There Is NO Hope For Pro Pool IMO

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
A lot the things I thought that could make pro pool a legit sport when I came on here 10+ years ago are the same today. Only now I've lost all hope. The only difference is today I feel pro pool will never get much bigger than it has been and probably much worse. Tournaments with 25k or more are just about finished. There still is no pro pool organization. Promoters and players are still pulling in different directions. Players are still doing biz at tournaments no matter how big they are. Casinos still won't take bets on pool...who can blame them. Very little new blood has come into the sport. The gate at pro tournaments amounts to about nothing. There are still no big sponsors like Ford, Nike, Bud, and the like. Ad a very poor economy and you have enough nails to seal pro pool in its coffin for good. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
A lot the things I thought that could make pro pool a legit sport when I came on here 10+ years ago are the same today. Only now I've lost all hope. The only difference is today I feel pro pool will never get much bigger than it has been and probably much worse. Tournaments with 25k or more are just about finished. There still is no pro pool organization. Promoters and players are still pulling in different directions. Players are still doing biz at tournaments no matter how big they are. Casinos still won't take bets on pool...who can blame them. Very little new blood has come into the sport. The gate at pro tournaments amounts to about nothing. There are still no big sponsors like Ford, Nike, Bud, and the like. Ad a very poor economy and you have enough nails to seal pro pool in its coffin for good. Johnnyt
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Pool has been through this before several times. It has ebbs and flows like the stockmarket throughout it's history. It was saved a couple of times by a movie. It won't ever go away but it also won't flourish without mucho help.

The numbers of players are going down and the demographics are aging. There isn't a central entity that is taking responsibility for helping resurrect the sport i.e. BCA. It's a hodgepodge of individual promoters piecing together a semblance of a pro tour which is now in jeopardy of going the WPBA route. Your right times are dismal but you know what? It isn't irreversible. The same reasons that everyone here enjoys the sport is still valid. It just needs better packaging and marketing. The APA is doing pretty well in this environment.

Pool dead and buried? Maybe, but just like a vampire it can rise from the grave at anytime, it just needs some blood.
 
Johnnyt said:
A lot the things I thought that could make pro pool a legit sport when I came on here 10+ years ago are the same today. Only now I've lost all hope. The only difference is today I feel pro pool will never get much bigger than it has been and probably much worse. Tournaments with 25k or more are just about finished. There still is no pro pool organization. Promoters and players are still pulling in different directions. Players are still doing biz at tournaments no matter how big they are. Casinos still won't take bets on pool...who can blame them. Very little new blood has come into the sport. The gate at pro tournaments amounts to about nothing. There are still no big sponsors like Ford, Nike, Bud, and the like. Ad a very poor economy and you have enough nails to seal pro pool in its coffin for good. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Fear not things will change.
Where there's hope, there is a way.
THERE'S ALWAYS A WAY :thumbup:
 
I don't think it will take anything less than a big-time Hollywood movie to inject greater life into the sport.
 
Pool outside of this forum may get a boost down the road. Too many cult followers exist today, preventing new entities from entering the field. :frown:
 
.the old ideas, concepts and opinions must fade away to make room for the birth

Johnnyt said:
A lot the things I thought that could make pro pool a legit sport when I came on here 10+ years ago are the same today. Only now I've lost all hope. The only difference is today I feel pro pool will never get much bigger than it has been and probably much worse. Tournaments with 25k or more are just about finished. There still is no pro pool organization. Promoters and players are still pulling in different directions. Players are still doing biz at tournaments no matter how big they are. Casinos still won't take bets on pool...who can blame them. Very little new blood has come into the sport. The gate at pro tournaments amounts to about nothing. There are still no big sponsors like Ford, Nike, Bud, and the like. Ad a very poor economy and you have enough nails to seal pro pool in its coffin for good. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

You are right, Johnny, like the caterpillar turning into a butterfly "old pro pool" must die for the metamorphosis to happen.....the old ideas, concepts and opinions must fade away to make room for the birth of Pro Pocket Billiards.
th
 
CJ Wiley said:
You are right, Johnny, like the caterpillar turning into a butterfly "old pro pool" must die for the metamorphosis to happen.....the old ideas, concepts and opinions must fade away to make room for the birth of Pro Pocket Billiards.
th
Click to expand...

