepros.php
Might have something to do with the reason pool is dead. The kid at Jack in the Box has made more money legitimately than most of these top players thus far this year. I wouldn't advise my kid to waste his time to trying to become the best of this game.
http://www.azbilliards.com/thepros/2000thepros.php
Might have something to do with the reason pool is dead. The kid at Jack in the Box has made more money legitimately than most of these top players thus far this year. I wouldn't advise my kid to waste his time to trying to become the best of this game.
Maybe there but not here.
Maybe in some other town but not here. So far I've only made out to about half of the bars in town. I don't believe pool is dead. I certainly don't believe hustling is dead. Too many bets going around. The depression we're in seems to be boosting it. As for AZB helping spread the word/work of hustlers. IMO That goes too far. Although there are a lot of us here on AZB, there are many more who aren't here. None of the hustlers I know have ever been to this site or heard of it. So... meh on that one too.
More than anything criminalization of betting does most of the killing. Truddeau sounds like a real jerk. Guys like him do another good chunk of the killing. And I'm sure someone is out looking for him.
Pots of 10k are rare, but around here it seems like you can scrounge up enough to cover the rent. And to me that's pretty durn good.
Maybe in some other town but not here. So far I've only made out to about half of the bars in town. I don't believe pool is dead. I certainly don't believe hustling is dead. Too many bets going around. The depression we're in seems to be boosting it. As for AZB helping spread the word/work of hustlers. IMO That goes too far. Although there are a lot of us here on AZB, there are many more who aren't here. None of the hustlers I know have ever been to this site or heard of it. So... meh on that one too.
More than anything criminalization of betting does most of the killing. Truddeau sounds like a real jerk. Guys like him do another good chunk of the killing. And I'm sure someone is out looking for him.
Pots of 10k are rare, but around here it seems like you can scrounge up enough to cover the rent. And to me that's pretty durn good.
A more appropriate title should read, "Why the concept of the classic hustler is dying." Pool is not dead. Pool is not dying. Its not on life support. It isn't in the hospital. As a matter of fact its alive and well. We as a pool community need to realize that the game has CHANGED. Ironically the fact that hustling isn't what it once was is a positive change. I disagree with much of the article's premise about the IPT and what it did to and for pool. It did NOT out a bunch of hustlers. All the article is doing is regurgitating the tag lines of the Tour when it was being advertised. There were very few true unknowns on the tour. That being said, the ones who were less known didn't do very well. Efren won everything, top pros always got through to the later stages and the bigger money, that part not much different than any other tournament. The poker boom of 2003 didn't help, but it didn't hurt pool as much as people might think. It just gave some gamblers something else to do. But to imply that there was some kind of mass exodus away from pool towards poker is a gross exaggeration. Don't worry about pool or AZ's culpability in bringing down a multi million dollar industry. Hustling and pool are no longer synonymous, but thats a sharp blip on the monitor, not a flatline.
Your welcome
Hustling may not be as popular as it used to be, I don't know, but I still hear of it. Anyway, though, I do not think pool is really dying as a sport, even if there are not as many hustlers. As long as people (especially professionals and those on this forum) continue to promote it, it should keep growing. Different people start playing for different reasons, so when I hear a friend or whoever wants to start play because of a particular thing, I really emphasize that reason. Exhibitions are a great for billiards promotion, however, I think many that attend these are already players themselves. I think the best means of introducing billiards to new people nowadays is internet, especially if you're after a younger audience.
What about atlantic city?????
Everything dies baby thats a fact, but everything that dies some day comes back.
-Grey Ghost
well it was really The Band that said it.......and if your wondering which band then I have pity on your soul, for it should be saved. This is not abbot and costello my friends.
Everything dies baby thats a fact, but everything that dies some day comes back.
-Grey Ghost
well it was really The Band that said it.......and if your wondering which band then I have pity on your soul, for it should be saved. This is not abbot and costello my friends.
Isn't it possible that the money drying up is not what killed pool, but that pool dying is why the money is drying up?