Pool's latest growth in popularity is due to...?
- Thread starter 1pocket
- Start date
Youtube is a correct answer, and social media as a whole.
I'm not sure that the numbers of pool players have increased, but I would say that the number of recreational players who have been exposed to professional pool and professional pool instruction has increased substantially.
In the past no APA players knew the top players, and they didn't study the game. Top players and instruction was too far removed. They would have to travel to a pro tournament to see the top players and they didn't even know they existed. Similarly with instruction they would be limited to a few books that would require a lot of effort to hunt down and learn from.
Now there just has to be one moment where they search the internet for "How do I make a bank shot" or "Who is the 8 ball world champion" and suddenly the floodgates are opened and they are bombarded with feed of top players competing and tons of free instruction.
One way I can tell the impact this has had is how quickly tournaments are filling up these days. The number of recreational players that have turned into serious amateurs is amazing, and the number of those serious amateurs that want to experience the professional scene is no less stupendous. This is why DCC is capping entries now, and Turning Stone and the TX open are getting so high in demand. I am looking forward to more tournaments arising to help meet this demand.
I'm not sure that the numbers of pool players have increased, but I would say that the number of recreational players who have been exposed to professional pool and professional pool instruction has increased substantially.
In the past no APA players knew the top players, and they didn't study the game. Top players and instruction was too far removed. They would have to travel to a pro tournament to see the top players and they didn't even know they existed. Similarly with instruction they would be limited to a few books that would require a lot of effort to hunt down and learn from.
Now there just has to be one moment where they search the internet for "How do I make a bank shot" or "Who is the 8 ball world champion" and suddenly the floodgates are opened and they are bombarded with feed of top players competing and tons of free instruction.
One way I can tell the impact this has had is how quickly tournaments are filling up these days. The number of recreational players that have turned into serious amateurs is amazing, and the number of those serious amateurs that want to experience the professional scene is no less stupendous. This is why DCC is capping entries now, and Turning Stone and the TX open are getting so high in demand. I am looking forward to more tournaments arising to help meet this demand.
Excepting March 2020 through Dec 2021
Pool is doing well in my area because of the amateur leagues.
APA, BCA, and ACS all keep the bars hopping with lots of players, (mostly weak or social players)
Thank God for them, it’s keeping my sport alive.
APA, BCA, and ACS all keep the bars hopping with lots of players, (mostly weak or social players)
Thank God for them, it’s keeping my sport alive.
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
If Ole Elon really loved our country, he'd pony-up a few billion, get a couple of good movies made, reopen the last thousand classic rooms that failed, and do whatever it took to encourage our teenagers to cut school and shoot pool. Make America Great Again!
<BB -- knows what he's talking about and ain't kidding for a minute>
<BB -- knows what he's talking about and ain't kidding for a minute>
I've been working with a female player who asked for some tips while I was practicing during league play on the other side of the hall. The 4s nowadays are much better players than the 4s I watched back in the Busch League APPA days.Is it because:
- ...a general surge in interest in retro ("analog") vs digital? I mean pool is basically as analog as it gets! Yet it has the bright colors, action and to a certain degree sounds, of video games lol. Plus of course the winning and losing. But pool doesn't need virtual reality -- it already has it
It is not a blockbuster movie this time! ("The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" of course)
- The prevalence of handicap formulas that rule all the leagues, and most of the local tournaments, which have broadened the power of weaker players, such that they feel more valued and have so much of a better chance of winning matches?
I'm thinking both.
That sounds like every bar I used to drink in.
Reminds me of that time I was on the road with my stakehorse. He was showing me the ropes, but he thought I was just a cocky and brash character. I just sort of thought pool was easy, like video games. Anyway, we stopped at a hall that he worked over years ago. He was so excited to show me around. We entered the building and walked up the stairs, only to find an emptied out dusty hall.
I laughed at him.
