đź’ˇ 8-ball should be the game. POINT, BLANK, PERIOD!!
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John Disque
Banned
For years I have been saying that American pool's only hope is to reach the general public.
Imagine how the sport of football would fail if the only viewing market was football players and the only money was from the sale of footballs. - That's where American pool is.
People understand football because they grew up with the sport and it's embedded into the American life. /// They don't understand pool (especially rotation games or one-pocket) because they didn't grow up with it. It's not a high-school sport that's on TV every Sunday.
The American public has a very, very short attention span - BUT you'd have trouble finding ANYONE who has not at-least played 1 game of "stripes & solids" so - it's all they understand and that should be capitalized on.
The money (the REAL money) is in the general public and it's not even close to being reached.
Exposure equals growth. Period. Full stop.
The Hustler - 14.1
The Color of Money - 9 ball
Both created a huge influx in pool. Why? Exposure. Not some silly game that better players tear apart.
I can't dunk a basket ball and thus I couldn't possibly be interested in NBA flawed argument. Let's just move the hoops down 3 feet so Bubba can dunk. Wait that sounds like a bar box....oh different argument.
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John Disque
Banned
That's not what I was saying.
The big game in American pro-pool is 9-ball and that's because the sport is being run by pool-players and marketed to pool players who already understand it.
To sell ANYTHING - you have to be able to think like the potential customer and they don't - they think like pool players.
When someone doesn't understand something they lose interest in it very quickly.
Ohhhhh son..... son....
son son son son son son son......
son....
Maybe.
Lesh
1P world peace
You must be a great player to run 6 racks on the HOB front tables. Those are some of the toughest tables in the world
This is tantamount to believing that classical or jazz music appeals because it is the most technically challenging to play.
Both of these styles, although beautiful, rich, complex and rewarding, hold a tiny modicum of popularity. Pop music, although it is disposable and generic, it is also the sound of $$$. It has an audience of billions around the world.
8Ball is the pop music of pool.
Record companies don't make their bones on either classical or jazz music.
John Disque
Banned
Referring to the simplicity of counting 1 through 9. LOL
There's a bit more to it than that.
A typical housewife clicking through the channels and finding pool (which would be a miracle in 2016) is automatically expecting to see 8-ball because that's what she thinks pool {{is}}.
So - the person on the screen shooting at the 1-ball must be solids. she doesn't know that he's shooting rotation and attempting to get on the blue ball because it's #2, and the next one is the red ball because it's #3.
If she manages to sit through the whole rack and he shoots the 8-ball but didn't win yet because he's still at the table shooting the 9-ball she thinks... "WTF?!!," turns the channel back to her favorite show that's sponsored by the car-company she is shopping for and POOL just lost a big cut of the $35,000-car she buys.
She's not going to go to the internet and learn the game of 9-ball because she's already turned off and bored with it. She doesn't relate to it and pool loses the car-company sponsor, settles for the internet and supports itself by selling over-priced, over-hyped, China-made tips that will make you "Mr. Cool-dude-pool-pro."
That's why Americans don't understand it
Jason
There's a bit more to it than that.
A typical housewife clicking through the channels and finding pool (which would be a miracle in 2016) is automatically expecting to see 8-ball because that's what she thinks pool {{is}}.
So - the person on the screen shooting at the 1-ball must be solids. she doesn't know that he's shooting rotation and attempting to get on the blue ball because it's #2, and the next one is the red ball because it's #3.
If she manages to sit through the whole rack and he shoots the 8-ball but didn't win yet because he's still at the table shooting the 9-ball she thinks... "WTF?!!," turns the channel back to her favorite show that's sponsored by the car-company she is shopping for and POOL just lost a big cut of the $35,000-car she buys.
She's not going to go to the internet and learn the game of 9-ball because she's already turned off and bored with it. She doesn't relate to it and pool loses the car-company sponsor, settles for the internet and supports itself by selling over-priced, over-hyped, China-made tips that will make you "Mr. Cool-dude-pool-pro."
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True, but for whatever reason the dynamic is different with sport (I don't claim to know why this is...it just is)!
In professional sport you want to see players do things you can't. I guess actually that sort of is the same as classical music in a way!
You seem to know a lot about housewives, John. That's great, it really is. Tell me something, are they usually watching pool without sound? Do they know what a commentator is? Especially the American ones who tend to talk non stop and over-analyze everything. And do you really believe that the key to success lies on targeting the housewives? Can you imagine a couple fighting over the remote control because the wife wants her daily dose of pool?
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John Disque
Banned
I'm sure they could figure out Soccer or Rugby or Cricket too... but they don't.
Soccer is the biggest sport on the planet... but... in America.... not many people give a damn about it, and there's a reason for that. = Americans didn't grow up with soccer. It wasn't a school sport, it wasn't a local youth sport and it wasn't on TV... therefore it never became embedded in the American way of life.
If you really, truly, honestly want to change the future of pool - you have to set up programs in local communities and schools and capture the youth market.
But - good luck with that... American parents and politicians do everything they can to steer their kids away from pool because they think we're all a bunch of low-life hustlers, rapists, murderers and Rudolf Wanderones.
John Disque
Banned
I was referring to the lack of money and success in the sport.
American housewives (millions of them) watch football, baseball, hockey and basketball - and these are usually the people making the financial household decisions about buying the cars, and jewelry and real estate, vacations, furniture, etc..,
This is how football, basketball, baseball and hockey get millions and millions of dollars in their sports - through those sponsors in those commercials. They're not buying footballs and baseball bats. They're (the housewife) buying what the sponsors are selling = big-ticket items = big money in the sport.
Now compare that to selling pool-gloves to pool players on the internet.
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Banks
Banned
Soccer wasn't a school sport?
What kind of brain damage do you suffer from? I'm just trying to better understand your posts.
GREAT post, as many of yours are.
Regarding FATS...what would motivate some VERY respected posters (JAY, DICK, POTTER, etc.) to speak highly of his skill/acumen based on first hand experience while you rip him based on hearsay?
BTW, i played him 9B in CHI on a 4 x 8' tbl at the GOLDEN 8 BALL, by the original PLAYBOY CLUB, in 64 and put some jingle in my jeans, however, i suspected and now i'm sure he was laying it down because he had much bigger fish to fry. The mental image of him, wearing a green cardigan sweater, orange trousers adorning his 5'5" frame while non-stop jabbering and bouncing around like a beach ball will stay with me until i draw my last breath.
Merry Christmas, adam
I guess I am going to stop playing 9 ball and 10 ball since your opinion is 8 ball should be the game point, blank, period...... To many options in 8 ball if your opponent misses their shape for the next ball they are going for.. Unless of course they are down to the last ball....
John Disque
Banned
I'll let you answer your own question......
Did he fry his big fish?
It's not hearsay. / Anyone that believes that idiot could play - is just believing what they want to believe.