What will it take to Jump start Pool in America

realkingcobra said:
I am just one contract away from changing this sport into the likes that have no only never been seen before, or that is even unfathomable. My plans include the top 256 male Pros and 32 alternates drawing a salary of $10,000 a month, plus top 64 tournament earnings on a 2 year contract, same for the women pros.....and playing twice monthly, each division!!!
Click to expand...

So, $70,000,000 over 2 years or double that including the women?

Must be one HELLUVA contract.

We'll see.
 
Last edited:
SlickRick_PCS said:
Getting billiards in high school, start forming clubs/leagues, paying the latter like joining a gym, recognizing this "game" as a sport (if they have curling, why can't they have billiards?), GETTING RID OF COIN-OP BAR TABLES and just eliminating the stigma as a smoked-filled, hustle induced bar game.

There... that's your start...
Click to expand...

That has been going on 10 years...
 
Balls said:
I'll chime in with my 2 cents from my community newbie perspective.

I've been eating and sleeping pool for the last year and in that time I've been looking for all the information I could find to help me with my game of pool.

This thread is one recurring theme. More tournaments. Because the money might, MIGHT, attract the younger generation to participate. I like the college idea except for the fact that the the local large college here just closed the pool room. But I don't see how throwing money at the existing community who likely will not be bringing in competition for themselves will do any good.

I've been a web developer and hosting company for over 20 years and I can't begin to tell you how bad this industry looks online. I think I've seen less then 10 modern websites and just so many antique ones it's not funny. Why is this important? The generation you want to think they can make money in pool is looking for modern websites with instant information and not a wild goose chase. They want answers and they want them now and on mobile devices not a jumbo wide screen monitor or VGA monitor. These websites don't index well at all for a variety of reasons so trying to find things can be extremely difficult. In fact it there have been a few times I have only found answers for searches I had been working on for months here on AZ. I call that word of mouth.

I figured this would be a good area to do some web development and I started making websites. It seemed to me that just like many of you are saying, that it's the young generation that the industry needs. So I started making a few more websites targeted at the industry. I created BilliardsMap.com but needed support to pay for a reliable database to power it and pay the google map fees, and potentially to create a fund to advertise on Facebook.

I wrote up a 4 page project outline (pdf) and tried contacting every big pool related company but none of them could sponsor the site and it's ability to promote billiards for as little as $500 to cover the data and map fees for startup. I contacted the APA and they told me if they had the database they wouldn't give it to me. The BCA response was offensive. I did get a fast invite to come to china for a convention from a famous tip manufacturer. I think they meant well. but the rest of the industry. Nada, Nobody home. I just pulled the code this week so I don't have to update it anymore. It was a nice mapping system.

In my opinion the industry does need to work at bringing the younger generation to the pool table with more then a, if you get really lucky or good you can win money pitch. I still suggest the industry find some way to work together to create a fund to advertise on Facebook using Facebook's wonderful targeting tools to simply encourage the younger generation to just go out and play pool and show them the way there. After all most of the time they are scrolling through Facebook and wondering what to do and the pool hall reputation only helps to make it a cool thing to do now from what I've seen. But that's when the industry needs to help them consider playing in tournaments and leagues by themselves or in groups.

This is where the industry needs to plant the seeds that will create an army of players that buy cues, lessons, table time, tables, food, drinks, bags, DVD's, books, chalk, training gizmos, chalk holders with a hole so you can drill a hole in $20 blocks of chalk faster, all sorts of things that a percentage of the people that start playing will buy as they frequent our local pool halls long term. The halls will then have the audience to entertain the idea of things like break speed contests, tours, large tournaments, big leagues, bigger halls, new lights (grumble), new felt, 10 foot tables, and so on...

I also think the industry needs to work more to bring people to the pool hall for fun, a night out, dating, team building events, office parties, whatever, they will come, and they will have money for products and services. This again will result in a percentage that will play the game for the rest of their lives and increase the player base. Many of which might just choose to play in tournaments and leagues.

Oh and remember that other game, Snooker? In my area there are a lot of people that will only play snooker that were not born here and here they are in my area with a single table at a few pool halls that are really beat up. I don't know but it seems like a large group of people living here on work visa's making lot's of USD might just be interested in snooker leagues and tournaments. Just saying...

There are of course many other web improvements that need to be done to attract the masses into the industries tables and stores.

Just my perspective.
Click to expand...

Good god you ever heard of the kiss rule ,, 1 in a hundred might read thru that im not the 1 , First off there isn't a problem nor does it need a jump start pool is again on the rise it should be used as a indicator of the economy which is good that's bringing more Tournaments and big matches and also in the areas that lost pool venues your seeing new places open up 4 in my area alone , The MC and the US OPEN being in Vegas is sure to add more interest, its trickle up economics

1
 
Last edited:
I'm living in Paris TX in Lamar County, pop. about 40k. It has four or five employers who pay about $12 - $15/hour, and might provide some benefits. So folks are poor, mostly.

The nearest pool hall used to be a 14 mile round trip, in very light traffic. It closed about 16 years ago.

Then the nearest hall was 130 miles round trip - on a two lane blacktop. It closed two years ago.

I am left with the pool halls of Richardson and the north Dallas suburbs, for me about a 200 mile round trip, minimum.

