Why all the hate for team USA?

[Rackemep]

I don't get why a lot of people are hating on team USA especially a lot of Americans...

I like to win and see my team win as much as the next guy/gal but I'm not going to go dumping on them just because they are getting their ass kicked...Pool is a streaky game and if we did a rematch with the same teams next week things could be totally different! All of the players on Team USA are GREAT pool players and all of the haters would be singing a different tune if we were sitting on the winning side of things.

 

[CreeDo]

I don't get why a lot of people are hating on team USA especially a lot of Americans...

I like to win and see my team win as much as the next guy/gal but I'm not going to go dumping on them just because they are getting their ass kicked...Pool is a streaky game and if we did a rematch with the same teams next week things could be totally different! All of the players on Team USA are GREAT pool players and all of the haters would be singing a different tune if we were sitting on the winning side of things.

If we did a rematch with the same teams next week the result would be totally the same.
Europe keeps winning these things. After this year it will be 6 out of the last 7.
This isn't a bunch of dudes getting unlucky.

So the hatred is because we start thinking... "well, after this many losses, it's not
just luck. So what is it? Europe must just play better."
And from there the only logical conclusion is they work harder, train more, practice more,
and have more heart.

I don't think that's entirely fair or accurate, but the perception seems to be that
the USA team is like that one guy who shows up to work and only gives 70%
while everyone else is busting their asses.

We're not supposed to get outworked.

 

[cluelesscuer]

It does seem overblown negativity to me at least. I think a bit of it is just a carry over for a lot of the frustrations with the pro game in general (for example, bonus ball) from American pool fans.

 

[spanky79]

If we did a rematch with the same teams next week the result would be totally the same.
Europe keeps winning these things. After this year it will be 6 out of the last 7.
This isn't a bunch of dudes getting unlucky.

So the hatred is because we start thinking... "well, after this many losses, it's not
just luck. So what is it? Europe must just play better."
And from there the only logical conclusion is they work harder, train more, practice more,
and have more heart.

I don't think that's entirely fair or accurate, but the perception seems to be that
the USA team is like that one guy who shows up to work and only gives 70%
while everyone else is busting their asses.

We're not supposed to get outworked.

it comes down to the US players being individuals, they dont hang out together or practice together, If I had to choose a side to hang out with it would be the Euros for sure. I picked the Euros to win, just didnt think it would be this bad,

 

[Rackemep]

If we did a rematch with the same teams next week the result would be totally the same.
Europe keeps winning these things. After this year it will be 6 out of the last 7.
This isn't a bunch of dudes getting unlucky.

So the hatred is because we start thinking... "well, after this many losses, it's not
just luck. So what is it? Europe must just play better."
And from there the only logical conclusion is they work harder, train more, practice more,
and have more heart.

I don't think that's entirely fair or accurate, but the perception seems to be that
the USA team is like that one guy who shows up to work and only gives 70%
while everyone else is busting their asses.

We're not supposed to get outworked.

CreeDo, I enjoy your posts and tend to agree with you a lot of the time...I just don't feel that team USA should be getting all the hate. Are we being out played? Yes! I agree 100%, but to say our team is a disgrace or that some of the players are not worthy of being there is wrong in my opinion. Until anyone of us sitting here on the computer can get on that table and compete against the powerhouse that Team Europe has put together then we have no place hating on anyone...It sucks to loose but why not stick behind our guys and say "go team!"?

 

[Kimmo]

I do not really see it as hate, but misguided frustration.
European team has stepped up ready to do battle, whereas the US team seems to have trusted "we're all great players and we'll wing it...shoot it off the hip".
Well there is a saying "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.".
The negative comments from the public seem to stem from the realization that US is being outplayed. Like someone said in another post, "Dammit, we're not supposed to be out-worked".
Why are the Europeans willing to put in the hard labor, time, effort, blood, sweat and tears to be the best but US is not (at least not to the same extent).

Add to that a few frustrated, perhaps misguided, comments from the players themselves and it only adds fuel to the fire.

We have all said and done things out of frustration we perhaps did not mean quite that way. It is because we care, we have passion for the game. I happen to like that. Does it mean we really HATE the team? I do not think so...

just my 0.02 to the philosophical ponderings around pool....

 

[The Renfro]

Hate? harsh word that...

 

[BeiberLvr]

Watching the NIels and Johnny match right now. How the heck did Johnny not get out from here?

 

[Shannon.spronk]

it comes down to the US players being individuals, they dont hang out together or practice together, If I had to choose a side to hang out with it would be the Euros for sure. I picked the Euros to win, just didnt think it would be this bad,

While I at least partially agree with you it is much more complicated than that. How far away from each other are the farthest players in Europe? Couple that with very cheap flights within the EU (at least it was that way when I was stationed there). That is a recipe that will lend itself to be more successful than what the Americans have. Johnny lives in what Atlanta? Shane South Dakota? Earl New York? No idea where Dennis or Rodney live but it is likely not close to the others.