Wonder whatever happened to the Lange's metalmark butterfly of L.A. Soon butterflies will be extinct.
 
The only way Pro pool can survive is to form an organization and form a brand name.

Nothing will ever happen without a brand name and an organized group of officers.

Once a group is formed with a brand name, they can accept donations, sell hats, shirts, collector cards, pool cues, pool balls, and even have bake sales or hoagie sales.

They would need to be able to give lessons, exhibitions, and small tournaments that would include regular shooters being able to shoot with a pro...like scotch doubles. Kids, girls, boys of all ages need to be a fan of this group. Shooters need to be role models to gain respect. Make a cartoon character of each player involved and give them a nickname.

Players would need to and be willing to sacrifice lots of time and money to get started, like any other business. I think the Shane and Earl road show would be good and make some money, but they would need to be willing to do it for the organization and not just pocket the money themselves.

Eventually sponsors will come on board but you really have to have a brand name to get started.

I don't think anyone would make a lot of money or get rich...but there aren't too many overnight successes. It would all take time.

Nothing will ever work by just talking about it. There needs to be action. :boring2:
 
Johnnyt said:
A lot the things I thought that could make pro pool a legit sport when I came on here 10+ years ago are the same today. Only now I've lost all hope. The only difference is today I feel pro pool will never get much bigger than it has been and probably much worse. Tournaments with 25k or more are just about finished. There still is no pro pool organization. Promoters and players are still pulling in different directions. Players are still doing biz at tournaments no matter how big they are. Casinos still won't take bets on pool...who can blame them. Very little new blood has come into the sport. The gate at pro tournaments amounts to about nothing. There are still no big sponsors like Ford, Nike, Bud, and the like. Ad a very poor economy and you have enough nails to seal pro pool in its coffin for good. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Agree with all of what you have said Johnnyt. And in the end, it all comes down to, nobody watches pool because it is BORING. Last time I was at Hopkins show I said to my buddy "Let's go to the pro arena and watch some matches." He responded with an incredulous look on his face "Watch them? Are you kidding me? Those guys are boring. They never miss!" Now cultists like us may understand the drama in a guy rolling a diamond too far for position, but regular people just don't share our view.

I've always felt that if you wanted to appeal to the regular man on the street you have to play a game he understands. And that is 8 Ball. That's what they play at the Boy's and Girls Club, the Senior Centers, in home basements, and at the bars. The leagues play 8 Ball. Not my favorite game, but if you tell someone you are going to play pool that is what they envision in their minds.

The beer companies already tried pool and they weren't impressed. So did the cigarette people. When I had my pool magazine, Coke was looking to go into a new market. They were going to place big time ads in the mag. It was between me and a paintball magazine. I lost to a flippin' paintball magazine. They felt paintball was a better opportunity.

And finally, there are, how should I say it, the "characters" in pool. Or more appropriately, pool glorifies its dirtbags, scam artists, drug addicts and outright thieves. Never forget the time I took my wife to a pro event in Providence, RI when Mackey was running the pro tour. There we were sitting in the grandstand watching, at the time, one of the top 5 players in the world. We watched him stick his finger up his nose to the second knuckle and then wipe his prize on his pants. My wife to this day makes a face any time I mention that someone is a "great" pool player.

Is pro pool dead? Yup.

Bob Campbell
 
The first time i saw one legendary pro, known for being real colorful, in person-he was a full knuckle in. I didnt look further so no idea what he did with the prize though.
 
At this point pro pool is certainly not dead. The reality is that many people that feel pool is dead or dying think that pro pool should be this huge entity. What people need to realize is that it never will be. It is not going to have huge sponsors from beer or beverage companies. People also need to realize that for many people pool is just not that exciting to watch. While I enjoy watching Shane or Earl or Efren shoot an amazing shot many people have no idea just how difficult some shots are. This is especially true because the top players make it look so easy sometimes.

Something else that needs to change with regards to pool is table sizes and pocket (sizes, shelf, angles) all need to be standardized. No matter where you go to play golf the hole is the same size. No matter where I might go bowling the lanes are the same sizes with the same pins. This is simply not true in the world of pool.

