I agree with you. You know what is sad to me is seeing today's Hall of Famers in pool, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet.
Pool in particular never did pay out as much as baseball, football, and boxing. There wasn't much for a pool player to save when he needed that dough to attend the next tournament. Of course, we all know that a $3,000 first-place prize money went a lot further in the '70s and '80s than it does in the year 2008. Still, pool payouts have always paled in comparison to other sports.
In Philippines, though, the American dollar goes a long way. That is how the Filipino Invasion came to the fore. This was during an era when pool ruled in the United States as far as competitive event opportunities. Today, as we all know, it is quite different, as pool has definitely advanced to an international scale.
A modern-day pool player cannot survive on pool alone because of the expenses. A job is needed to supplement their income and/or a stake/sponsor.
Gambling by its very nature is a disease, much like substance abuse. As an example, me personally, if I win at the horses, I am leaving that track with money in my pocket. This would never happen with a gambler who is addicted to gambling. Keith and I go to the horses sometimes, but because I am inclined to want to leave with monies in my pocket, we usually don't have a pleasant ride home. One of us is pissed off.
The thing is, though, somebody who was not addicted to gambling would probably never play for 10-, 20-, and $40,000 to begin with. I played for $100 a game one time, and I had trouble making a straight-in shot.
So the gambling addiction is why most who played for big monies don't have much to show for it in the later years of their life. Gambling addiction is no different than alcoholism or substance abuse, IMHO! That's why they have Gamblers Anonymous! I went to one of those meetings one time with a friend who had a gambling problem, but that's a topic for another thread.

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JAM