On another note I still have a hard time understanding the format of the Mosconi. 9 on the spot? Small break box? Short races? Where else do you see those rules? The short race is fine given that it is a televised event (at least in Europe). I do not understand the break box or the 9 on the spot. Yeah I understand they do not want just break and run and break and run but if that is what they are worried about then they are playing the wrong game. Play the game made for a short format (10 ball) rather than confining an existing game to be played the way that you want.

 

[JAM]

Why the hate for Team USA? It's because that's what forum culture dictates. Everybody band together and hate the American pros. Kevin Trueau is in jail, so you can't rag on him anymore. Bonus Ball is a dead fish in the water, so can't smell that anymore. Let's go back to what the forum relishes, and that is hate the profesional player, especially Americans. The American pool culture is cruel to its own.

First it was the jobless bums with no jobs and now it's the professional player pariah.

Well, how about the BCA organization? They are the ones who dropped the ball, literally, on professional pool. Why not hate them? While they get fat, greasing each other's palms, they have divorced themselves from what the very name of the organization dictates. It's a joke!

 

[spanky79]

Why the hate for Team USA? It's because that's what forum culture dictates. Everybody band together and hate the American pros. Kevin Trueau is in jail, so you can't rag on him anymore. Bonus Ball is a dead fish in the water, so can't smell that anymore. Let's go back to what the forum relishes, and that is hate the profesional player, especially Americans. The American pool culture is cruel to its own.

First it was the jobless bums with no jobs and now it's the professional player pariah.

Well, how about the BCA organization? They are the ones who dropped the ball, literally, on professional pool. Why not hate them? While they get fat, greasing each other's palms, they have divorced themselves from what the very name of the organization dictates. It's a joke!

its not only that, Earl is Earl, I love the guy but he is who he is, Many dont like Rodney for several reasons, JA is all about JA, always has been, no matter what he wants it to look like. Shane is a great guy. Hatch is arrogant and usually acts like an ass. There are many reasons not to like the US team. Hate is ridiculous, The Euros are all nice guys, MIka cries alot, but other then that what is there not to like about there team. They sit there like pros and dont step out of line. The Euros deserve everything the get and the US team deserves an beating and a bit of humble pie. They are getting all of it in a 3 day span.

 

[JAM]

its not only that, Earl is Earl, I love the guy but he is who he is, Many dont like Rodney for several reasons, JA is all about JA, always has been, no matter what he wants it to look like. Shane is a great guy. Hatch is arrogant and usually acts like an ass. There are many reasons not to like the US team. Hate is ridiculous, The Euros are all nice guys, MIka cries alot, but other then that what is there not to like about there team. They sit there like pros and dont step out of line. The Euros deserve everything the get and the US team deserves an beating and a bit of humble pie. They are getting all of it in a 3 day span.

Well, it might be because the American pro players have no support from their organization -- from ANY ORGANIZATION -- and no support from the American pool public.

As well, because pool is such a fractured sport, if I may call it a "sport," because it really isn't in today's times, the American pool public gets to play alongside American pros at tournaments around the country. They can hang out, eat with, and sleep with American pros, because American pros, though they are pool celebrities in some eyes, are not distanced from the American public like major sports celebrities are. So people can talk about Johnny's this or Hatch's that or Rodney's this or Buddy's that.

And for the Earl haters, if you've ever had a family member with a mental illness, you'd re-think your thoughts about Earl. Earl is actually brilliant, with an extremely high IQ, as evidenced by his strengths in pool. If it wsan't pool, Earl would have been a champion in golf or tennis, whatever he set his mind to. But when he entered the 20s, as it happens to most young adults if they become afflicted with a bipolar disorder, Earl entered a new realm of his life. He had to deal with demons that you and I have never experienced. He cannot medicate because he can't play pool professionally with that type of medication.

How do I know so much about it? My niece is bipolar, much worse than Earl. It happened to her at 19 years old. They had to give her numerous prescriptions before they found the right one. She's 40 years old today and lives in subsidized housing on SSI. She functions okay, but she remains heavily medicated and will be until she passed away.

Without medicine, she's, well, worse than Earl. One year in her 30s, she quit her medicine, got a gun, and left town. Nobody knew where she was for a month. There was an APB out for her, and her family was scared. A Louisiana State Trooper found her in the winter months walking up a median strip with only her bra on and jeans. She didn't know how she got there. A few days later, they found her car totaled.

So we can all continue to hate on Earl and say what a piece of crap he is, or in the alternative, we can recognize his brilliance that he displays even though he suffers from a bipolar disorder. My niece is not so lucky. She will be medicated the rest of her life and live like a recluse. :smile:

 

[Rackemep]

You need to stop saying "go team" and start asking why the team isn't better.

The US team has a couple of players that just aren't top tier and that handicaps the others who themselves don't seem committed enough. They really aren't focused on winning. Europe has been more lucky on the layouts, etc., but the reasons I just stated explains why they're getting wiped out rather than just losing or even winning.

To ask "why isn't the team better?" is much different than hating on them...I agree we have a lot of room to improve but its not a lack of talent that's holding us back...All of team USA is capable of playing world class pool!

