Billiards earnings compared to others!

TwinkleToes

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The average NBA player makes about 4,900,000.00 a year.

The average MLB player makes about 4,000,000.00 a year.

The average NFL player makes about 1,900,000.00 a year.

The average PGA Touring pro makes about 1,400,000.00 a year...with 1st place in an average tournament, being approx.$1,100,000.00.

The average PBA bowler, like Bryan Goebel at #50 on the money list, is a little over $20,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $25,000.00.

If you take the average billiard player, like Shane Winters at #72 on the money list, he is at roughly $12,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $10,000.00.

None of the above includes endorsements.

The average no-name PGA Pro is going to make well over $500,000.00 a year in endorsements. The big names are going to knock down upwards of $10,000,000.00 a year. Phil Mickelson made $43,000,000.00 last year in endorsements. Jordan Spieth, at 22 years old, made about $40,000,000.00 in endorsements last year.

I think an average Billiard pro, like Brandon Shuff for example, made about $1,724.41 last year in endorsements. That total could be $55.63 more if a certain deal went through.

It sure is difficult for a billiard player or a bowler to make a living at their respective games.

I wish it was different!
 
The average NBA player makes about 4,900,000.00 a year.

The average MLB player makes about 4,000,000.00 a year.

The average NFL player makes about 1,900,000.00 a year.

The average PGA Touring pro makes about 1,400,000.00 a year...with 1st place in an average tournament, being approx.$1,100,000.00.

The average PBA bowler, like Bryan Goebel at #50 on the money list, is a little over $20,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $25,000.00.

If you take the average billiard player, like Shane Winters at #72 on the money list, he is at roughly $12,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $10,000.00.

None of the above includes endorsements.

The average no-name PGA Pro is going to make well over $500,000.00 a year in endorsements. The big names are going to knock down upwards of $10,000,000.00 a year. Phil Mickelson made $43,000,000.00 last year in endorsements. Jordan Spieth, at 22 years old, made about $40,000,000.00 in endorsements last year.

I think an average Billiard pro, like Brandon Shuff for example, made about $1,724.41 last year in endorsements. That total could be $55.63 more if a certain deal went through.

It sure is difficult for a billiard player or a bowler to make a living at their respective games.

I wish it was different!

Why would anybody compare pool with sports that take atleast 10 yrs of coaching often before reaching college level then 4 yrs of that yes super natural freaks like LaBron go straight from high school but your talking God like skills in a major sport
Simply put like any profession you get paid accordingly carpenters don't get paid like electrictions and they don't get paid like IT guys
Pool simply is not upper teir level

1
 
It all has to do with spectators. All the sports where the average player is making millions have millions upon millions of spectators.

Pool and bowling, have more people that play the game rather than watch as spectators.

Has nothing to do with anything else.
IMO:)
 
iusedtoberich...

iusedtoberich...I agree that spectators are a huge part of it but to say "nothing else", baffles me.

Not that saying nothing else is altogether wrong, as long as we understand what creates the spectators. That is where we get into the "something else."

Pool has a stigma that goes with it...like it or not!

I don't need to go into the reasons why because we all know why.

The promoters of pool, don't do themselves any favors either. The farce that is known as the US Open Nine Ball, is one of the glaring reasons why pool isn't more popular.

But not the reason!

Reckon how it makes those who don't tend to watch pool (but decide that they'll watch one of the Majors - The US Open Nine Ball) when they see that one of its leaders, is drunk when he hands out the awards...and proceeds to make a fool out of himself.

Now back to "the reason."

The reason is because of the stigma. Unfortunately, that stigma shows no signs of leaving any time in the near future. That's sad for the game.

It is not one thing that creates that stigma...it is many things.

It's too bad that many of the people who play pool, don't take the burden upon themselves to change it.

Example: If there were a lot more people like Shane and Alex (just to name two) pool would be immensely more popular than it is.

To give credit where credit is due though, there are a significant number of people who do a great job of making pool better.

One of the problems though, is that every time some decent stride is made, the industry shoots itself in the foot.

If the right promoters would take the burden upon themselves, at the very least, the top 50 pros would be making a good living playing tournaments.

Additionally...pool could become a gentlemen's game, instead of a backroom hustler's game.

But...we get back to the problem.

There are way too many people who play the game, who think nothing can be done about it, so....it remains the same.

They'll say that we've rehashed this same old discussion a million times.

That's right...we have. Why? Because there aren't enough people who have the energy to do something about it.

