As Reverend Leroy would say, "Can I get an Amen on that?"
How to save professional pool...no, really.
- Thread starter Boxcar
- Start date
Glue. And didn't his scheme have something like a PAT?
Dont forget I): its got its fair share of cheating/dumping douchebags too. Always nice to have some low-lifes to add a touch of color.
You may very well be correct. But, if you will, please consider the other sports which have benefitted from "organizing," unionizing," or becoming an association. NBA, PGA, USTA, NFL, AL & NL, USSA, WPBSA, NHL, to name a few. They all have strict membership criteria.
Fargo is good, but Tyler Styer was on Team USA in the last Mosconi Cup but isn't on the current top 100 Fargo rating list.
Most sports are played in uniforms. Golf has a dress code.
Who makes the most money, a player in the minor leagues or a player in the Big Leagues.
Sure but you don't have any clout as a union unless the governing body you're trying manipulate views you as something they can't do without. What do you think would have happened if along with SVB, Shaw, Gorst, Skylar didn't play the recent TurningStone...? The tournament still would have happened without batting an eye and they still would have had as many spectators in the stands. You would need to have every >700 player in this 'association' and all ready to do without a pay cheque.
That would be a failing of the USA selection process. However he is 15th on the list for top Americans and I think it a more appropriate list for selecting a member of the American team.
I'm completely on board with a dress code for professional events.
The player who best sells himself to potential sponsors. A NASCAR model is better suited for pool players then PGA.
dendweller
Well-known member
I haven't seen any recent pro tournament streams where anyone has dressed poorly.
Actually, fargo is not a test of skill at all. It is a test of ability to compete.
You could argue that there is a correlation between skill and ability to compete, but they are not mutually conclusive...
Jaden
His glue really did work great. Idk if he ever got it packaged and distributed.
I tend to agree! But the only way you will get a "ride" in Nascar is to have paid your dues. Sponsors don't don't hire dead money, they hire Richard Petty. SVB has paid his dues. So, why isn't he rich? The idea of being a professional at anything is to make big piles of money. Doctors don't do brain surgery in their freshman year of college. They have to pass years of rigorous training to even become an intern.
Standards of excellence make people rise to a certain level of competency. Or like Rex Reeves (Gong Show) used to say, "Having no talent is no longer enough." If you are going to be respected, admired, and envied, you have to be the best. People will pay to see the best, but they won't pay to see smoke and mirrors. In Formula 1 racing, it is excellence that will get you a "ride," and the only way to "sell 'yourself' to potential sponsors is the best THE VERY BEST. Drivers are like pool players, they're a dime a dozen, there's one behind every tree. Champions, however, are special.
An association of highly qualified professionals, regardless of discipline, will always be in demand. There is a history of subordinate tours in golf. Nobody watched them and they are gone. Why, because fans have finite hours to watch sports. They will always pick the PGA Tour events over anything else. They will pay big bucks for a ticket to the U.S Open, etc., but they won't give the lesser tours the time of day. It is excellence and exclusivity that draws crowds.
Above, I mentioned the WPBSA. Google it and give it a chance. Look at the picture below and see if you know of an equivalent practice in American pool.
SNOOKER COACHING | Learn more about the
@WPBSAofficial
Coaching Programme and how you can join our team of qualified snooker coaches!
Maybe Matchroom is helping, but Snooker was there long before anybody ever heard of Matchroom or Predator.
Please allow me to go back to my premise. Organization and Leadership are the key to the success of Professional Pool in America. To build a great ship, you must first lay the keel.
Talk is cheap. JAMs thread proves that. This one, too. There are lots of people in this world who can tell you why something won't work.
Eagles don't soar in flocks.
Dick Trickle never won a race
I used to do lots of biz with his brother in Vegas.
Dick was a dick…..
If my name was Richard or Dick. You can be certain I never go by the name “dick” under any circumstance ever. Ever!
Defining "what is rich" is about as subjective as it gets. I'm sure while SVB is sitting down ice fishing, while everyone else is grinding away at their day jobs, he isn't wondering about someone else's definition. I understand your point though.
I'm a "professional" at what I do for a living. I was never under the impression I was going to make piles of money. Merely that I would be paid a decent wage, and have job security.
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Exactly my point... You don't need to win. You just need to be marketable. Most of the reason why I've never believed in the stoic mandate the vast majority of today's players seem to be forced into. Willing to bet the most memorable matches people watched in person is when the players were engaging with the crowd.
Good answer, but it doesn't really address the premise of the thread.
Apologies... My retort was in response to your comments. Not to address the premise of the thread.
Can't recall if I made the comment here or in JAM's thread. However the answer is the same. How about we give MR a chance. It's been nothing but improvement since they got involved, and they're not letting the WPA or the handful of naysayers in this forum slow them down either.
I think what you should keep in mind is that there has never been "professional" pool. So there's nothing to be saved. Just tons of hot air that got let out of the balloon once it threatened to get off the ground. MR is setting an actual professional standard and if by chance their sails catch enough wind, maybe then the pros can shoot themselves in the foot again by forming your union and biting MR's hand.
dendweller
Well-known member
Little off topic, but do you suppose MR is currently loosing money on pool and banking on building it up or is there some profit for them at this point.
Excellent reply.
OK, just to recap, there are at least two schools of thought regarding the future of "professional" pool. 1. A successful future can be achieved by riding the status quo and seeing where it leads or 2. a successful future can be achieved by organizing and promoting a well managed player's organization.
It just occurred to me that there are many members here who know "professional" players. So, allow me to request that those of you who do know a professional player, please discuss this topic with them. If time permits, please share their responses on this thread.
It is very very rare that someone that is bad wins and someone that is good looses, outside of having a handicap of some sort. Winning is pretty much tied to skill and performance, especially at the higher levels. It's hard to get better without competing. I can't think of any player I know that is a even a C player or better that has not played in leagues or tournaments. I think it's very safe to put abilities to play certain shots or table knowledge to a Fargo rating. It's like a NASCAR race to use another example from the thread, you can't win by just having the fastest average speed, you need a good crew for fast tire swaps, pick a good line, avoid crashes, etc... but that all causes you to win, thus gaining points, thus showing your overall skill. But if you have a good crew and a good car, without being a good driver, you are not winning outside of 30 other cars crashing. Bad drivers = no points = lower Fargo. I can't think of a single player that has done well in competition consistently with bad skills at the table. Sure I lost to players a level below me, then I get crap after a miss or they luck in a 9 ball a few times, but in a year of playing I would still be way up on them in head to head games.
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