I gotta agree with most of what you've said here.
Pool will always stay small time if most of its enthusiasts are willing to accept anything less than professionalism in their sport. Sure it's just a few folks watching but it is going worldwide. So no offense was meant but I doubt mocking an Asian player's name is going to go so well in the Asian markets where, I would think, all of the stream sponsors are wishing to sell product.
Times change and what was acceptable 10 years ago in life, the media, or locker room may not be so anymore. And we've all become more media savy. Nowadays there are seven year old kids putting out near broadcast quality video on YouTube. The bar has been raised regardless of what the commentators are being paid.
Which brings me to this: as most here know I played a streamed match a few months back. I am told that at one point the stream approached 800 viewers. There were two commentators in the booth for that match, Jamison Neu and Freddy Agnir. Jamison knows me from Missouri, but Freddy not so much, though our paths frequently cross on the groups. I doubt either guy was getting paid and were probably just doing it to be part of the show. But before the match Freddy did something that impressed me -- he came up to me and asked me a series of questions about what I'd been doing lately pool-wise, what some of my accomplishments were, and a little bit about my background. I knew exactly what he was doing: gathering a little intel so he could do a professional job as a commentator in the booth.
We could all use a little bit more of that.
Lou Figueroa
