The free stream really worked, with nearly 10,000 watching the finals and well into six figures watching the event overall. We have some far sighted people promoting pool currently and for that I'm glad. Rather than wait for some benevolent soul to come along and heal our game, they are about doing this themselves. I'm sure even Barry Hearn is encouraged seeing others who are promoting pool in America. This has been the best year for professional pool that I can remember, and it only bodes well for the future.
It helps that pool is such an international game, with champion players coming from all corners of the globe, similar to what we see in golf and tennis today. There may be hope for our grand game yet. Ten Ball is probably the ticket to success. It's a step up from 9-Ball in terms of skill level required. That said, there remains a place for 9-Ball as well, with strict break rules in place.
It's nice to see the well dressed and clean cut young men who are our star players now. They present a good image for the game and make good examples for other young people who might decide to play pool for a living. Suffice to say that I'm encouraged by what I see right now. Perhaps a few more serious promoters will see the opportunity there is in pool currently and step up with a tournament(s) of their own.
One last thing, I'm glad to hear Jeremy Jones on the mic. I still learn things listening to him! It's very important that he has an equally capable partner in the broadcast booth. All and all, job well done by Predator and CSI.