Don't know about the US.
In Europe pool is a sport. It still struggles and is a very small sport, but a sport none the less. When people are going to compete in a sport, they train! There is no handicap, but there are leagues with divisions. If you advance to the top there are possibilities of sponsorship for the Eurotour etc..Anyway, it's a source of pride to win a division, or even an event. It's fun as well.
Pool is also a bar activity here. Bars have tables and lots of people play on them. Very little recruitment happens to the sporting side of the game, from that crowd. I suppose it's always good that people are playing, but that's not the way to increase the level and participation numbers. Get them in the real pool hall, that's where you get your next Efren. Do you honestly think the next Efren is going to be an APA player? That's extremely unlikely to me.
It's always tough to have to cater to two different groups when running a pool hall, that's why it's tough to do. A pool hall owner needs people skills to keep potential conflicts from escalating and to retain his good customers.
In Europe pool is a sport. It still struggles and is a very small sport, but a sport none the less. When people are going to compete in a sport, they train! There is no handicap, but there are leagues with divisions. If you advance to the top there are possibilities of sponsorship for the Eurotour etc..Anyway, it's a source of pride to win a division, or even an event. It's fun as well.
Pool is also a bar activity here. Bars have tables and lots of people play on them. Very little recruitment happens to the sporting side of the game, from that crowd. I suppose it's always good that people are playing, but that's not the way to increase the level and participation numbers. Get them in the real pool hall, that's where you get your next Efren. Do you honestly think the next Efren is going to be an APA player? That's extremely unlikely to me.
It's always tough to have to cater to two different groups when running a pool hall, that's why it's tough to do. A pool hall owner needs people skills to keep potential conflicts from escalating and to retain his good customers.