Special Message From Brunswick
- Thread starter Mr. Bond
- Start date
..............
I want to have this framed and hangin in my house
The thing is, this was more than just a silly notion. The folks at Brunswick were very serious about this stuff. What stuff? Keeping pool and billiards respectable in the minds of the public...
The image of pool had and has a great deal to do with how many moms and pops allow tables into their homes, which greatly affects table sales, and in turn, the number of players in the future.
It kinda makes you wonder why Brunswick doesn't seem concerned about pool's image nowadays.... Or anyone else for that matter.
With the lull in the industry right now, you'd think that some serious marketing would be in order...right?
......cricket chirp........
Here is some irony: back in 1850 or so, a brilliant man named Michael Phelan recognized that the world of billiards was a mess. All kinds of different games, different rules and standards for tables, no professionally run tournaments or championships...and the list goes on. So, he wrote the first American book on the subject and then set out to redesign the table itself, which he did.
The irony? His book was titled: BILLIARDS WITHOUT A MASTER
Which is basically the state of the industry TODAY.
The image of pool had and has a great deal to do with how many moms and pops allow tables into their homes, which greatly affects table sales, and in turn, the number of players in the future.
It kinda makes you wonder why Brunswick doesn't seem concerned about pool's image nowadays.... Or anyone else for that matter.
With the lull in the industry right now, you'd think that some serious marketing would be in order...right?
......cricket chirp........
Here is some irony: back in 1850 or so, a brilliant man named Michael Phelan recognized that the world of billiards was a mess. All kinds of different games, different rules and standards for tables, no professionally run tournaments or championships...and the list goes on. So, he wrote the first American book on the subject and then set out to redesign the table itself, which he did.
The irony? His book was titled: BILLIARDS WITHOUT A MASTER
Which is basically the state of the industry TODAY.
Nice bit of info, Mr. B. I would certainly prefer using the words pocket billiards rather than pool.
By-the-way, did you know that the early cave man played a similar game? It was called rock-et billiards.
Anyone up for a game of Straight Pocket-Billiards?
How bout some One Pocket.............................................................Billiards
I thought it was strange that Phelan's name didn't carry along into BBC Co. On a more recent historical note, here is a sidebar on the pool boom caused by the Hustler. It's from "Brunswick, The Story of an American Company", which is the official history of the company that they published in 1995 on their 150th anniversary. The book is nicely done, 150 pages, and you can get it online for about $6 including delivery.
In particular, notice the last sentence.
calling Pocket Billiards "Pool" is like calling Golf "Putt Putt"
I agree, calling Pocket Billiards "Pool" is like calling Golf "Putt Putt"....I always liked pocket billiards, and would gladly not use the word "pool" again if necessary.
I agree, calling Pocket Billiards "Pool" is like calling Golf "Putt Putt"....I always liked pocket billiards, and would gladly not use the word "pool" again if necessary.
I agree, calling Pocket Billiards "Pool" is like calling Golf "Putt Putt"....I always liked pocket billiards, and would gladly not use the word "pool" again if necessary.
hahahahaha
Here's the way it was told to me.
The word 'pool' has been around for a couple of centuries.
It's derived from the French word 'poule' which has a few definitions; a female chicken (hen), a slut or to gamble.
A friend of mine who is an English professor at a university near me has stated the the word 'poule'
is also used to define a game of chance/betting in France where the object is to strike a moving chicken with a stone.
The connection of pool to gambling is obvious. Pool is a game meant to be played for money.
Draw your own conclusions but pool's association to gambling is why it will forever be stigmatized.
KJ
The word 'pool' has been around for a couple of centuries.
It's derived from the French word 'poule' which has a few definitions; a female chicken (hen), a slut or to gamble.
A friend of mine who is an English professor at a university near me has stated the the word 'poule'
is also used to define a game of chance/betting in France where the object is to strike a moving chicken with a stone.
The connection of pool to gambling is obvious. Pool is a game meant to be played for money.
Draw your own conclusions but pool's association to gambling is why it will forever be stigmatized.
KJ