I generally like Earl and don't have a problem with his antics/whatever, but he was over the top rude and insulting at one Mosconi cup. It was well beyond unsportsmanlike behavior and really has no place in any sport.
Pool's "image"
- Thread starter bad_hit
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I generally like Earl and don't have a problem with his antics/whatever, but he was over the top rude and insulting at one Mosconi cup. It was well beyond unsportsmanlike behavior and really has no place in any sport.
I've recently watched some videos of Earl and his emotions during a Mosconi Cup event. Banging his cue around is one thing, but consistently badmouthing and verbally harassing his opponents, in front of the world, during the match, is in no way a good thing. I'm seriously hoping that you don't think such things should be permissible and common in an event of that caliber.
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If I wanted to take the time I could show you a lot of athletes in a lot of respected sports who have done the same. They may recieve a small fine or slight discipline but there is never an outcry that they are ruining the sport like we see in pool.
Btw, Im pretty sure that Mr. Hearn knows the value of having Earl there and doesnt really have a problem with him but he cant just put him there every year for entertainments sake. Some people here have a problem with Earl though.
Outcry? Where? Seems like we're living in the era of selective exaggeration. One guy on a message board somewhere says something about Earl, and all of a sudden it's an outcry about ruining the sport. What's ruining the sport is there are no real dollars flowing in from real sponsors and the attitude that it's so boring to watch that even people serious about the game won't watch it unless there's money riding on it.
You are the one exaggerating. If Mosconi Cup were a ppv stream format the same as the Ko/Orcullo match I guarantee it would recieve way more viewers than the money match. The US open gets more viewers. Lots of pool events that have nothing to do with gambling gets more viewers. And stick around... you will see some outcry about so and so ruining pools image. I wasnt talking about any one guy.
And I dont believe for a second that gambling that occurs in pool prevents sponsors from hopping on board. Sure it will prevent some but there are more than enough sponsors that it does not prevent if only pool had more fans. The bottom line in sponsors is the number of fans. It seems as if pool promoters try to rely on the game to bring in the fans. That is a bad idea in any sport. It has to be fun for the fans and entertaining and that is where letting the crowds get into the action and having an mc to keep the vibe between racks, and allowing the players to show some emotion comes in.
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You misunderstand. I'M not the one saying that, but I read it over and over on this board. I think it's very interesting to watch, and personally I'd like to see it back on TV.
The OP cites dribbling a ball and throwing it in a hoop.
I dont believe he is aware that the NBA has a dress code for its players.....they are not allowed to dress poorly on their way to the arenas they play in. Many wear suits.
That would be "professional" basketball.
If you want to attract corporate sponsorship, you have to present an image that won't discourage that. And any big time corporate sponsor will not want to be associated with the way pool is viewed now, in many instances.
The NBA, where men dribble a ball and throw it in a hoop, understands this.
I dont believe he is aware that the NBA has a dress code for its players.....they are not allowed to dress poorly on their way to the arenas they play in. Many wear suits.
That would be "professional" basketball.
If you want to attract corporate sponsorship, you have to present an image that won't discourage that. And any big time corporate sponsor will not want to be associated with the way pool is viewed now, in many instances.
The NBA, where men dribble a ball and throw it in a hoop, understands this.
So what you are saying is the NBA has it right?! I will bend on maintaining a Dennis Rodman type image at minimum for all players. But the NBA would not be anywhere if they simply relied on the game to get fans. Silent crowds, no music, just sit and watch the players, who are not allowed to show emotion, play the game... they would be as bad off as pool is.
Pool is a skill
Even Pool at an amateur level isn't as fun as say....Cornhole...because its a skill that you have to cultivate.
Anyone that has to work on a skill will get serious about it. Something like Cornhole most people can walk up and throw bags at a hole and count the ones that go in but the first time they do it they have most everything they need to do it on the first day.
So its fun whereas Pool is competitive and you have to try and add fun into it.
If you forget to add fun into it at the Amateur level then people start getting competitive and testy and when that happens all of it goes downhill from there.
Even Pool at an amateur level isn't as fun as say....Cornhole...because its a skill that you have to cultivate.
Anyone that has to work on a skill will get serious about it. Something like Cornhole most people can walk up and throw bags at a hole and count the ones that go in but the first time they do it they have most everything they need to do it on the first day.
