2020 US Open 9-ball Championship field full at 256

[sjm]

Super strong field. 36 of Top 50 Fargo players registered. Only 14 of Top 50 Fargo players did not register.

Of those not registered, Wu Jiaqing and Liu Haitao are the shockers for me. They are both very capable of winning a US Open.

Perhaps they'll find their way into the field via the qualifier system. Of course, Wu Jiaging won the silver last year and Liu Haitao has multiple top 5 finishes at the US Open, so it does seem odd that this is now their only path to entry.

 

[pt109]

Two tables wouldn't work for me, as it will take away some of the buzz in the playing arena.

I'd start by shortening the races. Of course, only Matchroom seems to get this.

Race to 8 at the World Pool Masters 9-ball, Race to 5 at the Mosconi Cup 9-ball and Race to 7 at the World Cup of Pool 9-ball except in the last rounds. The shot clock is pretty much a given in a Matchroom event and the money ball always counts on the break, which adds excitement for the fans and can shorten matches. Neutral racker, no rack inspection. Oh yeah!

Best of all, Matchroom events are never ten ball. Things like call shot, option to give back and ten ball last are all a buzz kill for fans. The only truly great ten ball event is the Bigfoot Challenge.

How about cameras on every table?
It works for golf.
You can still have a feature match....but the dead times are filled by switching tables.
....and maybe some attention paid to all hill-hill games.

 

[sjm]

How about cameras on every table?
It works for golf.
You can still have a feature match....but the dead times are filled by switching tables.
....and maybe some attention paid to all hill-hill games.

Yes, when you have golf's production budget, you can do some truly amazing things in covering an event. Having high quality coverage of multiple tables and a production team always prepared to switch to another table is something that pool most likely can't afford.

Taking a wild guess here, I reckon that golf's per event production budget is at least twenty times that of pool.

 

[JessEm]

Matchroom has a connection to gambling in the UK (Betfair, William Hill, etc.) and this is what drives their prize money and expensive production values of Matchroom events.

I believe there will come a time, probably in the very near future, when gambling on professional pool events in the US will be as common as betting on football, basketball, prize fights, baseball, horse racing, etc.

That's when Matchroom can tap into millions of dollars, as they share revenues with the bookmakers. Like it or not, gambling drives viewers and spectators. Viewers and spectators drive sponsors. Sponsors open up the general media to more viewers.

And so it goes.

Just look at New Jersey online sports betting....about 3-1/2 BILLION Dollars in its first year.

^^^^^ This is a great explanation/ post.

How about cameras on every table?
It works for golf.
You can still have a feature match....but the dead times are filled by switching tables.
....and maybe some attention paid to all hill-hill games.

….And so is this. ^^^^^^^

I think of the NFL's "RedZone". Where coverage jumps to games where a team is inside the redzone.

 

[Cory in DC]

Yes, when you have golf's production budget, you can do some truly amazing things in covering an event. Having high quality coverage of multiple tables and a production team always prepared to switch to another table is something that pool most likely can't afford.

Taking a wild guess here, I reckon that golf's per event production budget is at least twenty times that of pool.

Catch-22 here, though. This is exactly what it would take to make pool more exciting to watch for the masses beyond AZB. But without such fans, it's not worth the cost to do the fancy production.

Still there could be something intermediate. Like cameras on 3 extra tables and 1 person reviewing those tapes (hah, I'm old) to grab impressive shots and hill-hill games. Put those in a cue and use that to fill dead time on the feature match.

 

[sjm]

Catch-22 here, though. This is exactly what it would take to make pool more exciting to watch for the masses beyond AZB. But without such fans, it's not worth the cost to do the fancy production.

Still there could be something intermediate. Like cameras on 3 extra tables and 1 person reviewing those tapes (hah, I'm old) to grab impressive shots and hill-hill games. Put those in a cue and use that to fill dead time on the feature match.

I'll preface my remarks by noting that my post refers to American pool.

I really don't agree. I don't think that improving the way pool is presented to the masses is the key to growing the sport and increasing demand for the pro pool product. The only way to grow the sport, in my view, is to make the game more prominent as a participation sport. For starters, pool needs more young players.

As many on this forum have noted, one way to accomplish this is to get pool into the schools so that young people will be introduced to the game early in life. Another key is to improve the culture of the poolroom so that parents won't fear letting their kids spend time there and so adults are more comfortable going there. Finally, professionals need to be more image conscious so that the sport can outgrow its image as a seedy sport played chiefly in bars.

Yes, pool needs a makeover, and I don't see the matter of how streams are presented as one of the keys to growing the sport. It's far more about increasing participation, especially making the game more accessible to youthful would-be players.

 

[DecentShot]

Pros are free, and anybody who wants to mix it up charge them 3k or whatever. Make it like a fantasy camp for amateurs with cash.