Addiction to a Pool !!! Much stronger than in other sports

[ivicafranic]

I'll tell you a story that desribes very well how crazy we pool players are

So,It was about 10 years ago,and we were driving on a pool tournament at the city at the our seaside.It is 5 hours of driving and as usual we went a day earlier than the tournament was actually starting.
On the way to the final destination we decided to stop by and to visit a friend of ours who actually lives in the same city we all do but at that time he was at his parents house near the seaside since he took the trip a day earlier.
Actually,he and his parents invited all us on lunch.

That guy,his name is Jozo or as you Americans would say Joseph is well known for his strong addiction to describing pool schemes,diagrams,combinations,positions at the table,especially after his matches.
It is not his only pool addiction in the matter of the fact.He uses to talk pool no matter what time of day or night it is and no matter where we are at that specific moment.
He is capable of talking about balls positions at the table during all kind of important ceremonies as weddings,funerals.He really doesn't care for the moment.
Beside that he can remember all ball positions during all his matches from 1989
So,we use to joke him about all that all the time.

Let's get back to the story.So,we were in a car and I got an idea about cutting a papers into a pool table shape,drawing the pockets as on a real pool table and drawing pool schemes with balls positions.
I cutted about 100 papers and was drawing schemes for at least hour and half or maybe twn each paper at the background I wrote a year of match played,an opponent who he/Jozo played against and made a note on a shot played.

At that time he was around 30years old and his parents who were amazingly nice,kind,friendly,warm and honest people was kind of worried about him because all what he was doing was playing pool and he didn't care for anything else.

They were worried and was always asking us,Jozo's friends questions like:
How come all of you have girlfriends or wifes and our Jozo(Joseph) doesn't have any???
How come all of you or at least most of you have jobs and he doesn't have ???
How come all of you can speak common sense and all our Jozo talks is pool related???
So,we finally arrived to his house and were starting chatting with his parents.
After awhile we started eating a great lunch his mother prepared for us.

During the lunch I get up from the table and went on the toilet.When I get out of the kitchen where we were eating,I didn't go in the toilet but went to the dinning room first and then in all other rooms in the house.I had those papers with those drawings in my pocket and started leaving those papers all around the place.I was putting them eveywhere,really everywhere,under the pillows,under the wardrobe,under the carpets.above things and below.
There was a hallway with jackets and I put them in all pockets of those jackets that were hanging there.When I finally came in the toilet I left them too. I was starting filling all the bathroom with remaining papers.I was leaving them under the wash machine,put them in the pockets of his parents mantles and wherever I can and wherever was a place to put something in,on,above,below.

Finally I get back to the kitchen and continue talking with his parents and all others who were there.
After the launch was finished we drunk a coffee and then get back on the road on the way to pool hall where the tournament was playing.

Jozo stayed at his parents house and we will be seing him next day at the tournament.
Saturday morning just before the tournament started Jozo showed up and was pretty angry although he actually doesn't know how to be angry
He started yelling about how crazy we all are and especially me, how mad I am,since he knew I was the one who did that paper stuff.He was worried that his parents now think he is a lunatic and they think he did all that and not me.
He told us that he tried to explain them he didn't do that and it must be one of my jokes.
It is needless to say they didn't believe him a word.They were convinced he did that for sure.Well,they knew him,he is their son and they knew the way he was thinking and acting
Since he talks pool all the time they was pretty sure he was drawing those positions and that he get possessed and obsessed as well.
At the end I needed to call his mum on the phone and tell her it was my/our joke and convinced her I was guilty of the crime and not Jozo.
Well,do you know what she told me???
She said,aha-aha,aha-aha,it was a good joke but if Jozo wasn't so addicted you wouldn't do it at the first place.
Sum: Jozo was gulity at the crime anyway

 

[Johnnyt]

Pool has ruined many lives and families. But too much of anything is not good. I'm sure everyone in my family would have been happier if I never picked up a cue. Johnnyt

 

[336Robin]

Very Addictive Indeed

Pool is very addictive and it even though some of the people of pool sometimes aren't the best folk to hang out with, you get them talking about the game and you see that glint in their eye, that comes from a genuine love of the game. It is a way for the common man to identify with something artful.

 

[grindz]

Lol

I know someone who this resembles.:grin-square:

I have to say.... that I am guilty myself of making a pool analogy
to almost any situation in life... Thankfully, my parents are
happy (I think??...lol) with who I have become. If they are not...
it's way too late now.

td

 

[JAMSGOLF]

This story was sooo funny! That was an awesome prank!

 

[ivicafranic]

This story was sooo funny! That was an awesome prank!

Thanks and believe me it was even more funny and hilarious too:smile::smile:
Jozo is a great guy and there are so many stories with him
We call them,those stories Jozo's evergreen:wink:
Will let you a few more in next couple of days:smile:

 

[ivicafranic]

:wink::wink::wink:Looking for more readers:wink::wink::wink:

 

[BasementDweller]

100 years from now some psychologist somewhere will prove what we already know to be true -- pool is the most addictive game there is.

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I really enjoyed it.

 

[GoldCrown]

Simple fact. It's roots

 

[Nostroke]

I think i just developed ADHD.

 

[KRJ]

As much as I like pool (3rd favorite sport to play), it is so far down the ladder on the addiction scale. Soccer folks are not addicted as much as they are insane. (it's a compliment soccer fans, not an insult) No, I don't like or play soccer.