My idea of a resurgence in pool is much simpler than what everyone else wants. I just want a venue with at least a few good 9ft tables, no karaoke, and located in the same county in which I live.

The pool halls which closed were very busy, but still closed. So I guess I need one of the billionaires to retire here, and open a hobby pool hall which he doesn't care a damn if he makes or loses money at it - cause that seems to be what it takes to keep a pool hall open, losing lots of money, that is.
 
one stroke said:
Good god you ever heard of the kiss rule ,, 1 in a hundred might read thru that im not the 1 , First off there isn't a problem nor does it need a jump start pool is again on the rise it should be used as a indicator of the economy which is good that's bringing more Tournaments and big matches and also in the areas that lost pool venues your seeing new places open up 4 in my area alone , The MC and the US OPEN being in Vegas is sure to add more interest, its trickle up economics

1
Click to expand...
So what's stopping you from buying your own 9ft pool table??
 
Texdance said:
I'm living in Paris TX in Lamar County, pop. about 40k. It has four or five employers who pay about $12 - $15/hour, and might provide some benefits. So folks are poor, mostly.

The nearest pool hall used to be a 14 mile round trip, in very light traffic. It closed about 16 years ago.

Then the nearest hall was 130 miles round trip - on a two lane blacktop. It closed two years ago.

I am left with the pool halls of Richardson and the north Dallas suburbs, for me about a 200 mile round trip, minimum.

My idea of a resurgence in pool is much simpler than what everyone else wants. I just want a venue with at least a few good 9ft tables, no karaoke, and located in the same county in which I live.

The pool halls which closed were very busy, but still closed. So I guess I need one of the billionaires to retire here, and open a hobby pool hall which he doesn't care a damn if he makes or loses money at it - cause that seems to be what it takes to keep a pool hall open, losing lots of money, that is.
Click to expand...

Yea, Paris, TX! That is a doozy of a drive.
 
Texdance said:
I'm living in Paris TX in Lamar County, pop. about 40k. It has four or five employers who pay about $12 - $15/hour, and might provide some benefits. So folks are poor, mostly.

The nearest pool hall used to be a 14 mile round trip, in very light traffic. It closed about 16 years ago.

Then the nearest hall was 130 miles round trip - on a two lane blacktop. It closed two years ago.

I am left with the pool halls of Richardson and the north Dallas suburbs, for me about a 200 mile round trip, minimum.

My idea of a resurgence in pool is much simpler than what everyone else wants. I just want a venue with at least a few good 9ft tables, no karaoke, and located in the same county in which I live.

The pool halls which closed were very busy, but still closed. So I guess I need one of the billionaires to retire here, and open a hobby pool hall which he doesn't care a damn if he makes or loses money at it - cause that seems to be what it takes to keep a pool hall open, losing lots of money, that is.
Click to expand...

Buy your own pool table, problem solved.
 
KissedOut said:
So, $70,000,000 over 2 years or double that including the women?

Must be one HELLUVA contract.

We'll see.
Click to expand...

In order for Professional pool to exist, player must have at minimum, a 2 year contract which must include a base salary pay, then tournament earnings would be added to that. There must be at least two tournaments a month, men's and womans. And world championship titles must be worth something to challenge for the title, which means a quarterly 10 ball champion has won the right to challenge the reigning world champion for his title, along with a financial reward if it can be won, or failed to win for that matter. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in order to straighten out pool on a Professional level.
 
realkingcobra said:
In order for Professional pool to exist, player must have at minimum, a 2 year contract which must include a base salary pay, then tournament earnings would be added to that. There must be at least two tournaments a month, men's and womans. And world championship titles must be worth something to challenge for the title, which means a quarterly 10 ball champion has won the right to challenge the reigning world champion for his title, along with a financial reward if it can be won, or failed to win for that matter. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in order to straighten out pool on a Professional level.
Click to expand...

I guess that sounds nice, but even on the ATP and PGA tours no one has a contract with guaranteed earnings. I'd be very curious as to what sponsor felt there was enough of a financial payback for a tour like that where they could recoup that kind of investment. I mean, let's face it, pool's biggest problem is the one staring everyone in the face...

Nobody's watching.
 
Bbutler said:
I guess that sounds nice, but even on the ATP and PGA tours no one has a contract with guaranteed earnings. I'd be very curious as to what sponsor felt there was enough of a financial payback for a tour like that where they could recoup that kind of investment. I mean, let's face it, pool's biggest problem is the one staring everyone in the face...

Nobody's watching.
Click to expand...

Call me, 702-927-5689
 
A tenth year anniversary thread, LOL. Interesting to see that my views haven't changed in those ten years.
 
has anybody's?

sjm said:
A tenth year anniversary thread, LOL. Interesting to see that my views haven't changed in those ten years.
Click to expand...


I still see the same problems I saw in pool ten years ago, almost fifty years ago too. When it comes to men's pool in the US of A, it sure seems like SSDD. Same "Stuff" Different Decade!

One reason I faded from these forums is that it seemed I had nothing new and fresh to say. I was thinking this morning that I still don't. We are talking the same tired topics and same tired situations. The names or handles may have changed, everything else seems the same. I could pick up most of the old conversations without missing a beat.

Hu
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top