There are a few...just not enough!
 
compare it to something more real world and similar.
like pan handling. oh wait they make more too.
 
It all has to do with spectators. All the sports where the average player is making millions have millions upon millions of spectators.

Pool and bowling, have more people that play the game rather than watch as spectators.

Has nothing to do with anything else.
IMO:)

You're right - the one resource this game has is players. At this point there are no spectators.

Maybe stop trying to monetize spectators.

The APA has done well to capitalize on players up to certain skill level. Great for the APA.

The rest of us have tournaments.

This game does have pros. Or at least it's got guys with names we're familiar with and skills to match.

I think pros should use their familiarity and whatever cachet they might have to push participation in tournaments. At least tournaments draw a few dollars from our pockets. Nothing else seems to.
 
The average NBA player makes about 4,900,000.00 a year.

The average MLB player makes about 4,000,000.00 a year.

The average NFL player makes about 1,900,000.00 a year.

The average PGA Touring pro makes about 1,400,000.00 a year...with 1st place in an average tournament, being approx.$1,100,000.00.

The average PBA bowler, like Bryan Goebel at #50 on the money list, is a little over $20,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $25,000.00.

If you take the average billiard player, like Shane Winters at #72 on the money list, he is at roughly $12,000.00 for the year...with 1st place for an average tournament being approx. $10,000.00.

None of the above includes endorsements.

The average no-name PGA Pro is going to make well over $500,000.00 a year in endorsements. The big names are going to knock down upwards of $10,000,000.00 a year. Phil Mickelson made $43,000,000.00 last year in endorsements. Jordan Spieth, at 22 years old, made about $40,000,000.00 in endorsements last year.

I think an average Billiard pro, like Brandon Shuff for example, made about $1,724.41 last year in endorsements. That total could be $55.63 more if a certain deal went through.

It sure is difficult for a billiard player or a bowler to make a living at their respective games.

I wish it was different!

I think some numbers that would have made an even better statement would be the average *revenue* that those various sports organizations take in per year. For example, the average NFL player makes 1.4M a year. Ok. And the average NFL game sells about 40K tickets at what...$50 average? Baseball tickets are not cheap. And there are 160+ games per season. In stadiums that hold 10, 30, 50K people. What would be very interesting is to see what the average salaries are *compared to* the average revenue. My guess is that pool players do well in this regard. Hence the solution is to increase revenue. A million ways to do this, but no one cares.

KMRUNOUT
 
Why would anybody compare pool with sports that take atleast 10 yrs of coaching often before reaching college level then 4 yrs of that yes super natural freaks like LaBron go straight from high school but your talking God like skills in a major sport
Simply put like any profession you get paid accordingly carpenters don't get paid like electrictions and they don't get paid like IT guys
Pool simply is not upper teir level

1

Which sounds funny, because good carpentry requires as much skill and know-how as good electical work, or good IT work. Ironically, the whole "length of coaching" thing is irrelevant. To be honest, carpentry is far more nuanced and "artistic" than electircal work, which is far more nuanced and artistic than most IT work. It is the scale of both economies that determines the income. IT guys make more money because they primarily work for multi million dollar companies, where as you don't hear about IBM contracting out millions of dollars of high end carpentry. For the most part, carpenters service individuals in their homes and small businesses. Which is just a smaller lump of capital than what is available to the IT guys, who are typically servicing large companies. (Well, at least the IT guys that make a LOT)

Sadly, the fact of the matter is that salaries are determined by interest. If enough people are interested in what you do, or the fruits of what you do, you will make a lot. Grab any random 100 Americans. How many of that random 100 *don't* know who Tom Brady is? I guess that's the idea...

KMRUNOUT
 
It all has to do with spectators. All the sports where the average player is making millions have millions upon millions of spectators.

Pool and bowling, have more people that play the game rather than watch as spectators.

Has nothing to do with anything else.
IMO:)

" DITTO "
You can't fill a 200 room with free tickets - SVB vs SVB


bill
 
The raw potential is there but it will take money to make money & the players have to stop prostituting themselves out.

They are the talent & they should own their game & employ or make a deal with a single promoter.

It would have to be a promoter with money & vision & one that will not pimp the players but be a partner with them.

The old PGA players did it as did the tennis players.

