Please read the entire post and not only the topic question
I am an avid american pool fan, it's a big part of my heart and life. The best game in the world. It's with great sadness i see pool halls closing and world elite pool getting almost no media attention. But why is this?
I'd like to make a comparison. In Europa and in Asia the game of snooker is very popular. It's one of the fastest growing sports in the arab world and in eastern asia. Even people who doesn't play or even feel remotely interested in snooker know who Ronnie O'Sullivan is, just like average joe knows who Shaq O'neil is in the USA, no matter whether they have an interest in basketball or not. I myself like to watch snooker even though i don't play it and there are lots of broadcasts here in europe to see it, most people have eurosport, SKY or BBC in their TV:s, even in poor countries like Romania.
I have been thinking a lot about this, in order to try to identify the differences. In my eyes pool can be just as entertaining as snooker. Why then does snooker have money and media attention and pool does not? These are a few differences between the games, i will list a few and hope some join in and add to the list:
1. Availability and media attention. Snooker is not a PPV sport. PPV doesn't even exist in many countries in Europe and Asia. Instead, snooker is broadcasted widely on big TV channels mentioned above, and even public service TV in China, reaching millions and millions of viewers. This creates interest, money and new aspiring players.
2. Advertising and sponsorship. Pool tourneys tend to have cue tip or cue manufacturers as sponsors. Snooker have betting companies, poker sites, beer, i.e. BIG MONEY. These businesses - as opposed to for example kamui tips - attract viewers widely. They watch snooker and then go to unibet, bettson, etc and SPEND money. This leads to 3 and 4.
3. Prize money is big. Winners of a snooker tournament can win £625,000. Thats a million dollars in prize fund. And that's UK champs, not even the biggest tournament - the world championship has DOUBLE that in prize fund. And it doesn't end there, if any player makes a perfect rack (147) they can win £60,000, thats almost a 100 000$. In ten minutes flat. Aside from this the players make great money in company gigs, advertising and sponsorship. Some players have earned more than world elite golfers, tennis players, etc. And big money is not only good for the sport, it also leads to admiration and to people wanting to start playing snooker.
4. Betting on the games is big and is growing, and it's not something that happens in obscure places/internet forums. Go to one of the betting sites mentioned above, or any other, pick a winner and you can win loads of money. I won some 1000$ last year, and as a said i'm not even primarily a snooker fan.
5. Rules of the game are stable and not changing much. That means, once the people have learned the game they can follow it on the TV and get the hang of it. Also, there is only one governing body world wide and it has great authority.
There are probably more differences and discussion points, please fill in.
I don't have a simple solution or answer but i think that looking at the snooker scene and the snooker business - because it is a business - can help pool a lot. The first thing i would go for is advertising. Kamui tips are great, i'm not dissing them - i use it myself, but advertising needs to attract the wide audience. Where are the big gambling sites in pool sponsorship? Is it not legal to have that kind of ads? As i have tried to show it's an upward spiral: big attention -> big money -> financially successful players -> admiration -> new players
I am an avid american pool fan, it's a big part of my heart and life. The best game in the world. It's with great sadness i see pool halls closing and world elite pool getting almost no media attention. But why is this?
I'd like to make a comparison. In Europa and in Asia the game of snooker is very popular. It's one of the fastest growing sports in the arab world and in eastern asia. Even people who doesn't play or even feel remotely interested in snooker know who Ronnie O'Sullivan is, just like average joe knows who Shaq O'neil is in the USA, no matter whether they have an interest in basketball or not. I myself like to watch snooker even though i don't play it and there are lots of broadcasts here in europe to see it, most people have eurosport, SKY or BBC in their TV:s, even in poor countries like Romania.
I have been thinking a lot about this, in order to try to identify the differences. In my eyes pool can be just as entertaining as snooker. Why then does snooker have money and media attention and pool does not? These are a few differences between the games, i will list a few and hope some join in and add to the list:
1. Availability and media attention. Snooker is not a PPV sport. PPV doesn't even exist in many countries in Europe and Asia. Instead, snooker is broadcasted widely on big TV channels mentioned above, and even public service TV in China, reaching millions and millions of viewers. This creates interest, money and new aspiring players.
2. Advertising and sponsorship. Pool tourneys tend to have cue tip or cue manufacturers as sponsors. Snooker have betting companies, poker sites, beer, i.e. BIG MONEY. These businesses - as opposed to for example kamui tips - attract viewers widely. They watch snooker and then go to unibet, bettson, etc and SPEND money. This leads to 3 and 4.
3. Prize money is big. Winners of a snooker tournament can win £625,000. Thats a million dollars in prize fund. And that's UK champs, not even the biggest tournament - the world championship has DOUBLE that in prize fund. And it doesn't end there, if any player makes a perfect rack (147) they can win £60,000, thats almost a 100 000$. In ten minutes flat. Aside from this the players make great money in company gigs, advertising and sponsorship. Some players have earned more than world elite golfers, tennis players, etc. And big money is not only good for the sport, it also leads to admiration and to people wanting to start playing snooker.
4. Betting on the games is big and is growing, and it's not something that happens in obscure places/internet forums. Go to one of the betting sites mentioned above, or any other, pick a winner and you can win loads of money. I won some 1000$ last year, and as a said i'm not even primarily a snooker fan.
5. Rules of the game are stable and not changing much. That means, once the people have learned the game they can follow it on the TV and get the hang of it. Also, there is only one governing body world wide and it has great authority.
There are probably more differences and discussion points, please fill in.
I don't have a simple solution or answer but i think that looking at the snooker scene and the snooker business - because it is a business - can help pool a lot. The first thing i would go for is advertising. Kamui tips are great, i'm not dissing them - i use it myself, but advertising needs to attract the wide audience. Where are the big gambling sites in pool sponsorship? Is it not legal to have that kind of ads? As i have tried to show it's an upward spiral: big attention -> big money -> financially successful players -> admiration -> new players