Now please realize pro pool is not dead. It is not going to die. The problem all comes down to perception of what the game should be.
 
There's more to life than doom and gloom! There's always hope IMHO!
 
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JAM said:
Pool outside of this forum may get a boost down the road. Too many cult followers exist today, preventing new entities from entering the field. :frown:
Click to expand...

I agree
But this WILL change in time. There are a lot of innovative people out there just waiting for their chance or the right time. Timing is everything, just ask a woman :thumbup:
 
CJ Wiley said:
You are right, Johnny, like the caterpillar turning into a butterfly "old pro pool" must die for the metamorphosis to happen.....the old ideas, concepts and opinions must fade away to make room for the birth of Pro Pocket Billiards.
th
Click to expand...

Again I agree
However Pro Pocket Billiards is just another part of the past.
Time for leaders of the new school to step forward :thumbup:
 
Shannon.spronk said:
At this point pro pool is certainly not dead. The reality is that many people that feel pool is dead or dying think that pro pool should be this huge entity. What people need to realize is that it never will be. It is not going to have huge sponsors from beer or beverage companies. People also need to realize that for many people pool is just not that exciting to watch. While I enjoy watching Shane or Earl or Efren shoot an amazing shot many people have no idea just how difficult some shots are. This is especially true because the top players make it look so easy sometimes.

Something else that needs to change with regards to pool is table sizes and pocket (sizes, shelf, angles) all need to be standardized. No matter where you go to play golf the hole is the same size. No matter where I might go bowling the lanes are the same sizes with the same pins. This is simply not true in the world of pool.

Now please realize pro pool is not dead. It is not going to die. The problem all comes down to perception of what the game should be.
Click to expand...

Perception is key :thumbup:
 
I don't think pro pool is dead. Its changing though. It will get smaller in the future. I think this will actually be good for the few elite players. It will suck for those trying to break in or who have managed to eke out a living on the edges.

The old model of big expensive tournaments that do not make money for anyone is obviously dying. For any major changes to take place there must be an organization with money, brains and skill to build something. I have yet to see anything with all three step up and take a shot in the US.

The players could do it themselves if they wanted it bad enough.
 
JCIN said:
I don't think pro pool is dead. Its changing though. It will get smaller in the future. I think this will actually be good for the few elite players. It will suck for those trying to break in or who have managed to eke out a living on the edges.

The old model of big expensive tournaments that do not make money for anyone is obviously dying. For any major changes to take place there must be an organization with money, brains and skill to build something. I have yet to see anything with all three step up and take a shot in the US.

The players could do it themselves if they wanted it bad enough.
Click to expand...

This would be one direction and would work if players want it badly enough.
There are several routes, but of course to organisation, time and money...
I have 2 out of 3 :thumbup:
 
Shannon.spronk said:
At this point pro pool is certainly not dead. The reality is that many people that feel pool is dead or dying think that pro pool should be this huge entity. What people need to realize is that it never will be. It is not going to have huge sponsors from beer or beverage companies. People also need to realize that for many people pool is just not that exciting to watch. While I enjoy watching Shane or Earl or Efren shoot an amazing shot many people have no idea just how difficult some shots are. This is especially true because the top players make it look so easy sometimes.

Something else that needs to change with regards to pool is table sizes and pocket (sizes, shelf, angles) all need to be standardized. No matter where you go to play golf the hole is the same size. No matter where I might go bowling the lanes are the same sizes with the same pins. This is simply not true in the world of pool.

Now please realize pro pool is not dead. It is not going to die. The problem all comes down to perception of what the game should be.
Click to expand...

I agree 100% on the perception idea.

It seems for some people that if pool is not on opposite Monday Night Football then it is a failure. I think the idea of widespread mainstream acceptance of pool as a spectator sport is pretty unreasonable. Thats not to say it can not build a niche that will allow the best in the world a way to make a living and provide a path for newcomers to attain a professional standing.

If its Network TV or bust then its going to be bust.
 
is pool dead ????

i asked shane vb if he thought pool was dead, he smiled at me and said, heck no !!! i replied why ??? he said ive made a lot of money in this game, how can it be dead ???
 
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