So its fun whereas Pool is competitive and you have to try and add fun into it.
If you forget to add fun into it at the Amateur level then people start getting competitive and testy and when that happens all of it goes downhill from there.
I am sorry but the extreme diversity of people in poolrooms is one of the things I like about the game. In my room there are guys that have been on disability for years and guys that drive exotic cars. All nationalities, backgrounds, and income levels is one of the things that makes the poolroom atmosphere enjoyable for me and we are all there because of our love of the game.
The OP was discussing "image". And cited people "dribbling a ball and throwing it through a hoop" to support his contention that image doesn't matter. I merely wished to point out that the professionals who do that dribbling and throwing through hoops do indeed have to conform the manner in which they appear while doing their jobs.
Dennis Rodman was indeed extreme, but not in his manner of dress while on the job.
And yes, how people dress is merely one factor in the overall "image" issue that pool faces if it wishes to attract real corporate sponsorship to create higher payouts and excitement around the game. But it certainly is a factor.
IMO anyone who thinks pool's problem is too much emphasis on integrity and class hasn't been paying attention to the many threads here documenting the depth of the ethical rot that permeates the pool world - that pool players put up with and even defend - from crooked cuemakers to fraudulent promoters. Not to mention the whole history of the game.
What can you expect when the most glamorous part of the history of the game is how people would use it to steal money from other people? Because that is what most "hustling" is. Some is legit when it is a fair match fairly handicapped, but the ultimate goal of hustlers and hustling is to steal money by concealing and misrepresenting the truth in order to get an unfair match with an unfair handicap. Hardly a solid base to build a sport of integrity and class, IMO.
And this is very sad for the many people in the world of pool who truly are honest and professional and have integrity and love the game and want to see it grow.
What can you expect when the most glamorous part of the history of the game is how people would use it to steal money from other people? Because that is what most "hustling" is. Some is legit when it is a fair match fairly handicapped, but the ultimate goal of hustlers and hustling is to steal money by concealing and misrepresenting the truth in order to get an unfair match with an unfair handicap. Hardly a solid base to build a sport of integrity and class, IMO.
And this is very sad for the many people in the world of pool who truly are honest and professional and have integrity and love the game and want to see it grow.
One thing that the proponents of noisy, more involved fans are missing with their comparisons are that the sports they are using as examples are very dynamic, PHYSICAL sports. Raucous enthusiasm feeds very well off lots of action, action that may be fraught with potential injury for the players.
You're not gonna find that in pool. Especially when your playing field is a mere 5ft x 10ft or less.
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You're not gonna find that in pool. Especially when your playing field is a mere 5ft x 10ft or less.
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Banks
Banned
Boring pool is boring.
I agree, but what can you really do with the game to make it more appealing to the masses? Invite some petulant, formerly great player to come in and whine, cry, throw fits and disrespect his opponents? No thanks.
You could cut back on safeties played. That sh*t is boring as all get out to watch, especially when a player has an easy shot in front of him, but elects to play a safe because the next ball might be a little difficult to get to. Strategic? Yes. Exciting? No.
Just like when a baseball pitcher is told to walk a batter. I'm sorry, but that's a p*ssy move and boring too.
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I like it to be more relaxed too. Look, golf fans have figured it out...when you're setting up over a ball, shut up. In between, have fun. No need to be nasty or unsportsmanlike about it, though.
re: more interesting
That's why I like the longer races. I think players tend to play more aggressively because no one game matters as much. You tend to take more chances. The personalities have changed somewhat too, though. Guys like Mizerak, Sigel, Mosconi, Strickland, Rempe,etc where practically household names and celebrities. Sigel and Strickland are the only ones left from that time that are still active and larger than life. Who doesn't like watching Sigel run his mouth as he's pacing around the table? Who doesn't like watching Strickland on the edge of an explosion all the time? A lot of the personalities have kind of gotten dull and it just doesn't look like a lot of these guys are really having any fun anymore. It's more like a couple of guys fighting over a mortgage payment.
Anyhow, just my opinion. I'd love to see the fun and class come back to a bit, because ultimately the entertainment factor is what will attract viewers and allow this to thrive as a sport, IMHO.
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