Make Pool Great Again!

DecentShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My idea is simple. Make every Major Tournament in the United States like the Mosconi Cup in regards to atmosphere. You want Professional pool to have the same cache as major sports? It needs the same enthusiasm that the major sports have.
No more sitting quietly in your chair and whispering about position play. We need cheering and beers in hands. Excitement! If that keeps some away? You have to prune to grow.
Welcoming all thoughts/comments.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My idea is simple. Make every Major Tournament in the United States like the Mosconi Cup in regards to atmosphere. You want Professional pool to have the same cache as major sports? It needs the same enthusiasm that the major sports have.
No more sitting quietly in your chair and whispering about position play. We need cheering and beers in hands. Excitement! If that keeps some away? You have to prune to grow.
Welcoming all thoughts/comments.

As long as they don't make the tournaments races to five with alternate breaks.
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DecentShot...Where do you suppose the money to accomplish this task is going to come from? Certainly not out of your pocket. If you think the promoters (the few that there are) are going to come out of pocket to make your dream come true...you're kidding yourself. If you think the pro players are going to pay for it, that's even more ludicrous. Finally, if you think that if every amateur league player will just put in $1...well, good luck with that one too. Your pie-in-the-sky idea to make pro pool something big is delerious. The best attempt was 15 years, when an American conman put $10,000,000 into pro pool. That didn't work either. Amateur pool is where pool lives in this country...and it's doing just fine!

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

My idea is simple. Make every Major Tournament in the United States like the Mosconi Cup in regards to atmosphere. You want Professional pool to have the same cache as major sports? It needs the same enthusiasm that the major sports have.
No more sitting quietly in your chair and whispering about position play. We need cheering and beers in hands. Excitement! If that keeps some away? You have to prune to grow.
Welcoming all thoughts/comments.
 

muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As an average player, my view on pool may not matter much to alot of advanced players, but if you are really trying to attract more people to pool, I would say in the televised, or youtube videoed rounds of pool, you really need to keep it moving. Get rid of time extensions, and possibly get the time to shoot clock, down alittle more, say 20-25 seconds. It can be done, and would make for a much more interesting and enjoyable game to watch. Also a time limit for racking, if the referee isn't doing the racking. Personally I think all televised or video'd matches, the referee should rack, with no inspection by the players. I really like the idea of a Mosconi Cup atmosphere. Much more fun to watch.
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
Speed pool :) I got hooked in a heartbeat watching those. With a little crowd cheering and jeering it’s good drama. At least if the matches stay close.

And I agree in a way, for the last couple deciding matches maybe just make sure you have an area for spectators and give them some cheap beers and tell them to get excited. Who knows what you could do. I feel like everyone should just love pool, I think it’s the height of human civilization. But people like to watch reality tv and football. The B balls. Women’s volleyball:) and GOT.
 

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
DecentShot...Where do you suppose the money to accomplish this task is going to come from? Certainly not out of your pocket. If you think the promoters (the few that there are) are going to come out of pocket to make your dream come true...you're kidding yourself. If you think the pro players are going to pay for it, that's even more ludicrous. Finally, if you think that if every amateur league player will just put in $1...well, good luck with that one too. Your pie-in-the-sky idea to make pro pool something big is delerious. The best attempt was 15 years, when an American conman put $10,000,000 into pro pool. That didn't work either. Amateur pool is where pool lives in this country...and it's doing just fine!

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

I'm completely lost to your response. He isnt saying pay for all the stuff Mosconi has, he's saying let the crowd be involved - cheering, drinking, etc. Make it fun like every other sport.
 

King T

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What????

DecentShot...Where do you suppose the money to accomplish this task is going to come from? Certainly not out of your pocket. If you think the promoters (the few that there are) are going to come out of pocket to make your dream come true...you're kidding yourself. If you think the pro players are going to pay for it, that's even more ludicrous. Finally, if you think that if every amateur league player will just put in $1...well, good luck with that one too. Your pie-in-the-sky idea to make pro pool something big is delerious. The best attempt was 15 years, when an American conman put $10,000,000 into pro pool. That didn't work either. Amateur pool is where pool lives in this country...and it's doing just fine!

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

You think the best efforts were made by a conman??
 

DecentShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DecentShot...Where do you suppose the money to accomplish this task is going to come from? Certainly not out of your pocket. If you think the promoters (the few that there are) are going to come out of pocket to make your dream come true...you're kidding yourself. If you think the pro players are going to pay for it, that's even more ludicrous. Finally, if you think that if every amateur league player will just put in $1...well, good luck with that one too. Your pie-in-the-sky idea to make pro pool something big is delerious. The best attempt was 15 years, when an American conman put $10,000,000 into pro pool. That didn't work either. Amateur pool is where pool lives in this country...and it's doing just fine!

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

Start small. Make it like a wrestling promotion. Have you seen the movie Basketball? The lights and bleachers come later, Beer and Cheering aren't too expensive. Trudeau was awhile ago, no other soothsayer has come along since then.
 

DecentShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speed pool :) I got hooked in a heartbeat watching those. With a little crowd cheering and jeering it’s good drama. At least if the matches stay close.

And I agree in a way, for the last couple deciding matches maybe just make sure you have an area for spectators and give them some cheap beers and tell them to get excited. Who knows what you could do. I feel like everyone should just love pool, I think it’s the height of human civilization. But people like to watch reality tv and football. The B balls. Women’s volleyball:) and GOT.

