A great Idea for TV pool

softshot

softshot

Simplify
Silver Member
this started as a reply in another thread.. but it kind of became it's own thing so I started a new thread...

it was in reference to 9 ball but the base game could be altered further


Luxury said:
The real question is how can we make a game where it is more interesting for the casual viewer? Here's a hint: Can the casual viewer relate to safety play?
Click to expand...

if they wanted it to be interesting and entertaining to a casual viewer..

they would stop putting robots in front of the camera...

let's see some personality..

why are McCready and Strickland and Fats some of the best players to watch??

it's entertaining

watching perfect 9 ball is like watching paint dry.. unless you are the one running out.. but even then it can get boring..and I LOVE to watch pool..

give Corey Deuel ..a sardo rack... brand new balls, and a perfect table

if you let him pattern rack you can sit and watch the same run out over and over and over..

He's a great player one of my favorites... but watching him play 9 ball gets pretty boring pretty fast..

I personally would like to see like an XFL type pool on tv.. something designed for the purpose..

lots of woofing by both players.. allow some sharking

taking on tough shots and rubbing the other guys nose in it

perhaps you have a scoring system where a cut shot is worth one point,, a kick, bank, carom, or combo, is worth 2 points .. and the points stack .. such that if someone kicked in a combination he scores 4 points

you get rid of races.. you play 10 games.. each player breaks 5 times.. and when its over you add up the score and most points wins..

if a player runs a simple out in a simple fashion he takes a 2 point penalty at the end of the run.

give the casual fan what they want... tension ....spectacular shots.. a little trash talk.. make it entertaining..

what do you guys think???? could it work??
 
Last edited:
softshot said:
this started as a reply in another thread.. but it kind of became it's own thing so I started a new thread...

it was in reference to 9 ball but the base game could be altered further




if they wanted it to be interesting and entertaining to a casual viewer..

they would stop putting robots in front of the camera...

let's see some personality..

why are McCready and Strickland and Fats some of the best players to watch??

it's entertaining

watching perfect 9 ball is like watching paint dry.. unless you are the one running out.. but even then it can get boring..and I LOVE to watch pool..

give Corey Deuel ..a sardo rack... brand new balls, and a perfect table

if you let him pattern rack you can sit and watch the same run out over and over and over..

He's a great player one of my favorites... but watching him play 9 ball gets pretty boring pretty fast..

I personally would like to see like an XFL type pool on tv.. something designed for the purpose..

lots of woofing by both players.. allow some sharking

taking on tough shots and rubbing the other guys nose in it

perhaps you have a scoring system where a cut shot is worth one point,, a kick, bank, carom, or combo, is worth 2 points .. and the points stack .. such that if someone kicked in a combination he scores 4 points

you get rid of races.. you play 10 games.. each player breaks 5 times.. and when its over you add up the score and most points wins..

if a player runs a simple out in a simple fashion he takes a 2 point penalty at the end of the run.

give the casual fan what they want... tension ....spectacular shots.. a little trash talk.. make it entertaining..

what do you guys think???? could it work??
Click to expand...


Ya maybe it would work. But why do millions of people watch golf? Ever think about what if... Like what if all the money and popularity in golf was in pool, and golf had no money or popularity. If you think about it golf is really boring to watch compared to pool.

If you had a time machine do you feel that you could make pool like golf, and golf like pool? Does anybody?
 
NO, but

I think if I had Carte Blanche over the Pool World, that I could make Pool more popular, restructure it the right way, get some interesting Pool on TV, and pick up some sponsors for a major pro tour that I would develop. And I could do this in 3-6 years.

I would recruit some well known people in the Pool world to assist me in doing this.
 
8 ball... most people viewing have seen or played 8 ball.

8 ball is played by most leagues.

8 ball is more interesting to watch for the average player.

most 8 ball is played on bar boxes... more clusters... more of a chess game
way of thinking... endless ways to get out or play safe...

rotation games such as 9 ball - 10 ball are mainly played in pool halls on big tables.

usually boring to watch...
 
They should air only 10ball ring games where you have to shoot at everything.

Otherwise, I agree with Donny. Golf is boring as hell to watch, but not to the people who love the game. Same thing with pool.
 
Sponsors

Snapshot9 said:
I think if I had Carte Blanche over the Pool World, that I could make Pool more popular, restructure it the right way, get some interesting Pool on TV, and pick up some sponsors for a major pro tour that I would develop. And I could do this in 3-6 years.

I would recruit some well known people in the Pool world to assist me in doing this.
Click to expand...

