Why does it have to be 7' or 9/10'? Why not compromise and play everything on 8 footers?
I would imagine that money has a lot to do with it.
I don't think anyone makes a portable table in an 8 foot model. Not even Diamond.
If I remember correctly, they can fit about 50 of the 7' smart tables on a truck with lights. They can only fit something like 16 of the 9' smart tables on a truck.
CSI owns the US Open names for 10 ball, 8 ball, and one pocket. Barry owns it for 9 ball. If they don't call these events by the US Open titles then there just won't be any events with those titles. CSI has had them in conjunction with the BCAPL National Amateur events because it both saved them production money and it also gave them a captive audience. Well, that didn't work. The events still cost them significant money to hold, and there has been very little interest from the amateurs already there. CSI only really has a few choices. They can continue to run the events at a loss. Or, they could drop them entirely and put that expense into the amateur event. Or, they could try to find a way to pull off the events that would catch the attention of the amateurs that are already there. I side with number 3.
I've said many times that what Pro Pool needs is a fan base. And it needs to be a fan base that is passionate about pool enough to spend money being fans. It's the only way it can work.
Advertising won't bring fans, it can only help to grow an existing fan base. Advertisers aren't interested in creating an audience to advertise to, they want to find one that already exists.
In every main stream sport, the players and all those involved cater to the fans. After all, it's the money that the fans spend that makes it all possible. Until Pro Pool can make a connection with the amateurs, which is about the only thing successful in the current pool world, they will suffer financial hardships.
Something to consider is that the viewership here on AZ, while it seems like the real pulse of the pool world, is very small relative to all the true amateur players out there. A vast majority of them probably don't even know about AZ, or the Pro's. That doesn't mean that they aren't pool players. And it doesn't mean that they couldn't be fans of both the Pro's and the sport. To me they are the low hanging fruit. They already have at least some passion for pool, and are prime candidates to become fans. Pool just needs to recognize that they are the best potential fan base, and figure out what would motivate them.
I know that I like to play on 9 footers more than I like to play on 7 footers. But I also know that I'm already committed to pool and the industry. It's not what I like that matters, it's what the thousands or more potential fans out there would like.
It's all about the numbers. Of fans, that is.
Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com