They play it, watch it and live it. Most times it's the only sport they know, but they don't give up on it, they travel to watch the games, they pack stadiums to watch and root for their team through international competition like nobody has ever seen before. They play in amateur leagues all over the world....

As much as I dislike the sport itself, no other sport can compete with it in the world in terms of popularity and handing down that love from one generation to the next. If they can do this with a "boring" sport, maybe pool can be saved after all

 

[Black-Balled]

I know plenty of cycling people that embrace their hobby equally, if not more.

In addition to spending all their time doing the activity, they Change lifestyles, eating, sleeping, even the way they sit, to further their cause.

It is human nature to do what you like. Selfish and indulgent somewhat, but understandable too.

 

[spartan]

As much as I like pool (3rd favorite sport to play), it is so far down the ladder on the addiction scale. Soccer folks are not addicted as much as they are insane. (it's a compliment soccer fans, not an insult) No, I don't like or play soccer.

They play it, watch it and live it. Most times it's the only sport they know, but they don't give up on it, they travel to watch the games, they pack stadiums to watch and root for their team through international competition like nobody has ever seen before. They play in amateur leagues all over the world....

As much as I dislike the sport itself, no other sport can compete with it in the world in terms of popularity and handing down that love from one generation to the next. If they can do this with a "boring" sport, maybe pool can be saved after all

Yes that is correct - football or soccer is the most passionate sport , the beautiful game. No other sport comes close. Yet Most soccer fans do not even play or know how to play. In fact a lot of promotional marketing in soccer is targetted towards armchair or spectator not at people who will buy the soccer balls or shoes or accessories
So it is a misconception in pool that the target market must be the consumers of pool accessories. If (a big IF) the pool can base grows to a critical mass, any pool fan is a source of revenue

 

[ivicafranic]

Bump for the story and a guy named Jozo/Joseph:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:

 

[Pryme]

I am suffering or enjoying pool addiction, been playing under a year and its very addictive!! I think it has a lot to do with your personality and what your goal is as well, either way, sometimes at night i wake up working patterns in my head or thinking about my stroke, my wife thinks i am crazy. LOL.

 

[336Robin]

Exactly and Marketing

As much as I like pool (3rd favorite sport to play), it is so far down the ladder on the addiction scale. Soccer folks are not addicted as much as they are insane. (it's a compliment soccer fans, not an insult) No, I don't like or play soccer.

They play it, watch it and live it. Most times it's the only sport they know, but they don't give up on it, they travel to watch the games, they pack stadiums to watch and root for their team through international competition like nobody has ever seen before. They play in amateur leagues all over the world....

As much as I dislike the sport itself, no other sport can compete with it in the world in terms of popularity and handing down that love from one generation to the next. If they can do this with a "boring" sport, maybe pool can be saved after all

Exactly I think there are plenty of people out there who would like to play pool under the right conditions, but they aren't being marketed to and there in lie's the problem.

The pool room is off limits to children because of alcohol. We already know this and that is where they become addicted or at least exposed so they can come back to it after college.

So now you have to market it to people and that just isn't happening and there are ways to do it, but traditional thought is if you build it they will come and that sure isn't working.

 

[(((Satori)))]

As much as I like pool (3rd favorite sport to play), it is so far down the ladder on the addiction scale. Soccer folks are not addicted as much as they are insane. (it's a compliment soccer fans, not an insult) No, I don't like or play soccer.

They play it, watch it and live it. Most times it's the only sport they know, but they don't give up on it, they travel to watch the games, they pack stadiums to watch and root for their team through international competition like nobody has ever seen before. They play in amateur leagues all over the world....

As much as I dislike the sport itself, no other sport can compete with it in the world in terms of popularity and handing down that love from one generation to the next. If they can do this with a "boring" sport, maybe pool can be saved after all

Yeah pool is addictive but so are all sports.


I love jiu-jitsu and I can tell you that it is very very addictive. There are an unlimited number of moves to do from each position and the sport is always evolving... first you develop your go to game but from there you can never quit adding on and learning.


You know you are ate up with jiu-jitsu when you are having sex and thinking about ways to pass her guard. https://youtu.be/r6OXHhvKaSA

 

[fastone371]

Yes that is correct - football or soccer is the most passionate sport , the beautiful game. No other sport comes close. Yet Most soccer fans do not even play or know how to play. In fact a lot of promotional marketing in soccer is targetted towards armchair or spectator not at people who will buy the soccer balls or shoes or accessories
So it is a misconception in pool that the target market must be the consumers of pool accessories. If (a big IF) the pool can base grows to a critical mass, any pool fan is a source of revenue

If you consider auto racing a sport I would say those people are the most passionate about their sport. I raced for 20 years, it is a 40 hour a week job just keeping the car ready to race, that does not include the time spent traveling to the tracks and time spent racing. It is not unusual for regular blue collar workers to have in excess of $200K worth of racecar and tow vehicle rolling down the highway with them on race weekends. Even those that just spectate are rabid about the sport. They spend weekends traveling to races and plan week long vacations around racing. I think it has been proven many times that auto racing is the biggest spectator sport in America. When you consider how many race tracks there are it is not surprising. Since I do not race full time anymore pool fills that competitive urge that was missing, now I spend 40 hours a week on my pool table.:thumbup: