If Pool EVER Wants To be called a sport
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
More and more top players are taking longer and longer to shoot. Each shot has become a game in it self. Have you looked at the fans in the seat at Accu-Stats, Turnigstone, U.S Open 9 ball, Allen Hopkins Expo...and many others. They are the same old guys every year. You have to have a sense of urgency to the game...like a shot clock. Johnnyt
I know it's a little hard to compare different sports, but I don't think pool is much slower than golf. Occasionally there are players who take a bit too long I suppose, I just don't think this is the issue.
Actually, it is a sport. The Olympics do NOT consider endeavors that are not sporting in nature. You still need good hand-eye coordination, coupled with strategy and in some cases power. What's not sporing about that
It depends on if you're any good at it, I suppose.
Anyone can do a sport, but only athletes can excel at those. How's that?
Jeff Livingston
Agreed. Although I do watch streams quite often.
I love watching Earl, Shaw, Keith (again), Shane, Rodney etc. Faster players.
Would be great to have more of them.
Also got me thinking.
Karen Corr. Obviously not the fastest player but...... I always enjoy watching her play.
I guess because she doesn't study or fret about each shot.
Just a nice methodical consistent pace. That doesn't bother me.
Our own AZB Mike W. Now THAT style drives me nuts!
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yes i really dont understand the constant need to declare billiards a sport
what other "sports" do fatties, oldies, drinkers, smokers compete?
nor do i understand the constant need for justification,
IF POOL WANTS TO BE POPULAR.......
why do you NEED it to be popular, it is what it is,and its not going anywhere
just play and shut up already
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riiiight. My wife sucks at hand-eye, but cooks just fine.
So, you know more than the international Olympics Committee, and the fact that pool is in the sports page (during it's hey day) and is shown on ESPN.
Nice try but huge fail. Gonna need something better than making a grilled cheese
This debate about pool being a sport has been hashed out so many times. No one will ever change anyone's mind regardless of any comparisons they draw. I did a survey not long ago asking whether pool is a sport. A healthy majority of pool players considered it a sport, while a healthy majority of non pool players considered it definitely NOT a sport. Some of the popular arguments/counter arguments were:
-"If it's on ESPN, then it's a sport" (hot dog eating and spelling bee are on ESPN too, definitely not sports)
-"If golf is a sport, then so is pool" (whether people consider golf a sport or not has no relevance to whether pool is)
-"It requires hand/eye coordination, so it's a sport" (so does magic, video games, darts, juggling, etc.)
I can go on and on, but in the end, who really cares?
As for fatties, oldies, drinkers, smokers, etc. I can name golf, football and others if needed.
I think it's more like 90% that want it to go at a reasonable pace, which means within 30 seconds for most shots, and a minute for harder ones. No reason for any longer than that.
I may be wrong, but I think he meant those types can compete at the highest levels.
The older I get, the more I realize just how much stamina is a vital part of winning pool.
I used to go go go forever and then want to get up and go go go again for a whole 'nuther day. Not now.
I don't know if that qualifies pool as a sport but it does take physical energy and stamina to play it well for long periods of time, something most other sports don't have to deal with. Quit as a winner and trouble can appear....lol.
That's all. I don't really care how its labeled. I do care enough that I exercise to stay in shape and consume nutritional stuff to be able to play it better than if I didn't do those things.
fwiw,
Jeff Livingston
I used to go go go forever and then want to get up and go go go again for a whole 'nuther day. Not now.
I don't know if that qualifies pool as a sport but it does take physical energy and stamina to play it well for long periods of time, something most other sports don't have to deal with. Quit as a winner and trouble can appear....lol.
That's all. I don't really care how its labeled. I do care enough that I exercise to stay in shape and consume nutritional stuff to be able to play it better than if I didn't do those things.
fwiw,
Jeff Livingston
But also the low level
Just because I throw a football or baseball with my kids, does it make me an athlete, or any kind?
I play on my table daily,but I'd never consider myself an athlete
I thought being an athlete meant doing thing more physically demanding activites than walking around a table lightly pushing balls around it
That's just my take on it, and as you stated before, each side will probably never see it as the other sides, which is ok
You brought up the second part of the question! If pool is a sport, does that automatically make a pro pool player an athlete?
There are some major league pitchers that are not "athletic" types, over weight, can't run at all, and probably can't do 5 pushups, but they have a golden arm. Does this mean its' not a sport for them, but everyone else?
Yes, you are playing sports if you are playing catch with your kid. Just like if you were on a pommel horse, you are then performing gymnastics. There are physically demanding sports and then there are ones that are not. If it was not a sport, ANYONE could do it. And anyone cannot do it. Go get a 60 year old woman who never played any sports and teach her how to play the game. Good luck.
The best students for pool, imho, are the ones that played some sports before. And even better are ones that played hockey, baseball, tennis, etc. See any similarities.
Getting someone to hold the cue for the first time that never played any type of sports can take hours for them to even get confortable. Playing BINGO takes about 2 seconds to learn how to stamp the numbers