I saw this thread when you started it, but didn't have the time to properly respond till now.
Why Do I Care?
You ask what's in it for me? The big picture means a healthier industry, as a whole. It means more opportunities for the pro's to showcase their abilities here, in the states. It means more tournaments, perhaps even an actual tour someday. (I can dream.)
What do those tournaments do for me, a hack if ever there was one. I will never become good enough at this game to enter any of these tournaments, so Why Do I Care? Because they are showcases. They are get-togethers. They are EVENTS. And the big EVENTS should be celebrated, and promoted. Respected. Something to look forward to. Not something to be trodden upon by others trying to make their way in the same industry.
The interest and activity here on AZB picks up tremendously before these events, I'm sure you noticed this over the years. I liken them to the Grand Slam events in Golf, or the big races in NASCAR. Or the Triple Crown events in horse racing. Who is gonna get that title this year? Who is going to be there? How will the crowds be? When the US Open(s) roll around, DCC, SBE, Tunica, and the Mosconi Cup, those are big deals in our little world. To me, I view them like the aforementioned Grand Slam or Triple Crown events, or like the playoffs/finals in the team sports in MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL.
I'm a sports fan, and a pool fan. The feeling is similar. Why do I care about those sports and not pool, too? What's in it for me? They provide me entertainment, something to think about and to root for.
As for the "action" point of your post, that truly doesn't affect me, so its lost on me. No need to go down that road again. If pool events and tournaments, or even in general can't survive without the "action" you used to have, then it's doomed right now. I hope that isn't the case, and that the hundreds of thousands of folks that play who don't need the "action" may prove that out. Perhaps not.
A healthy pool industry means more goods and services will be available, which will in turn provide more competition and selection for me as a consumer. You can afford to buy anything you like, and not have to worry about finding it. (And that's cool, not a knock.) That's not the case for most of us. For me, if I want to buy anything pool related, I have to go to the internet, there is nothing locally available. More cues, cases, accessories, and the services to go along with them. More people able to make a living from this game we love. And if the major players in the equipment industry can do better, and if there are more of them, there is the potential for more and greater sponsorship opportunities, for our pro's directly and for the tournaments.
Unless a historically unlikely lucky event of my winning a lottery occurs, I will never be able to go to one of the big pool events, even as a spectator. I will likely never to get to meet you folks in person, share a beer and conversation. Yet I find that through our common bond of loving pool and participating here, that I've "gotten to know" many of you folks and would consider you as friends, at the very least pool hall friends. That's a reason to care, too.
Which leads back to the original point (again, lol)... Why Do I Care about BB vs the industry, the way it appears to be occurring currently? When people like Mark and Greg put their efforts into making these events a success, I care. Let's not forget Mr. Hopkins, and yes, Mr. Berhman, too. (I know, I know...still, for over a generation, The US Open 9-Ball has been a Big Deal, and hopefully will return there without the issues.) These events are a part of pool history. When someone comes along and messes with history, I care.
When Jay Helfert says it's a problem, I care. When we see less than 50 pro's signed up for The Ultimate 10-Ball, which could be viewed up there with the other events I mentioned, I care. Will that event ever happen again, if the turnout is too low, that makes me care. There's nothing "in it" for me, yet I do care.
I would love to see pool get back on TV again. I understand a lot of the "why's and why not's" but I still believe that with all the available time to fill, it could be done, and that maybe it will be again. I would love to see a real men's Pro Tour again, and I believe that could happen, too. (If that previously mentioned lucky lottery strike occurs, we will see about that, lol.) I can envision it, and as I said before, I;m a dreamer. But it could work. I would love to see pool treated like poker and bowling and such, so far as that's concerned. I want there to be actual recognition for our pro's.
Just last night, a guy came up to me and started talking about this interview he saw on the local news this week, about a local kid who apparently is one of the best pool players in the country right now, and he's from Waterville (a nearby city), and isn't that cool, and why hadn't he heard about that before.... I smiled. Because I was happy that Mike D got some airtime here locally. Because local regular folks got to hear about it. And because its kinda sad, that someone from an hour away is considered one of the better players in the entire country at the game we were all standing around playing, and probably only 5 people in the room would have recognized his name. (And dammit, I haven't seen the interview yet, gotta find that on the web and get caught up, heh.)
Yes, I care.
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