It is true what you say. The only popularity pool enjoys in mainstream America is recreational play, and that's okay. The league system is keeping an otherwise dead fish in the water alive when it comes to pocket billiards.
The most fun I ever had in my life was when I was playing on the leagues. I was a 6 out of a 7, though I probably was more like a strong 5, but I loved beating my opponents in competition, having my team rooting for me. I looked forward to seeing my friends, socializing, competing once a week. It was so much fun. Pool should be fun.
Professional pool is a tough nut to crack. It has evolved into something that is what I term as a "rich man's high." In the '70s and '80s, a nice hotel room cost about 30 bucks, and you could drive quite a long distance one full tank of gas. Heck, my car today gets about 300 miles on a full tank of gas. Since I quit traveling the pool tournament trail, my 2007 car today in just 4 short years has just 9,000 miles on it. My other car that I used to travel on the pool tournament trail accumulated 50,000 miles within 3 years. While I was out on the road, I wasn't earning much money as I do today when I'm not on the road. My partner did cash and win in tournaments, but you're just so stuck from previous tournaments due to expenses. You can't get ahead. So I'm spending a lot of money, e.g., travel, hotel, entry fees, food, house expenses, et cetera, not earning much money, and getting into huge debt to keep the pool dream alive. Welcome to the professional pool world in the United States of America that is the lifestyle of the majority of American aspiring pros.
Now, before somebody jumps on this thread and says, "Well, gee, nobody asked them to be a pro player. Tell 'em to get a doggone job and earn a living like the rest of us schmucks," I'm only providing this description for illustration purposes. I'm not going to debate the reasons why the so-called pros should get a job instead, though I will say that most employers may not be able to allow their employee pool pros to take off two, three, and four times every month to travel the globe to compete. AND, believe it or not, most pros must hit thousands of balls every day if they want to succeed. Why compete in the expensive pro tournaments if you aren't tuned up like a top? When you have a 9-to-5 job, it is difficult to find the requisite amount of time to practice. There's only so many hours in a day. Heck, when I used to return home from the week-long Derby City Classic or the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, it took me another week to recover.
The payouts in most pool tournaments today are the *exact* same as they were in the '70s and '80s. It is just too expensive to compete on the professional tournament trail unless you have somebody, a sponsor, a stakehorse, a friend, a spouse, a significant other paying your way. Even when you win, you are still stuck from other events. You must -- and I repeat "must" -- win, place, or show to break even on today's professional tournament trail, and the only one who's doing that consistently in America today is Shane.
The ABP wants to effect a change for the better, though using what seems like Charlie Williams' old UPA platform ain't the right direction to go. Gambling is repulsive to some pool purists, and mum pool played by tournament robots is equally repulsive to others. Is it possible to unite both sides, so that pool today is inviting to today's existing pool culture *and* mainstream America?
The ABP could benefit by seeking a comfortable middle ground in pool that will attract prospective non-pool-related industry sponsors. Mark Griffin can only finance so much in this pool world, but Lord knows he's trying. Even when he might not turn a profit, he continues to try, hoping for a good outcome down the road. And if the Seminoles Tour rumor is true, it paints an even more bleaker picture for today's American pros. Thank goodness for those with a deep passion for pool like Greg Sullivan, Mike Zuglan, Allen Hopkins, and Barry Behrman. None of these promoters are getting rich with their efforts in pool, but they keep plugging away, trying to break even and earn enough profit to live off of throughout the coming year. And then there's the regional tour operators who continue to keep pool alive in their regions, sometimes against a strong current of unrest if they pocket one penny of profit that doesn't go into the pool players' pockets.
These regional tours are fillers for the pros, keeping them in shape, but today some regional tours have banned pros from competition in their events, or if they do allow the pros to play in their tournaments, the pros must provide a handicap and/or pay a higher entry fee. I am reminded of a recent one-hole tourney when my other half, who hadn't hit a ball in about 4 or 5 years, had to spot his opponent 13 to 4 in one-pocket. Pool pros in the States are looked at as pariahs at some pool venues.
I don't have the answer to what ails professional pool in the States. If I did, I'd be doing it, because I do care about the future of pool as a sport. For now, I accept that pool is a recreational game. Until the ABP can come up with a brand-new vision or mission for their organization to elevate professional-level pool and unite all sides of the equation, they're going to continue to have one ABP tire in the mud. The top few in their organization will reap the benefits, if any, and all the other members will struggle, just like the majority of UPA members did, eventually sinking into an inevitable abyss of nonexistence. Sad to say but true.
What is it about today's pool organizations that have no transparency? Rules are changed willy-nilly, and decisions are made behind a curtain that create a caste system in pool. ABPpros member will continue post anonymously with his/her hit-and-run threads. The rich get richer, and the poor leave the sport. Soon we'll have all Chiefs and no Indians.
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