How to improve the popularity of pool?
- Thread starter Chalk & Awe
- Start date
ACL
Well-known member
Pool is very healthy in CT. I am lucky enough to live within 20-30 minutes of 5 pool rooms all with 9' tables and a bar that has six 9'ers. All of those rooms are packed every night with leagues and two of them are packed most weekend nights with casual players.
US1 Billiards (Shaw's place) is hosting the PLP in March and will more than likely host the CT Open in the fall. Yale Billiards (the home of The Sharkstream and a sponsor of Jonas Souto Comino) is also hosting a WNT stop around the same time (I believe both events will be prior to the US Open).
IMHO, pool is alive and well!
US1 Billiards (Shaw's place) is hosting the PLP in March and will more than likely host the CT Open in the fall. Yale Billiards (the home of The Sharkstream and a sponsor of Jonas Souto Comino) is also hosting a WNT stop around the same time (I believe both events will be prior to the US Open).
IMHO, pool is alive and well!
I think snooker players dress code makes them look too formal, stuck up and non approachable.
But they're not. I'd rather have that than continually seeing streams with tweakers with their pants hanging off their ass and their weed dispensary sponsor's hat on backwards.
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
Pool seems to be doing okay, especially if one likes playing in bars on bar boxes. It is pool halls that seem to be suffering, From small towns to LA, demographics and economics are taking their toll. And with the demise of pool halls, an entire way of life is becoming endangered. Few species can survive the decimation of their environment, so a certain breed of pool players must adapt and evolve. Pool itself will survive.
The strategic action is to identify the target audiences. We as a pool playing group ( players, equipment manufacturers, ruling bodies, pool room owners, etc.) do not seem to have a clue where we could grow nor how to do it.
As an example a ripe audience would be folks under 21. It is usually laws that prohibit youth in pool rooms and these laws were based on image. And many times rightfully so. Most kids love to play pool but we in the United States have not helped make that possible. Get involved and it could happen.
Absolutely, the US has a huge disadvantage here due to very strict rules around alcohol.
In the UK and continental Europe its far easier for under 18's to go to a pool hall and play, they can't (legally) buy alcohol (I'm generalising on age here, I appreciate in some European countries the age limit is lower), but so long as they are just ordering coke's there's no issue (generally there are rules such as no under 18's after 7pm too).
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You forgot to include their worn out t-shirt with some s#itty pool saying identying them as a HustleR.
You must be going to Club Med, where it’s tough to get a table a lot of nights.
Chalk & Awe
Registered
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The only reason I would like pool to be more popular is to have more places to play and see more competition on prices.
I obviously think it is amazing game, but trying to get others to recognize what I recognize is not important to me.
In some ways, the complexity of pool is a detriment. People who don't play or play much don't know how hard it is to do what the pros do and why it is so impressive.
I obviously think it is amazing game, but trying to get others to recognize what I recognize is not important to me.
In some ways, the complexity of pool is a detriment. People who don't play or play much don't know how hard it is to do what the pros do and why it is so impressive.
Rent
m00sebumps
Member
so wait, this dress code suggestion should be the bare minimum to go into your local room and practice or shoot by yourself on any given day? Or is this a suggestion for tournaments? Tournaments sure, but if that is what you want for the average pool room visit, I'm sure that would only accelerate the decline in popularity.
I could be wrong, but pool is exploding worldwide and to a lesser degree in the U.S. I am amazed at pool's growth in the past 2 yrs.
How was the spectator turnout at DCC 2024? If we could see crowds like those who pack Ronnie's events in Britain, maybe that will attract larger advertisers than chalk and that ilk.
Is it inevitable that the Philippines seem to be declining as world leaders in the game, with mainly Orcollo to carry the banner?
3 pages and no one mentioned main stream media......I would tend to think that if Matchroom would somehow work out a way to get pool on ESPN or some other cable channel on a regular basis it would have a significant effect on the popularity of pool.
Contrary....although CJ I am sure thinks he is telling a pool romantic story......I don't think his appearance on that Cheater/Liar/Stealer show is doing any good for the image of Pool.
Contrary....although CJ I am sure thinks he is telling a pool romantic story......I don't think his appearance on that Cheater/Liar/Stealer show is doing any good for the image of Pool.
To grow popularity pool needs exposure.
The top 3 markets pool can experience positive growth.
The Gay/Lesbian crowd. Corporate America is pushing politics and sexual orientation needs promotion because of human problems elsewhere. Covert political action, get sponsors and start finding which areas are openly anti gay or lesbian. Adults can afford to check out a bar. Several pool players are attractive in different ways.
The retirement crowd: folks in senior centers need visitors. Take some kids with you and do the exhibition or hanging out. Positive PR with old people is a huge relief. Adult daycare is exploding in this country, the poolroom is perfect for mild and gentle physical activity.
Gambling, gambling on pool publicly has to be easier. Gambling is fun and gambling on live pool is fun. If you never played a money match and wondered if you can get back from a hill-1 match then people have no idea how to enjoy competition pool.
The top 3 markets pool can experience positive growth.
The Gay/Lesbian crowd. Corporate America is pushing politics and sexual orientation needs promotion because of human problems elsewhere. Covert political action, get sponsors and start finding which areas are openly anti gay or lesbian. Adults can afford to check out a bar. Several pool players are attractive in different ways.
The retirement crowd: folks in senior centers need visitors. Take some kids with you and do the exhibition or hanging out. Positive PR with old people is a huge relief. Adult daycare is exploding in this country, the poolroom is perfect for mild and gentle physical activity.
Gambling, gambling on pool publicly has to be easier. Gambling is fun and gambling on live pool is fun. If you never played a money match and wondered if you can get back from a hill-1 match then people have no idea how to enjoy competition pool.
Renting the parking lot.
I mentioned this. But the Mosconi is the only thing that might, might get the interest of a mainstream media outlet.
Eventually, if pool actually broke onto regular TV again, perhaps MR could designate four or five big majors, like golf and Tennis. A US Open, a UK Open, a European Open, a Hanoi or Manilla Open and the Mosconi being the fifth big event.
Doubt I will ever see anything like that, but that's a potential path.
That is literally what Matchroom do, they have their designated 'Matchroom Major's, I think the Spanish Open is on the list rather than Manilla and of course they include the World Championship too (and the Masters plus World Cup are high profile too, albeit not part of the regular tour).
They are all shown live on tv too.
Just not in the US.