That's the right direction. The sport needs personalities that entertain but you can't make it a clown show. We need more ring games televised.
Sponsors? Their all over the place. Something has to force them to step up. All the major producers and marketers of billiard equipment and related accessories are getting a free ride IMHO. Millions of people in U.S.A. alone buy their product but they commit very little to marketing.
The pro players are too hungry for themselves( and I don't blame them)
to look to the future players welfare. We, as participants in the scheme of things, have to be more supportive of the players. Even something as little as offering a place to sleep and some meals to a struggling pro
can help . They do it in tennis.
What about more aggressive tactics like boycotts and strikes to give potential sponsors a kick in the ass to pop for more prize money. No players union? No wonder players are treated like crap. This is coming from the mouth of a Republican but there is a time and place for
everything. Is there a charismatic leader waiting in the wings to step forward for the good of the professional game? And I don't mean some sleazeball promoter.I don't see him or her but I don't travel in those
circles.
Anyway, that's my rant for today. It ain't going to happen over
night. :shrug:
 
donny mills said:
Ya maybe it would work. But why do millions of people watch golf? Ever think about what if... Like what if all the money and popularity in golf was in pool, and golf had no money or popularity. If you think about it golf is really boring to watch compared to pool.

If you had a time machine do you feel that you could make pool like golf, and golf like pool? Does anybody?
Click to expand...

one reason golf is more popular that pool on tv is that golf tournaments are presented live the way any sporting event should be. the tournament structure and venue have been tinkered with over time to facilitate the live broadcast. pool is never shown live (at least in the US). maybe that is why pool is more popular in other countries. i mean really even for rabid pool fans there is something less that appealing about watching matches that you already know the outcome of and have been edited to down for you.

brian
 
There are some good ideas here,some personality from the players would help,Dennis Hatch showed alot of personality at the Mosconi Cup this year,a standard of dress and conduct would help also,the WPBA has enforced this,the men should too.I don't think changing the rules to force more difficult shots would help,that would be like making Tiger or Nicholas play Putt Putt,not cool and boring.

One poster mentioned 8ball,I think this might help,it is the game most casual players are familiar with,all leauges and bar play are 8ball.Top flight 8ball by pro's like Efren or Corey is exciting to watch,the strategy and break out of clusters is amazing by these players.

Pool does need sponsorship but i don't think it will or should come from within the industry,the average purchaser of a home table isn't a player but a person like my best friend,very wealthy wanted a piece of furniture to put in a room,he doesn't care about quality or playablity,he thinks a diamond goes on a finger!the manufactures know this,that is why most tables are now made in china,we are not there core customer.We should look to everyday products that players use,sports and energy drinks,ect.

If Greg could somehow get the DCC on TV that would be a big boost,another network other than ESPN,they treat pool like a red headed step child,in the 70's the Johnson City tourny was shown on ABC and had great ratings,if we could get another network to look at DCC with all the personalities and action that might be our TCOM,people love the action of poker.Maybe some challenge matches with Allison and Karen -vs- Archer and Duel.
 
softshot said:
this started as a reply in another thread.. but it kind of became it's own thing so I started a new thread...

it was in reference to 9 ball but the base game could be altered further




if they wanted it to be interesting and entertaining to a casual viewer..

they would stop putting robots in front of the camera...

let's see some personality..

why are McCready and Strickland and Fats some of the best players to watch??

it's entertaining

watching perfect 9 ball is like watching paint dry.. unless you are the one running out.. but even then it can get boring..and I LOVE to watch pool..

give Corey Deuel ..a sardo rack... brand new balls, and a perfect table

if you let him pattern rack you can sit and watch the same run out over and over and over..

He's a great player one of my favorites... but watching him play 9 ball gets pretty boring pretty fast..

I personally would like to see like an XFL type pool on tv.. something designed for the purpose..

lots of woofing by both players.. allow some sharking

taking on tough shots and rubbing the other guys nose in it

perhaps you have a scoring system where a cut shot is worth one point,, a kick, bank, carom, or combo, is worth 2 points .. and the points stack .. such that if someone kicked in a combination he scores 4 points

you get rid of races.. you play 10 games.. each player breaks 5 times.. and when its over you add up the score and most points wins..

if a player runs a simple out in a simple fashion he takes a 2 point penalty at the end of the run.

give the casual fan what they want... tension ....spectacular shots.. a little trash talk.. make it entertaining..

what do you guys think???? could it work??
Click to expand...

Yeah, because the XFL was so successful. This has been tried and it failed miserably. The Game Show Network ran this concept with players woofing, sharking, making side bets, etc. It was called "Ballbreakers" and it stayed on the air for about five seconds. If I remember, Melissa Herndon was on an episode and Ewa was a host (along with the chick who married Peter Brady).
 
