In pool we all approach the table as equals. It's the most "all men are created equal" sport in existence. It wasn't always this way in the past, but thankfully we are getting closer each day.
Two competitors step up to the table and stand on their own merits, regardless of nationality, gender, race, money, body type, etc. It's just one more beautiful aspect to this game. Two people who respect the game, no matter how different, can find a common ground in pool.
I like how Fats talked about playing royalty and such. Here's a kid grown up poor as could be playing with royalty, respected as an equal. There's probably a thousand stories that are similar. Pool, the great equalizer.