We all have our reasons for playing or NOT playing league pool, but it is interesting to me to see all of the comments with negativity about league pool.
Leagues are the healthiest segment in the pool universe.
You can't "WISH" for the pool to grow and improve for all players without continued growth and popularity of league pool. "A rising tide raises all ships".
The majority of manufacturers in the pool industry would suffer dramatically without league player revenue. We're not getting draft notices... it's an individual choice to play league or not. Have your opinions, but why knock something that is good for pool and the growth of pool in general.
I agree with this. It's always weird to me when people try to enforce their kind of fun on others. "Others should do this or that", when usually reflecting on self is more productive. People will do what they do, and the more esoteric any fandom gets, the more weird that arguments get.
You'll have people wearing the same manufactured plastic pointy ears at a sci-fi/fantasy convention, but if one person is dressed as a Vulcan and the other as an Elf, they'll both look at each other as a moron for dressing "wrong".
Chevy vs. Ford guys will put each other's love down, but even if you get two Ford guys together they'll probably argue about the right model of Ford that's better, and if you find two guys that like the same model together they'll argue about what year the model was best made.
Mac vs PC vs Linux guys will have arguments about the best operating system, and if you get two Linux guys together they'll argue about the "right" distro of Linux. Hobbies for many seem to be built on people putting others down for liking the "wrong" things.
I have found that it's best for me to ignore the trolls and just love to do what I enjoy doing. I absolutely love the game. I love doing drills. I love tournaments. I love leagues. I don't care about paying to play in leagues, and I don't expect a financial return on my investment into the game. I don't play for money; I play because I love the game, and I'll play it however I can, and learn as much as I can about it. For others, they may enjoy the payout more, they may enjoy the competition aspect, or they may enjoy that feeling of winning. I just love to practice and play, as it's the game itself that I love. So that affects how I choose to consume the game.