 

[SouthernDraw]

As far as the hating? We are Americans and we over-react. It is just what we do. And, yes, the anonymity of forum posters make us act like a mob. That is simple Sociology 101.

Why so many losses at the MC?... I saw too much enthusiasm early and that caused some bad rolls. Then, as losses mounted, our guys were playing under more pressure and missed several opportunities at wins. The Euros, on the other hand, had less and less pressure each game and were confident and loose. A pro player being confident and loose is scary. Makes for a really difficult up hill battle. Earl was right about one thing, the US guys were having to make some difficult shots and the Euros seemed to step to the table is fairly easy layouts on the 1st day.

Why are Euros better at MC? Top to bottom they're team has superior tournament players. We have no system of developing young tournament players. In the past, gambling developed our young players and then some transitioned into tourney players. Others were simply not well fitted for tournament's short races. Takes too much time to acclimate to table, get in stroke, get in the zone, etc. Even Shane is much better suited to long races, although he is still really good at tournaments.

BTW, 20 to Life broke our gambling pipeline of talent. 20-2-Life put many drug lords in jail when their Lt's become rats (they weren't willing to do that much time). Today there is less untaxed money floating around. And Drugs and prostitution funded gambling in the past.

Respect, Courage, and Commitment!

 

[Bella Don't Cry]

Well, it might be because the American pro players have no support from their organization -- from ANY ORGANIZATION -- and no support from the American pool public.

As well, because pool is such a fractured sport, if I may call it a "sport," because it really isn't in today's times, the American pool public gets to play alongside American pros at tournaments around the country. They can hang out, eat with, and sleep with American pros, because American pros, though they are pool celebrities in some eyes, are not distanced from the American public like major sports celebrities are. So people can talk about Johnny's this or Hatch's that or Rodney's this or Buddy's that.

And for the Earl haters, if you've ever had a family member with a mental illness, you'd re-think your thoughts about Earl. Earl is actually brilliant, with an extremely high IQ, as evidenced by his strengths in pool. If it wsan't pool, Earl would have been a champion in golf or tennis, whatever he set his mind to. But when he entered the 20s, as it happens to most young adults if they become afflicted with a bipolar disorder, Earl entered a new realm of his life. He had to deal with demons that you and I have never experienced. He cannot medicate because he can't play pool professionally with that type of medication.

How do I know so much about it? My niece is bipolar, much worse than Earl. It happened to her at 19 years old. They had to give her numerous prescriptions before they found the right one. She's 40 years old today and lives in subsidized housing on SSI. She functions okay, but she remains heavily medicated and will be until she passed away.

Without medicine, she's, well, worse than Earl. One year in her 30s, she quit her medicine, got a gun, and left town. Nobody knew where she was for a month. There was an APB out for her, and her family was scared. A Louisiana State Trooper found her in the winter months walking up a median strip with only her bra on and jeans. She didn't know how she got there. A few days later, they found her car totaled.

So we can all continue to hate on Earl and say what a piece of crap he is, or in the alternative, we can recognize his brilliance that he displays even though he suffers from a bipolar disorder. My niece is not so lucky. She will be medicated the rest of her life and live like a recluse. :smile:

To educate one's self is to become enlightened.
JAM - this one's for you :thumbup:

 

[Bella Don't Cry]

Whilst the match is in play - all players and fans should remain positive!
Should Team USA pull off a 4-1 victory today, it's all back on!
It's up to them to make it happen!
I just want to see great pool action on the big screen - GO TEAM USA :thumbup:

 

[Kimmo]

Earl was right about one thing, the US guys were having to make some difficult shots and the Euros seemed to step to the table is fairly easy layouts on the 1st day.

just a question in regards to this.....

consider the following

- EU had easier layouts (at least so is claimed)
- most breaks were dry breaks or no shot available after break

This means that usually when EU came to the table, it was after US-team had already been on it either breaking or playing right? Does that not then mean that EU was better managing the table and/or breaking better? If they never have to shoot a tough shot, does it not then mean that either their position play is perfect or team US messed up and left an easy shot?

What is there to gripe about then? Accept, adjust and move on.

cheers,
Kimmo

 

[Shannon.spronk]

just a question in regards to this.....

consider the following

- EU had easier layouts (at least so is claimed)
- most breaks were dry breaks or no shot available after break

This means that usually when EU came to the table, it was after US-team had already been on it either breaking or playing right? Does that not then mean that EU was better managing the table and/or breaking better? If they never have to shoot a tough shot, does it not then mean that either their position play is perfect or team US messed up and left an easy shot?

What is there to gripe about then? Accept, adjust and move on.

cheers,
Kimmo

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

 

[scsuxci]

Maybe its just his style but when I watch Rodney play,its like he's about
to start yawning or something.
I'm not to sure what a Captains job is in pool,but has Buddy even got up
from his chair,and I mean get up for anything.
These guys look out of there element and somehow have forgotton
there some of the best players in the world.
They better wake up today and start playing like it.

 

[Straightpool_99]

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