What's wrong with our sport as I see it, and how to correct it.

Will be interested in your presentation -



bill

I think it's quite simple.

Pool is not more popular with a larger audience because most people don't find it as interesting and entertaining as other sports.

PoolBum said:

I think it's quite simple.

Pool is not more popular with a larger audience because most people don't find it as interesting and entertaining as other sports.

Click to expand...

Pool is hands on entertainment only - beginner or pro
As far as a viewing experience, it has basically none - same as a crap game
A game of pool will not generate a fabulous event -
A fabulous event can feature a game of pool -


bill

PoolBum said:

I think it's quite simple.

Pool is not more popular with a larger audience because most people don't find it as interesting and entertaining as other sports.

Click to expand...

You are definitely on the right track. For professional pool to be successful and have a lot of events, it has to be profitable enough for those putting on the events to make it worth the work and risk to want to do it often and do it big. So, for pro pool to be successful, it has to be profitable. To be profitable, it has to attract enough sponsors. To attract enough sponsors, it has to attract enough viewers. To attract enough viewers, well, this is where it always falls apart. Nobody has solved that problem yet, which is why pool has never been able to have any significant mainstream success in the U.S.

After many, many decades what is pretty clear is that the games and formats of today just aren't going to do it. It is going to take some changes to one or both, and possibly significant enough changes that it may no longer even resemble today's pool all that much. There are other issues too, but the main first and foremost issue is making a product that people want to watch. If you can't solve that, you got nothing. It may not be a solvable issue either. That remains to be seen. Until one of more people make various significant changes to the game, and risk lots of money getting their new version/s some exposure, we will likely never be able to say for sure. I suspect it can probably never be made significantly popular in the U.S. no matter what is done, but I sure would love to be wrong.

I have talked and listened to Glens ideas on the game for over a decade. His intentions are pure and he has some great ideas. Glen truly loves the game and really wants it to improve for the Pros and the fans.

realkingcobra said:

Call me, 702-927-5689

Click to expand...

Just catching a flight, I will try and call ASAP, I hope you are well.

realkingcobra said:

Ok, I have a minute to post again, so let's talk about sponsorships. Everyone on AZB for years has had this idea that if someone would just jump in and sponsor this game we love so much, that would help straighten it out and bring millions of dollars into this sport, and Pro's could start getting paid, and with money we'd have viewers...blaa, blaa, blaa!

Here's a real question for everyone. If let's say, I worked for Starbucks, and was in charge of advertising, and some from this sport asked me if I'd consider sponsoring a Pro Tour for 1 year, and said it would cost 1.5M to do so. My question would be, so how do I make back 10M so I can at least break even, can you guarantee that kind of a return for my investment? Starbucks net profit averages 15% net, it takes 10M in gross sales to give 1.5M out to a Pro Tour!

So how does this sport generate 10M so Starbucks can at least break even???

Click to expand...

I think it's irrelevant to bring Starbucks as an bad example.

How about those "big" companies who making pool related equipments (Predator, Diamond etc.), they def. got money, the more popular the game is, the better for them. Those companies have much better chances to work with ESPN or Matchroom for examples, to make an event like Mosconi or US-open cup few time per year, or World Pool master or World Cup of pool a monthly tournament, to attract more viewer, to make pool into Sport events, to eventually bring Pool into Olympics.

I think don't those companies doing a good job sponsoring and advertising pool, such as Nike or Adidas doing, of course it's a odd comparison but just to give you an idea. They need to invest more for the future.

realkingcobra said:

So how does this sport generate 10M so Starbucks can at least break even???

Click to expand...

By having a ton of viewers, lots and lots of them, a percentage of whom that were not previously Starbucks customers who will go try it and end up becoming long term customers. As mentioned in my previous post, everything rides on getting lots of viewers, and that doesn't change no matter what the other details of the business model are. If you can't get the viewers, and lots and lots of them, it will never be a major success.

Nobody else has been able to figure out how to get viewers in many decades of trying, and I think it is pretty clear that nothing similar to the current pool games and formats will ever work. On a percentage basis, the vast majority of pool players don't even want to watch pool, and out of the very few who do, only a very small percentage of those are actually willing to pay anything at all for it. The general public cares about watching pool a whole lot less than pool players do, and pool players couldn't care less about watching.

realkingcobra said:

Ok, I have a minute to post again, so let's talk about sponsorships. Everyone on AZB for years has had this idea that if someone would just jump in and sponsor this game we love so much, that would help straighten it out and bring millions of dollars into this sport, and Pro's could start getting paid, and with money we'd have viewers...blaa, blaa, blaa!

Here's a real question for everyone. If let's say, I worked for Starbucks, and was in charge of advertising, and some from this sport asked me if I'd consider sponsoring a Pro Tour for 1 year, and said it would cost 1.5M to do so. My question would be, so how do I make back 10M so I can at least break even, can you guarantee that kind of a return for my investment? Starbucks net profit averages 15% net, it takes 10M in gross sales to give 1.5M out to a Pro Tour!

So how does this sport generate 10M so Starbucks can at least break even???

Click to expand...

Keep going -
I am listening -




bill

realkingcobra said:

The first thing I see as what's wrong, is everyone's perception that sponsors throwing money into this sport to support it will make all the problems solve themselves, and everyone will be happy for ever more. That's the FIRST thing I see as wrong, because anyone who believes in that fairy tale is just fooling themselves which is why nothing has ever changed or improved. Yes, there's a few people that have promoted or sponsored a tourna.tournament a year here and there, and some pool tours going on, but you really have to ask yourself, has any of this helped in getting this sport on track to Pro events taking place on a regular basis?

This is just the start of what I'm sure is going to be a very long conversation as my intentions are to make it very clear as to how I see this sport can be straightened out, organized, and be turned into a real profession in which the top Professionals can earn millions of dollars a year, as well as product endorsements outside of our industry.

Right now, I have some Diamond tables to deliver, so I'll come back to this subject later today.

Click to expand...

I work all winter and play all summer.... I'm old school I guess . I've worked my whole life and play where and when I want and for how much I want . I'm my own sponsor..... people looking for a handout when they just need to get up at 5 in the morning, go to work , get off work, go hit balls and on the weekend take your money and go play a tournament somewhere..... lazy ass pool players!!!! Seen them my whole life .... They ask me to slake them hell no fool get a job

Well.....

I like playing pool and I like watching top players battle with each other. Unless one plays pool and has a basic understanding of it, why would you watch it?

I think to many pool players that like playing pool are spending to much time worrying about what is wrong with pool. If pros feel they don't make enough money then they can go find another occupation, or figure out a way to draw crowds and money.

It is a tough way to make money and I don't think there are enough people interested in it to make it more popular.

realkingcobra said:

If there was no organized baseball, no one would watch that either!

Click to expand...

That is not a good argument ^

Your OP was a plan for pool - What is it ?



bill

realkingcobra said:

If there was no organized baseball, no one would watch that either!

Click to expand...

The reason there is organized baseball is because people want to watch it.

Casinos could sponsor and host a tour: That way they'd at least recoup the prize money when the players lose it all back on the floor.