middleofnowhere
Registered
I watch this video and it made me think. Pool players are mostly individuals and not really team players. It might account for why nobody really cares anything about the Mosconi cup.
Are pool players team players?
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KingSamurai
New member
I dunno. A lot of people seem to thrive in the league scene. Think APA.
Also Mosconi Cup provided a lot of entertainment and debate. I think a lot of players wanted Team USA to be more competitive.
Also Mosconi Cup provided a lot of entertainment and debate. I think a lot of players wanted Team USA to be more competitive.
Feel same way about the Ryder Cup. These events are entertainment for viewers. Golfers and pool players are lone wolves. Team play is a blip on their radar. Ryder Cup maybe a tad more 'status worthy' because of the history but they don't lose sleep if they don't make the squad.
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I agree 'somewhat' in regards to league play by joe/jane amateur. Team play at the pro level is fairly non-existent except for MC. I go in a large hall with LOTS of league play, basically none of them talk about the Mosconi, they either don't know about it(most of them fall in here) or if they do they don't care/follow it.
Most ,not all i get it, league players are there for the social aspect of it. A very small %age have sights on really improving. It was true when i first played in the early 80's and it still is. I've known quite a few really good players that would play just enough league to qualify for the season-end TurkeyShoot or to go to nationals, they were ALL about the money not the social/funsy side. Whatever floats ur boat.
The majority of league players are there to socialize more than they are to actually put in the effort to learn to play pool.
I have been asked to join leagues a million times, but I have only played in one league for two years a few decades ago.
Fortunately, for me, my teammates actually knew how to play pool and practiced and wanted to improve.
We won the league championship two years in a row and I was rated #1 in the league and had the highest statistics in the league for both years.
Still yet, league pool wasn't my thing.
I had rather play heads up for money.
I have been asked to join leagues a million times, but I have only played in one league for two years a few decades ago.
Fortunately, for me, my teammates actually knew how to play pool and practiced and wanted to improve.
We won the league championship two years in a row and I was rated #1 in the league and had the highest statistics in the league for both years.
Still yet, league pool wasn't my thing.
I had rather play heads up for money.
I see the APA as mostly a social league.
Rusty in Montana
Well-known member
The APA I'm guessing is about the same as the VNEA pool league around here , I did play one season we qualified for state but I didn't attend state and my " Teammates " didn't fare very well down there . as mentioned above it was a social event for them I was there to play pool and for the love of the game !
Interesting video. It said that about 60% of the population find some kind of happiness watching sports and the other 40% are more experiential. Based on that, I wouldn't be surprised if pool players largely fell in the 40% because we're playing the game, not just watching. If that's the case, it would explain why viewership isn't very big. At the same time, a lot of competitive people also enjoy watching others compete so maybe pool players fall largely in the 60% group?
Personally, I only watch baseball and I have a favorite team but I don't live and die by their wins and losses.
Personally, I only watch baseball and I have a favorite team but I don't live and die by their wins and losses.
I watched it - the video has nothing to do with individual sports and their fans vs. team sports and their fans, or individual sports vs. team sports in general. He uses team sports for most of the discussion and pictures (there is one pic of a track guy), but it's having no interest in sports in general that is the point. Everything he says about the investment in interest in team sports is the same for people that get excited about any individual sport - it's the same kind of interest and identification with Tiger Woods vs. the Dallas Cowboys, the same kind of live through every shot and result vs. every play and result and so on and so on. People that love SVB and watch and identify with him are the same kinds of people he is talking about when he uses team sports as examples. He's talking about people that don't give a rat's behind about any sports. Totally different.
In general, sure, pool is an individual pursuit, just like bowling (lol, but the first time I see someone getting all tribal about Earl Anthony will be the first time), just like tennis, just like golf and so forth, nothing new. But golf has its dedicated and rabid fans in all sorts of ways apart from the Ryder Cup every two years (and European players are heavily invested in the team aspect and making the team - culture difference) but look at the President's Cup - a big bag of who cares vs. the enormous interest in the individual aspects of golf which also translates into the interest in the Ryder Cup.
Who says nobody really cares about the Mosconi Cup? Many do, just not a lot in general and I'd wager most of those fans are fans of or have interest in the sport of pool. If the USA was winning every year, haha, next level caring, IMO. But it's a blip on the radar screen of sports interest in general for sure.
This vid has been on my YT home page for a few days but I have not had time to watch.
Is it worth the time?
Is it worth the time?
Played in VNEA for few years on a team of strong players in a rural state and we all wanted to kick ass, especially after seeing the handicaps we were being saddled with. No one else in the league really wanted to play us but it was mostly big fish in a small pond. We did go to state and took first. It was mainly to keep from getting rusty as there were no tournaments anywhere close.
I have to say, I am not a team player and don't even watch sports involving teams and only 1 ball.