It might work but those kind of people probably enjoy watching re-runs of Fear Factor even more anyhow.

softshot said:
this started as a reply in another thread.. but it kind of became it's own thing so I started a new thread...

it was in reference to 9 ball but the base game could be altered further




if they wanted it to be interesting and entertaining to a casual viewer..

they would stop putting robots in front of the camera...

let's see some personality..

why are McCready and Strickland and Fats some of the best players to watch??

it's entertaining

watching perfect 9 ball is like watching paint dry.. unless you are the one running out.. but even then it can get boring..and I LOVE to watch pool..

give Corey Deuel ..a sardo rack... brand new balls, and a perfect table

if you let him pattern rack you can sit and watch the same run out over and over and over..

He's a great player one of my favorites... but watching him play 9 ball gets pretty boring pretty fast..

I personally would like to see like an XFL type pool on tv.. something designed for the purpose..

lots of woofing by both players.. allow some sharking

taking on tough shots and rubbing the other guys nose in it

perhaps you have a scoring system where a cut shot is worth one point,, a kick, bank, carom, or combo, is worth 2 points .. and the points stack .. such that if someone kicked in a combination he scores 4 points

you get rid of races.. you play 10 games.. each player breaks 5 times.. and when its over you add up the score and most points wins..

if a player runs a simple out in a simple fashion he takes a 2 point penalty at the end of the run.

give the casual fan what they want... tension ....spectacular shots.. a little trash talk.. make it entertaining..

what do you guys think???? could it work??
Click to expand...
 
donny mills said:
Ya maybe it would work. But why do millions of people watch golf? Ever think about what if... Like what if all the money and popularity in golf was in pool, and golf had no money or popularity. If you think about it golf is really boring to watch compared to pool.

If you had a time machine do you feel that you could make pool like golf, and golf like pool? Does anybody?
Click to expand...

That is very true. Two of the most popular tv sports/games are poker and golf which have the least amount of action of probably anything I've seen.

If people care about the participants, they'll watch anything. Golf is q great example of that, just look at how viewing numbers dip whenever Tiger isn't playing a tournament. Furthermore if you put a regional golf tour event on tv, you won't get very good ratings because no one knows or cares about the players.
 
Both Golf & Poker have big money stakes. Money gets folks interested in Big Easy Money.

Staging an invitational show, that has a REAL, Big Money Pool Match, might get some interest. Give the Stake Horses & a smart ass moderator, bouncing around the pit, microphones, to liven up the show. The noise & comments from the audience would be real distracting & entertaining.

I would also like to see a 10-Ball Ring Game Tournament, played like Kelly Pool & played by anyone with the cash. I also woud allow the railbirds and/or the audience to get into the action, with paramutual betting on the ball numbers &/or the Winner of each match. That would be like Horse Racing with a twist. That would generate some interest.

Watching your money grow or disappear is certainly more intersting than watching paint dry.
 
softshot said:
this started as a reply in another thread.. but it kind of became it's own thing so I started a new thread...

it was in reference to 9 ball but the base game could be altered further




if they wanted it to be interesting and entertaining to a casual viewer..

they would stop putting robots in front of the camera...

let's see some personality..

why are McCready and Strickland and Fats some of the best players to watch??

it's entertaining

watching perfect 9 ball is like watching paint dry.. unless you are the one running out.. but even then it can get boring..and I LOVE to watch pool..

give Corey Deuel ..a sardo rack... brand new balls, and a perfect table

if you let him pattern rack you can sit and watch the same run out over and over and over..

He's a great player one of my favorites... but watching him play 9 ball gets pretty boring pretty fast..

I personally would like to see like an XFL type pool on tv.. something designed for the purpose..

lots of woofing by both players.. allow some sharking

taking on tough shots and rubbing the other guys nose in it

perhaps you have a scoring system where a cut shot is worth one point,, a kick, bank, carom, or combo, is worth 2 points .. and the points stack .. such that if someone kicked in a combination he scores 4 points

you get rid of races.. you play 10 games.. each player breaks 5 times.. and when its over you add up the score and most points wins..

if a player runs a simple out in a simple fashion he takes a 2 point penalty at the end of the run.

give the casual fan what they want... tension ....spectacular shots.. a little trash talk.. make it entertaining..

what do you guys think???? could it work??
Click to expand...

I like part of this idea.I think safties should not be allowed.That can really slow down a T.V. match.
 
I think a reality show based on league 8-ball finals in Las Vegas would have the best chance.

1. As others pointed out, 8-ball is the that the general public is best familiar.
2. Any team that makes it to Las Vegas will play well
3. APA captain versus team = drama
 
Fishing

Ralph Kramden said:
Let's watch that putt one more time ...... :boring2:
Click to expand...


Or like bass fishing
What do you want to bet they catch a fish.
Don't get me wrong, I love to fish, but I wish there was more billiards on TV.

While I'm at it, why do they air so much Speed Pool and Trick Shot Magic instead of 9-ball, 8-ball, straight pool, banks, even snooker.
I would rather watch Al Jolson holding a pool cue singing Mammy than Trick Shot Magic....JMO
 
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