The model is there.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Why would anybody compare pool with sports that take atleast 10 yrs of coaching often before reaching college level then 4 yrs of that yes super natural freaks like LaBron go straight from high school but your talking God like skills in a major sport
Simply put like any profession you get paid accordingly carpenters don't get paid like electrictions and they don't get paid like IT guys
Pool simply is not upper teir level

1

There's been great nfl players who didn't start playing unti high school or even college lol

When pool gets the tv revenue and the advertising dollars it will get the cash. Unfortunately as long as ESPN thinks of it as a niche game that won't happen any time soon.
 
my wife went to college for 6 years, learned to do something she loves to do. If it a little paid less she'd prolly still do it, if it paid a lot less she wouldn't. Her income, as I'm sure most of our fair readers exceed, falls between Daren and SVB. Is she as good at her job as they are at theirs? We'd have to ask her patients. What I'm saying is there is a lot of things that pay better than pool. Those other sports, not so much. Going pro at anything is tough tough tough. going pro when there is hardly anything left to go pro at, as in pool's case, a pipe dream. To the people who still try, my hat is off to you, 99% of the time they aren't the ones on here crying about the pay, they are too busy actually giving it a go.

The world watched Jordan because no one else in the world could do what he was doing. I also think pool is perceived as easy to the general public. Ask around at work, heck half your staff prolly paid they're way through college playing pool;) I'm guilty of not supporting pro pool, I don't watch 9 ball on espn, men or women and can't skip by trick shots fast enough. Why, because I can go to my basement and play the game myself. I do get ppv when it's onepocket but i don't think for a second that is the answer to the declining popularity of pool

Andy
early morning rambling
 
Last edited:
I believe any consideration that is truly destined to deliver focused change will strip away superfluous distractions and zero in on the true facts.

If you talke the type of sport out, you end up with numbers. It is so unfair that 6 is bigger than 1. What's wrong with 1? I am high incensed that 6 is the bigger of the two.

We must change this.
 
iusedtoberich...I agree that spectators are a huge part of it but to say "nothing else", baffles me.

Not that saying nothing else is altogether wrong, as long as we understand what creates the spectators. That is where we get into the "something else."

Pool has a stigma that goes with it...like it or not!

I don't need to go into the reasons why because we all know why.

The promoters of pool, don't do themselves any favors either. The farce that is known as the US Open Nine Ball, is one of the glaring reasons why pool isn't more popular.

But not the reason!

Reckon how it makes those who don't tend to watch pool (but decide that they'll watch one of the Majors - The US Open Nine Ball) when they see that one of its leaders, is drunk when he hands out the awards...and proceeds to make a fool out of himself.

Now back to "the reason."

The reason is because of the stigma. Unfortunately, that stigma shows no signs of leaving any time in the near future. That's sad for the game.

It is not one thing that creates that stigma...it is many things.

It's too bad that many of the people who play pool, don't take the burden upon themselves to change it.

Example: If there were a lot more people like Shane and Alex (just to name two) pool would be immensely more popular than it is.

To give credit where credit is due though, there are a significant number of people who do a great job of making pool better.

One of the problems though, is that every time some decent stride is made, the industry shoots itself in the foot.

If the right promoters would take the burden upon themselves, at the very least, the top 50 pros would be making a good living playing tournaments.

Additionally...pool could become a gentlemen's game, instead of a backroom hustler's game.

But...we get back to the problem.

There are way too many people who play the game, who think nothing can be done about it, so....it remains the same.

They'll say that we've rehashed this same old discussion a million times.

That's right...we have. Why? Because there aren't enough people who have the energy to do something about it.

There are a few...just not enough!

Nobody even watches pool! You think the "public" knows anything about Buddy Hall dumping? Or how bout K.T.? Outside of his "cures" the public knows nothing. Start asking about bonus ball - nobody will know what the hell you're talking about.
Earl won a $1,000,000, do you think anybody knows about that???

Black Widow, and Fats is all they know. Neither have been relevant outside Apa in how long? Ones been dead for nearly 20 years. The public doesnt care about watching pool! Hell, the pool players dont care about watching pool. Go to SBE and tell me different where its FREE to watch. They go in there to sit on their fat $##&#.

PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO WATCH POOL and cleaning it up would only hurt it more. Look at every show on tv other than lifetime lol and its all backstabbing, fighting, killing, sex with other peoples spouses, drinking, drugs, etc. Any you think cleaning up pool will help?????? Glad you're not in charge.....guess it wouldnt really matter anyway, with 500 viewers on a good day what could it hurt lol.

Btw, if the tv show that was on showed more drama and was darker/seedier it might have caught on. Needed that old smokey poolroom feel to it, not the dressed up we have a list( what was that bs about?) crap that they showed.
I enjoyed it, but only because of being around pool forever and of course Jen :)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top