Batesburg Byron
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Sounds like a terrific idea
What's wrong with our sport as I see it, and how to correct it.
- Thread starter realkingcobra
- Start date
I know a billionaire that might be interested in funding that idea, I'll give MR. WHOEVER a call tomorrow and get right on it..LOL
Don't know how many times I have to say it!!
Only the top 125 players, as ranked by tournament winnings, get to keep their magic “tour card,” which allows them to enter any of the PGA Tour's official events. This is the preeminent men's golf tour in the U.S.—and arguably the world.Feb 8, 2012
There is this misconception, a false belief that something is unpopular or is failing only because it isn't managed correctly or not promoted the right way. This is the position of certain types of optimists or fanatics.
That isn't always true.
Perhaps pool just doesn't not suit the entertainment needs of an American audience, nor provides fun and satisfaction for most people to play regularly. And no matter what you do with it or to it, that won't change anytime soon.
That isn't always true.
Perhaps pool just doesn't not suit the entertainment needs of an American audience, nor provides fun and satisfaction for most people to play regularly. And no matter what you do with it or to it, that won't change anytime soon.
Another misconception is that only American's count when it comes to watching pool live, wrong dipstick for measuring the viewers, it needs to draw its viewership internationally, not just the USA.
If you think pool will ever be organized on ANYWHERE near the same level as pro golf then your dreaming. Besides the PGATour there are multiple developement tours, the EuropeanTour along with is develop. tour, S. Africa, Australasian, Japanese, LatinAmerPGA and on and on and on. Pro golf is a multi-BILLION dollar business. Also, golf has NEVER had to fade the gambling/dope/dumping/bum stigma(s) that pool has. All this talk is kinda entertaining but that's all it is. I still believe that Barry Hearn and Matchroom may very well be pro pool's LAST shot at any type of structured tour.
No one said anything about passing up golf's paydays did they? I think you missed the point about Golf being represented by the best 125 Pro Golfers in the world, while Pro pool has none that represents this sport. The point being, Golf has a structure worthwhile looking at as a way of teaching this sport a lesson by example. Golf at one time struggled for a beginning as well, least you forget that important part in the history of Golfs beginnings.
At the risk of getting fried on the thread, it is not the game, the players or the organization. It is the fact that the fan base is not a demographic that is desirable to deep pocket sponsors.
Look at the sponsors for golf or tennis: Rolex, John Hancock, JP Morgan, Charles Schwab, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cadillac, and other companies vying for high discretionary dollar customers. That does not describe the larger segment of pool fans. I know there are wealthy folks that love pool, what I am saying is that these companies fish where the fish are and for them it is sports like Golf and Tennis.
As the saying goes "follow the money." Over the past decades there has not been a return on invested dollars by sponsors in the billiard industry. You can't "fix" a game that is not broken. Until major companies can invest in a sponsorship and see a return on that investment you will be right where you are right now. These sponsors don't need the support of the pros or promoters, they need the support of the fans and that has just not happened.
If the fans want to know the "problem" with pool all they have to do is look I the mirror.
I find it funny that everyone knocks on this sport as it'll never be like this, or like that, or whatever. But when has it ever been a fair comparison to put an unorganized, all about us, the players, what can WE make....up against well ran, established, and organized sports from different sports venues. Pool has never had a chance to get on a world stage. I know a lot of people that watch golf, that would never buy a Rolex watch just because they sponsored some event.
Pool was on the "world stage"
In the early 1900's the daily results of pool tournaments were front page news in the New York Times. Over the years, it has been left behind by sports that attract sponsors & advertisers who in turn make it a profitable business for promoters who in turn create the events.
In the 1940's there was no way to make a living through pro golf, and, pro golfers were looked down upon as hustlers and bums. The pros made more money hustling than they did playing in tournaments, they would regularly chop winnings and eventually the players realized they were doing themselves a disservice. The PGA is governed by the players & they have created an entertainment package that appeals to the same demographic that the aforementioned sponsors are looking for.
Without sponsors and advertisers no sport will reach "main stream" exposure like football, baseball, basketball, golf & tennis enjoy. The networks don't cover sporting events out of the goodness of their hearts. They are a business and only air programming that can generate ad dollars. Buyers of ads do research to see if they are getting a return on that investment. No return, no more ads and no more ads then no more TV program.
TV networks could care less what the event is, they are looking to sell ad space and that is it. And, in many instances promoters don't care either, they would put on the US Open knitting contest if there was a way to turn a buck.
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And again, way back when, all the POOL visible to the public was designed to sell pool tables, no different than Chinese 8 ball today. And again, what comes first, sponsored events without knowing who's representing this sport, more pool tournaments mixed with a bunch of amateurs and a few Pros to represent the best this sport has to offer? Or an organization working with the best 128 players on the planet, representing most of the top pool playing countries holding international events, building towards world championships, showing the world just how well every game in this sport can be played by the most elite group of player on the planet. What no one seems to understand is that AMERICA is no longer the center of the universe, the measuring stick of this sport anymore. The rest of the world has caught on, and have taken over. This is an international sport today, but only Americans still believe it's a sport that only gets played here.
Sorry to sound like a broken record BUT, i think most everybody on here knows that the U.S. is no longer "pool central" and that the one person/organization that has a shot at fixing it is B.Hearn and Matchsport. His track record with both snooker and darts cannot be refuted. They have the contacts, sponsors and infrastructure to pull pro pool out of its LONG term doldrums. RKC, i'd highly recommend that you get in touch with MR and run some of your stuff by them. IMO all roads go through Barry Hearn and Co. for the forseeable future.
Don't matter who's going to step up and straighten out pool, nothing is going to work until a Professional players organisation is established first and foremost as that is the critical first step in a direction pool has never taken.
And that means cutting off all amateur players who's money has always been the dead money needed to build the majority of the prize funds, along with a little added money from so called sponsors. The second way of raising money is to allow vendors to rent booths to sell there wares to anyone and everyone the can, which for the most part is used to pay for such events, not to support the players prize funds.
I do agree with the type of commercials played during golf tournaments are geared to the people who play golf. Just because you play golf and haven't bought a rolex doesn't mean that others haven't. But I think the bigger issue is the number of eyes watching the events. As we all know from the the super bowl, the more eyes on the product, the more you can charge for advertising. Think about that when we are watching streams with only a couple hundred people watching. Golf tournaments get millions of people watching.
Without dedicated event centers with which to broadcast these live major events from, to a world viewing audience, that can continually be improved upon, pool is destined to continue to repeat history with continued failures. The world viewers are the prize, and the greatest sponsor, if you give them something worthwhile to watch!!
1, who ever controls the money, controls the players.
2, who ever controls the players, controls the viewers.
3, who ever controls the viewers, controls the sport.
4, who ever controls the sport, does so world wide!
2, who ever controls the players, controls the viewers.
3, who ever controls the viewers, controls the sport.
4, who ever controls the sport, does so world wide!
I'm on vacation now in Reno but when I return I'd like to share a business plan for pro pool that could work in the present climate. I see a lot of blah, blah, blah on here about things that may or may not ever be achievable. I think it would be wise to focus on something that might be doable in today's marketplace. Heading to Virginia City soon. Cheers!