To hell with political correctness! I'm going to get flack for this, but I don't care.
1. Bar boxes (7 footers) change the game. IMO bar box pool is by far inferior as a game. It makes running out easier, and is less demanding of your stroke.
2. Bar boxes are not made for serious players. They may be played on by such, but they are primarily made to keep bar guests drinking.
3. Bar boxes make the game less visually pleasing and far less entertaining.
4. Bar boxes makes playing proper straight pool close to impossible, leaving only the small games of 8, 9 and 10-ball. Rotation is also no good on the bar box and forget about one pocket.
5. There are very few spectacular shots on the bar box
6. Bar box cueballs react differently
7. Bar boxes take the big strokes, the big breaks and stretching out of the game, leaving it a much less athletic activity.
8. Putting a proper pool professional on a bar box, is IMO an insult to the skill and knowledge he has developed over many years. Sure it makes the league players feeling validated, and probably entertains them, but to me it's like putting a world champion sprinter in a sack race and calling it the world championship. It's a joke, plain and simple.
8 footers still make both rotation and straight pool possible to play. So IMO it's the better choice for a home table if that is what space allows, though it too makes the game easier, it's much closer to a proper 9 footer as far as angles and gameplay is concerned.
Hmm so you want flack?
I will work down your list. Number 1 if it is inferior it is lower in rank status or quality. So you say it makes the game less difficult. If it is less difficult then I guess you see that as a lower quality. That would make sense except for the fact that your saying it is easier simply based upon the fact that the shots are shorter. You are not taking into account that because the play area is smaller you have more congestion of balls on the table. That congestion is what can make the game more difficult.
Number two. I would simply ask for your scholarly reference source that the seven foot pool table design has anything to do with the consumption of alcohol. I will grant you that it was likely designed to fit in places that had limited space but it was nothing to do with alcohol consumption.
Number 3 is completely an opinion which may or may not be shared by others. The smaller table may cause more confusion if recorded for television as there is more congestion.
Number 4 this one was one of my favorites of yours. You say above the bar table is easier than the 9 ft table. Yet you say here that it is impossible to play straight pool or one pocket on a bar table. Now I am probably not even a good pool player comparatively but I have no problem at all playing either of those games on my 7 ft pro-am. Maybe you should hone your pool skill set a bit more.
Number 5 There are very few spectacular shots done period. I cannot think of any shot that can be done on a nine foot table that cannot be done on a 7 foot table. If you would be kind enough to give me a few examples of shots that can only be done on the larger table I would like to see them.
Number 6 On this point I can almost agree. I guess it all depends on the barbox you refer to. Personally I play on a 7 ft diamond pro-am with Aramith Pro-Cup measles ball. It responds Identically on my home table as it does on the 9 ft tables at the pool hall far as I can tell. If you are referring to a coin op table that requires an oversized ball or magnetic ball I would tend to agree.
Number 7 Far as big strokes and breaks go I am not sure how physical that really is honestly you should not have to shoot with much force to be able to get the cue to respond. When it comes to stretching over a table I think that is what they make bridges for and there are positions on a 7 ft table you may need one to accurately shoot.
Number 8 How is it an insult to a professional to have them play on a smaller table? They are supposed to be experts at the game. If they are then they should be able to do anything on a smaller table they can do on a larger table. Most of the professionals I have met can shoot just as well on a 7 ft table as they can a nine. In fact I believe within a few shots they could likely shoot just as as well on a ten foot table. It is a matter of adapting.
Your unnumbered comment about 8 ft tables is pretty clearly your personal opinion. However to give you a break a little bit I would simply point out that most apartments and even newer homes may not even have the room to put an 8 ft table in. Most of the sizing charts I have seen do not include for seating around the table either.
