My perspective is very different from what I am seeing here.
When I was a little kid, the Duncan yo-yo man came around to schoolyards, and put on exhibitions. It got the product out in front of us, and we all bought a yo-yo and messed with them for years. Someone had put the product in front of us, and created the interest.
When I got older, the movie "The Hustler" came out. The byproduct was even more important. You could find pool on TV on a regular basis. There was serious stuff, like matches between greats like Wimpy Lassiter, and Irving Crane, action from Johnson City, and more, on Wild World of Sports. You had stuff like Minnesota Fats playing celebrities every week, and stories about Jackie Gleason and other celebrities who were into pool.
Who is putting it out in front of the kids now? The pros can't get on TV, because their greed and fighting put themselves out of business. It's not any other reason than that.
Who is out there putting pool in front of the kids? I sure don't see any pros putting on a free clinic for kids, in the local pool rooms. No one wants to try and organize the players to promote them on TV, because they are a colossal headache. How would kids get fired up, if it's not promoted to them.
I see very few kids in the local pool halls after school. The few I see are kids of good players who took the time to teach them the game. Occasionally,I will see someone who is trying to learn, without obvious help from anyone. I will make sure he has some extra table time, and has decent equipment. I try to always have a cue to give, if necessary. I don't have a lot of money, but it is a small price to pay to try and save a dying sport. One of those kids is now cleaning up in league play with a new Schon. He has the potential to be a great player, but without anyone to help him, I'm not sure if he would have lasted the couple of years it took to get old enough for league.
We need to each be a promoter, and a teacher, and we need the professional players to step up and clean up their act. They need to earn promotion, which, for the most part, they have not done. They need to be on T V, and in the pool halls giving back to the sport.