Can You Lose Your Amateur Status - Brian Parks

KurtMHodges

KurtMHodges

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My questions are, at what point should you lose you amateur status, and can you lose your amateur status in pool? In many sports, once you cash in a tournament, you can no longer be an amateur. After Brian Parks won his 2nd US Amateur Title I figured he would no longer be allowed to compete as an Amateur. Now, after winning his 5th US Amateur Title, I feel it overwhelmingly cheapens the victory; especially given the fact he has played in, and won, open tournaments. In fact, he even is sponsored by OB.

I am not knocking Brian; as his play is solid and I have read he is a great guy. I would think this of anyone in that position. It just seems weird to me. Any thoughts?
 
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Kicking out the best player in the tournament would cheapen the victory for any future champions.
 
KurtMHodges said:
My questions are, at what point should you lose you amateur status, and can you lose your amateur status in pool? In many sports, once you cash in a tournament, you can no longer be an amateur. After Brian Parks won his 2nd US Amateur Title I figured he would no longer be allowed to compete as an Amateur. Now, after winning his 5th US Amateur Title, I feel it overwhelmingly cheapens the victory; especially given the fact he has played in, and won, open tournaments. In fact, he even is sponsored by OB.

I am not knocking Brian; as his play is solid and I have read he is a great guy. I would think this of anyone in that position. It just seems weird to me. Any thoughts?
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So have you ever cashed in a tournament?
 
KurtMHodges said:
My questions are, at what point should you lose you amateur status, and can you lose your amateur status in pool? In many sports, once you cash in a tournament, you can no longer be an amateur. After Brian Parks won his 2nd US Amateur Title I figured he would no longer be allowed to compete as an Amateur. Now, after winning his 5th US Amateur Title, I feel it overwhelmingly cheapens the victory; especially given the fact he has played in, and won, open tournaments. In fact, he even is sponsored by OB.

I am not knocking Brian; as his play is solid and I have read he is a great guy. I would think this of anyone in that position. It just seems weird to me. Any thoughts?
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Knowing his level of play, I would have originally said no. He is not a "pro" level player. By that I mean there are more than 100 guys he cannot beat over time.

He has won 5 times; pro or amateur should not matter. He should not be able to keep playing in the same amateur tournament and winning. The fact he is sponsored by a mass cue manufacturer would also reiterate his removal.
 
There is no Pro pool organization so no way to have a status of one or the other aside from skill. If you have a sponsor and can beat pro players, you are a pro. Does not matter that you sell potatoes or dig ditches for your income and play pool for fun. Unless there are clear rules and a organization players can join and advance in, it is only skill.

Any tournament that just states its for "amateurs" is the same thing as saying "only tall people allowed in" without actually stating how tall is "tall".

The issue is not with Brian, it's with whoever does the tournament not knowing much about pool.
 
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donuteric said:
Not again...
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tenor.gif
 
It seems the only people that complain our the ones that don’t play in the tournament. Lol. Every good player I’ve heard talk about who actually play in it says If they won it and parks wasn’t in it it wouldn’t be the same.
 
I've had this argument in regards to both pool and foosball, locally a lot, but also on the national foosball level.

Everybody seems to think that the best amateur is automatically something besides an amateur. That is distinctly not the case, whether he is sponsored or not. The best amateur is an amateur.

It baffles me that people have this attitude. There are a lot of people who will rise to almost elite levels, which is a lonely place to be, there is a real lack of readily-available competition. Then the people right below them want to bar them from their tourneys.

This attitude is a cancer. I'd rather have a tourney full of people who are at the top than a tourney full of losers who complain that someone is 'too good'.
 
I find spicy food helps me draw the ball with great ease.
I'll often have Indian food before shooting, just to ensure
that extra edge.
 
Two players I believe had the status changed from pro to amateur. Jack Stenner from NC and Tom Karabatsos from Chicago. I could be wrnog, like my spellin, but it think this is accurate info...
 
PoppaSaun said:
I've had this argument in regards to both pool and foosball, locally a lot, but also on the national foosball level.

Everybody seems to think that the best amateur is automatically something besides an amateur. That is distinctly not the case, whether he is sponsored or not. The best amateur is an amateur.

It baffles me that people have this attitude. There are a lot of people who will rise to almost elite levels, which is a lonely place to be, there is a real lack of readily-available competition. Then the people right below them want to bar them from their tourneys.

This attitude is a cancer. I'd rather have a tourney full of people who are at the top than a tourney full of losers who complain that someone is 'too good'.
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Well said.
 
KurtMHodges said:
My questions are, at what point should you lose you amateur status, and can you lose your amateur status in pool? In many sports, once you cash in a tournament, you can no longer be an amateur. After Brian Parks won his 2nd US Amateur Title I figured he would no longer be allowed to compete as an Amateur. Now, after winning his 5th US Amateur Title, I feel it overwhelmingly cheapens the victory; especially given the fact he has played in, and won, open tournaments. In fact, he even is sponsored by OB.

I am not knocking Brian; as his play is solid and I have read he is a great guy. I would think this of anyone in that position. It just seems weird to me. Any thoughts?
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So....if you win a tournament FOR AMATEURS you should then be considered a pro? What kind of logic is that?
Tiger Woods won the US Amateur 3 times - did not make him a pro. he could have still played in any state or local tournament as an amateur. He could have still played in the club championship as his home course.

The fact that Brian Parks is sponsored by a cue mfg. is a legitimate reason to give him professional status
It sure would for most, if not all, other sports
 
CCCue said:
Did the US Mosconi team regain their amateur status this week?
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I would say that since the winners of the MC receive $20,000 each and the losers $10,000 each, they are certainly not even in the same hemisphere as an amateur. In fact, they don't claim to be. So if your response to my question was an attempt at sarcasm you failed. Why is it only smart a**es respond on these forums? Unless you are mentally disabled, it is a logical question...
 
PoolBum said:
How could winning an amateur tournament make you a pro?
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How about winning a pro tournament at Hard Times and beating the likes of Bustamante, Rodney Morris and a few other monsters? He did this last year I believe, which in my eyes, makes him a pro.
 
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