When COVID hit, I had 12-14 Teams that shot in League Mon.-Thurs.. Presently, I have 2 Teams on Thurs., which, according to the League Operator, are going away next session. I personally don't care. The League insists on a House Round and, when they only purchase one drink to get their free one, there isn't anything in it for me, or my Employees. You purchase a $6 drink, receive a free $6 drink, shoot for free all night, don't spend anything else, don't tip, where is the upside for us. You do have the occasional Team that eats and drinks, but it's few and far between. My sales/profits are exactly the same, if not better, than they were before.
For reference, we have 3 Diamond Bar Boxes, originally set up by Glen Hancock, Champion Tour 30-30 cloth, Aramith Tournament balls (replaced every 2 years), Red Circle Cue Balls (changed out every year), and the tables/balls cleaned frequently. Brian.
For reference, we have 3 Diamond Bar Boxes, originally set up by Glen Hancock, Champion Tour 30-30 cloth, Aramith Tournament balls (replaced every 2 years), Red Circle Cue Balls (changed out every year), and the tables/balls cleaned frequently. Brian.
What happened? Why is everyone going somewhere else? Why aren’t they having fun at your place? You are right there, must have some idea. The two teams I play on, we don’t run up a big bar tab, but we always spend some money.
sudocrushms
Well-known member
Same here in the Twin Cities: Loads of leagues with all kinds of players, but it's almost entirely beginners and lower skill players and they're all on bar boxes. Jimmy's and Shooters are/have both replaced big tables with Diamond bar boxes. Love that there are lots of people playing, but hope the big tables aren't the price we need to pay.
Is Shooters still about half and half, or has that changed?
sudocrushms
Well-known member
They replaced 8 of the older GCs by the cafe with 10(?) Diamond 7-footers. The rest of the GCs (26, i think) have been recovered in the last few months.
Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
I prefer the term "POSERS". Most of the bar box warriors playing in that rancid alphabet soup called pool league lack both the talent and the mental attitude required to qualify as a pool player. To qualify as a player, one must have not just the stroke, one must also possess a certain quality of personality -- the French refer to such as "je ne sais quoi". Those who possess it, know what it is and easily recognize it, those who do not never will.
BD -- That was also one of the identical key events in the 1987 "Color of Money" that unmistakably established for Fast Eddie j(Paul Newman) just how much times (and he) have changed.
Arnaldo
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
I outlasted all the other BBs
You don't want to know what happened to them or be like em.
Fine Sir -- I've never heard of this movie you mentioned. I would tell you about the end of my journey with my stakehorse, when we were in Atlantic City playing in a tourney and I defeated him, only to later discover he dumped on me....but you probably would suspect parallels there as well.
I think the biggest growth globally is pool outside of the United States in general. Here in the US the things that are growing are the junior players and the tournaments they are involved in and the gals that are playing and enjoying pool. The one BIG thing that has kept pool alive is league pool. Love it or hate it without leagues pool would be DOA in America. IMO!
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
In today's world it's difficult to find something to practice "mastery" and competition. And it's also not cheap. Relatively speaking pool can be cheap. A gaming computer is $2-3k or more if you want the bells and whistles. Sky is the limit on price. If you want to be good at an xbox or playstation game, there's a big chunk of change and a monthly subscription. Hobbies are expensive. Pool can be for sure, but not necessarily when starting out.Is it because:
- ...a general surge in interest in retro ("analog") vs digital? I mean pool is basically as analog as it gets! Yet it has the bright colors, action and to a certain degree sounds, of video games lol. Plus of course the winning and losing. But pool doesn't need virtual reality -- it already has it
It is not a blockbuster movie this time! ("The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" of course)
- The prevalence of handicap formulas that rule all the leagues, and most of the local tournaments, which have broadened the power of weaker players, such that they feel more valued and have so much of a better chance of winning matches?
I'm thinking both.
I think some people realize it's nice to unplug and see real world physics in action.
With all the info out there nowadays you could literally know nothing and get proficient in a year or two, if you put the work in. There aren't really any secrets. Big streams like matchroom stuff is decently exciting.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
The world we were born in no longer exists. Things change. Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
I'm not saying I wouldn't like to go back to a time when real pool halls were booming... it's just no longer the way things are. Renting or owning space is expensive. Entertainment is cheap. Even real "halls" must serve alcohol and food to survive.