I kinda agree somewhat but the biggest problem is the age gap. Pool has to find a way to attract younger players and if that means apps, etc. then so be it. Gotta find a way to bring down the average age of players. Its a lot like NHRA drag racing. Go to one of their events and look at the crowd. Old white dudes. What they race is irrelevant to younger racing fans. Kids drive imports with 4-bangers, not big-ass V8's. If we can't attract kids we're in trouble.
If you wanted the younger people involved, you should've raised them better. I don't mean YOU specifically, I mean in general. Not to give too much away about myself, but I'm not old myself and I interact with younger people daily, and my takeaway is that for the most part, they don't see the need to put in the hours to be good at pool. And pool is a difficult game, even if you're gifted you still need to put in the hours. The general mindset is: if it's not easy and there's no immediate gain, it's not worth doing.
Younger people do play pool, it's not the older people who take up all the tables on Friday nights, but they're there to bang balls around and do masse shots they saw on YouTube and drink beer and play grabass. But they're still there! They pay the tabs, they pay for the tables, they just don't give a shit about pool. They'll even enter tournaments. Hell, the reason APA and leagues suck so bad is because the younger people brought that mentality with them.
And it's not as if the older people are hostile or anything, they're there and they're willing to teach and to explain, except nobody asks because nobody cares. All I know about pool I learned from other people and a couple of books, I tried learning things on YouTube but it just didn't do it for me, so I know first-hand that it's not like pool is some old boys invite only club with secret handshakes and initiation.
The only way to attract younger people to pool would be to let them play pool on their iPhones and then show up to pool halls to claim prizes. And it has to do with the way they were raised. Is pool dead? No. Is it dying? Also no. Is it a major franchise with endorsements and sponsorships? No, but it doesn't need to be to stay relevant. Pool is supported by those who want to support it, there is no obligation or pressure. For example: Pool cues are expensive because fewer people are buying them and they're difficult to make, so every time you buy a pool cue you indirectly support pool.
The biggest problem with the way older people think is that they think the computer is some magical box. "Type it into the computer" , you say, "look it up on the Google" , "read it on the internet" , without realizing at the end of the day that what's driving all of it is the human factor, and neglecting that with misplaced faith in the future is what raised these anti-social, entitled, sensitive, impatient and lazy kids who were also taught to worship the magical box because most of you were too busy divorcing each other or experimenting with antidepressants.
As far as drag racing goes, that kind of stuff requires a sizeable disposable income, which is why all you see is old white dudes. Retirement or inheritance or whatever. Selling your houses to Chinese investors overseas. I don't care. I drive a 6 cylinder myself, would I want more power and speed? You bet your ass I would! But I can't afford it.
Sorry if I offended you in any of this, none of this was directed at you specifically.
