We've had celebrity softball, basketball and everything else you can think of under the sun. Frankly, I'm sick of all celebrity B.S. I don't want to ever see another celebrity on a game show either. I don't care if they do give the money to charity.
If you want a game show contestant, you can find plenty of hardworking Americans who have lost their jobs of 10, 20 or more years, people who have lost there homes in Katrina or another disaster, and countless other deserving people who could use a break.
Now, that I'm done with my rant, back to celebrity pool. Why? It won't do anything positive for pool in the long run. They will be a larger distraction then anything else.
I'm tired of the pool world thinking we are one big sponsor away, or one celebrity, or one shoe contract. From a business stand point, I wouldn't invest a dime in pool if I had a billion dollars.
Other sports are driven by industry sponsors, and inturn they attact outside sponsorship. Wait before you ream me on the sponsors part, read on. Pool doesn't have high turnover in their products, therefore little sponsor money. You can go your entire pool career with one stick, never buying a table, and a five dollar case if you had too. You don't need "pool shoes" like bowling, baseball, golf, soccer, basketball. Nascar is driven and sponsored by tire companies, oil, auto makers and hundreds of others. The closest pool has ever been to an "outside" sponsor was Camel and the Busch league sponsorship. Diamond, Viking, Simon all have more of an interest in pool, but will never have the resources to match companies like Camel and Busch.
If pool is ever going to be at level where we are satisfied, it must come from within. As much as I dislike the APA format, it is a sustainable system. It doesn't do anything for the pro-level, but it works as a business model. Pool is never going to be like the NFL because it is boring to watch. Face the facts, it is.
So what will a couple celebrities do for pool? Nothing at all. That doesn't mean that the credibility of someone like Joe Rogan and the money of someone like Kevin Tredue can't help give the sport a boost. It could, but in the long run it must be driven and supported by our peers.