Yes, and with everything in life and business I like balance. So maybe a 5 second shot clock? If you could do it in a way the warning beepers don't shark the players, that part about the MC I'm not so fond of.
 

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
We can just hire president trump.. he made this country great again. I’m sure pool will be a snap!
 

BryanB

Huge Balls
Silver Member
Can we please get rid of the "Golden break" crap? These are supposed to be professional players. Winning a game because of luck is just stupid
 

decent dennis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DecentShot...Where do you suppose the money to accomplish this task is going to come from? Certainly not out of your pocket. If you think the promoters (the few that there are) are going to come out of pocket to make your dream come true...you're kidding yourself. If you think the pro players are going to pay for it, that's even more ludicrous. Finally, if you think that if every amateur league player will just put in $1...well, good luck with that one too. Your pie-in-the-sky idea to make pro pool something big is delerious. The best attempt was 15 years, when an American conman put $10,000,000 into pro pool. That didn't work either. Amateur pool is where pool lives in this country...and it's doing just fine!

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

Dream Killer
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i think it's heading in the right direction. this has been a great year of pro pool compared to the last 7-8 years imo

i agree that a rowdy crowd is engaging for the casual tv viewer. too much is annoying though. but watch the 2007 world championship, i think that was in manila. it was rowdy, almost like a mosconi cup at times, but not too unruly. i think that atmosphere can be achieved without any changes to the game. well obviously it could when matchroom had the world champs anyway

so maybe it's not a matter of changing the game as much as it is a matter of production and live audience culture. cheap beer and legal betting might help..
 

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
How about scripting exhibition matches like professional wrestling? Everything goes to hill-hill to give the audience what they want. Earl is a natural character, maybe fill the seats with people wanting to see Earl talk or get upset.


Start small. Make it like a wrestling promotion. Have you seen the movie Basketball? The lights and bleachers come later, Beer and Cheering aren't too expensive. Trudeau was awhile ago, no other soothsayer has come along since then.
 
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sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Bring on the enthusiasm as you say, but if it means even a partial switch to team matches, count me out.

Team vs team matches are a novelty in pool, and should never replace tournaments. It was the premise of the Bonus Ball venture that the fans of pool want team matches most and it was a poor premise. This is not what the fans want, except on very special occasions like the Mosconi Cup.
 

DecentShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How about scripting exhibition matches like professional wrestling? Everything goes to hill-hill to give the audience what they want. Earl is a natural character, maybe fill the seats with people wanting to see Earl talk or get upset.

I don't read any sarcasm into this, thus, it is an excellent idea.
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My idea is simple. Make every Major Tournament in the United States like the Mosconi Cup in regards to atmosphere. You want Professional pool to have the same cache as major sports? It needs the same enthusiasm that the major sports have.
No more sitting quietly in your chair and whispering about position play. We need cheering and beers in hands. Excitement! If that keeps some away? You have to prune to grow.
Welcoming all thoughts/comments.

I agree, now we just need to figure out who’s gonna spend the money for wonderful venues. And let’s not forget paying the players. The prize $ is still the same as it was in the 80’s when gas was 85¢/gallon and Motel 6 was $35/night.


Soon as we can answer that question-who’s paying? We can have it all. Until then the “pause button” sadly remains on. We are just waiting, dreaming and hoping.

Sadly the best solution has been dumping and savers. <——-Oh God, did I really just say that?!?!?!? I think I did......Sorry.


Respectfully submitted,

Fatboy
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
If you want Pool to be great again, bring back Sponsor with MONEY to entice people to get into playing Pool.

IMHO if I had a kid who was interested in being a pro athlete with the ability to make a good living for a long time I would tell the kid to take up Golf, not Pool.

Most PGA Pro's on the Tour Make a Decent Living.

Most PGA Pro's have endorsements, sponsor, and last this is a secondary flow of income.

Most PGA Players get free equiptment, bags, balls, clubs, clothing, and are paid for using the items. Subliminal advertising, and Tiger Woods get big buck to wear Nike stuff.

The other thing is when you can no longer compete with the young guns, their is a Senior PGA Tour.

Ever hear of a PGA Pro winning a big tournament, getting a rubber check, or the promotors skipping town with you winnings, and stiff everyone else.

Golf is the way to go, and a model POOL should clone if they want to be great again.

I have been playing pool for fun, over 60 + years, it's something fun to do, bar tournaments are ok, but nothing too loose sleep over. Play 5 or 6 hours, and take home 70 - 100 dollar for a first place, then you got to subtract cost of travel, a few drinks, and you winning have diminished.

Only a few Pro Pool Player ever retire to a nice home, or have much to show for their effort playing Pool. Many die broke, with someone passing a hat for a decent burial.
 
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Buzzo80

Registered
My idea is simple. Make every Major Tournament in the United States like the Mosconi Cup in regards to atmosphere. You want Professional pool to have the same cache as major sports? It needs the same enthusiasm that the major sports have.
No more sitting quietly in your chair and whispering about position play. We need cheering and beers in hands. Excitement! If that keeps some away? You have to prune to grow.
Welcoming all thoughts/comments.

Pool died a long time ago. Was resurrected in 1961 by the move Hustler for a brief period.
Old time headline " Poolroom burns down, hundreds homeless "
 
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