Billiards is too European

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
There are sports and then there are popular sports.
European sports like Pole Vaulting or Javelin throwing are commonly practiced but nowhere near popular with lower and middle income people. Billiards is too European because of the Russia ban, most of the newer pros are from Europe and the Euros have a system of player development.

If billiards is to be popular does it need more Black players?
Sports that are endorsed by black people like basketball or football do amazingly well from the equipment sales, fashion, merchandising and youth participation measures. Do people want Black participation in the pool community?

How would billiards become popular with Black people? Should Black support start with billiards in America or Africa?
 
galipeau said:
Are you talking about 3 cushion? I don't think anyone cares what race a player is anymore.
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The way pool has been promoted hasn't really changed since before 70s.
Typically there is a rebranding every few years for everything.

It looks like pool is trying when the WPBA made a big push. The WPBA is low on the black count.
Male pro events is low on the black count.

I am talking about nine ball, eightball, and 14.1. In TCOM two black characters make huge impressions on the upcoming pool hustler. Why aren't young black people aspiring to fill those roles?

Black kids think being a football or basketball star is great, why not 9ball of 14.1? A pool player can enjoy the sport much longer and with less injury than those other sports.
 
justnum said:
The way pool has been promoted hasn't really changed since before 70s.
Typically there is a rebranding every few years for everything.

It looks like pool is trying when the WPBA made a big push. The WPBA is low on the black count.
Male pro events is low on the black count.

I am talking about nine ball, eightball, and 14.1. In TCOM two black characters make huge impressions on the upcoming pool hustler. Why aren't young black people aspiring to fill those roles?

Black kids think being a football or basketball star is great, why not 9ball of 14.1? A pool player can enjoy the sport much longer and with less injury than those other sports.
Click to expand...
OMG…..forsake or forget……doesn’t matter which……any ethnicity when it comes to pool.
There is no ethnic group that will bolster patronage sufficiently to help the future of the game.

What’s needed in a influx of new younger players (anyone under 50 that’s employed) to help pool.
After the economic devastation COVID caused to pool room operators, the pool game needs help.

And billiards, any version, will not become widespread & popular in the USA; the game is too challenging
for most pool players as contrasted with snooker players (European), plus 10’ tables take up a lot of space.
 
justnum said:
There are sports and then there are popular sports.
European sports like Pole Vaulting or Javelin throwing are commonly practiced but nowhere near popular with lower and middle income people. Billiards is too European because of the Russia ban, most of the newer pros are from Europe and the Euros have a system of player development.

If billiards is to be popular does it need more Black players?
Sports that are endorsed by black people like basketball or football do amazingly well from the equipment sales, fashion, merchandising and youth participation measures. Do people want Black participation in the pool community?

How would billiards become popular with Black people? Should Black support start with billiards in America or Africa?
Click to expand...
Smart post...
 
Bavafongoul said:
OMG…..forsake or forget……doesn’t matter which……any ethnicity when it comes to pool.
There is no ethnic group that will bolster patronage sufficiently to help the future of the game.

What’s needed in a influx of new younger players (anyone under 50 that’s employed) to help pool.
After the economic devastation COVID caused to pool room operators, the pool game needs help.

And billiards, any version, will not become widespread & popular in the USA; the game is too challenging
for most pool players as contrasted with snooker players (European), plus 10’ tables take up a lot of space.
Click to expand...
Still takes all to work... Guy
 
justnum said:
The way pool has been promoted hasn't really changed since before 70s.
Typically there is a rebranding every few years for everything.

It looks like pool is trying when the WPBA made a big push. The WPBA is low on the black count.
Male pro events is low on the black count.

I am talking about nine ball, eightball, and 14.1. In TCOM two black characters make huge impressions on the upcoming pool hustler. Why aren't young black people aspiring to fill those roles?

Black kids think being a football or basketball star is great, why not 9ball of 14.1? A pool player can enjoy the sport much longer and with less injury than
Click to expand...

justnum said:
The way pool has been promoted hasn't really changed since before 70s.
Typically there is a rebranding every few years for everything.

It looks like pool is trying when the WPBA made a big push. The WPBA is low on the black count.
Male pro events is low on the black count.

I am talking about nine ball, eightball, and 14.1. In TCOM two black characters make huge impressions on the upcoming pool hustler. Why aren't young black people aspiring to fill those roles?

Black kids think being a football or basketball star is great, why not 9ball of 14.1? A pool player can enjoy the sport much longer and with less injury than those other sports.
Click to expand...
Q: What's the difference between a pro pool player and a large pizza?
A: The pizza can feed a family.

Black kids aren't aspiring to be broke, and to the extent that playing pool can result in full pockets, it's by staying under the radar. That's why you've got far more great Black money players than tournament champions.
 
justnum said:
There are sports and then there are popular sports.
European sports like Pole Vaulting or Javelin throwing are commonly practiced but nowhere near popular with lower and middle income people. Billiards is too European because of the Russia ban, most of the newer pros are from Europe and the Euros have a system of player development.

If billiards is to be popular does it need more Black players?
Sports that are endorsed by black people like basketball or football do amazingly well from the equipment sales, fashion, merchandising and youth participation measures. Do people want Black participation in the pool community?

How would billiards become popular with Black people? Should Black support start with billiards in America or Africa?
Click to expand...
Well, you've finally cracked the code. Congrats!
 
I have to follow up on my earlier statement by pointing out that against all odds, the Virgin Islands (pop. 89,000) produced a Junior World Champion who has all the talent and other ingredients to be a top player. Our little pool community nurtured him and thanks to tremendous sacrifice by his parents, he also had the benefit of early and frequent exposure to the BEF and various clinics and national level tournaments. His name is Mahkeal Parris and he graduated high school last year.

The point of all this? Not ONE of us, including myself as the next best player in the VI, EVER encouraged him to go the route of the tournament pro player simply because for all but the most elite, there's no future in it. School or the military...period! He's proudly serving in the USAF.
 
justnum said:
If billiards is to be popular does it need more Black players?
Sports that are endorsed by black people like basketball or football do amazingly well from the equipment sales, fashion, merchandising and youth participation measures. Do people want Black participation in the pool community?
Click to expand...
I think billiards games (including pocket billiards games) need more:
white players,
black players,
brown players,
yellow players,
red players,
rich layers,
poor players,
working class players,
underclass players,
unionized players,
homeless players,
...
More of every race/creed/nationality will increase the perception of billiards (en-the-large) to everyone.
 
MitchAlsup said:
I think billiards games (including pocket billiards games) need more:
white players,
black players,
brown players,
yellow players,
red players,
rich layers,
poor players,
working class players,
underclass players,
unionized players,
homeless players,
...
More of every race/creed/nationality will increase the perception of billiards (en-the-large) to everyone.
Click to expand...

Without the targeted marketing or educating people unfamiliar with the billiard room, its extremely difficult to get them to check out a pool room.

I constantly meet young people from all over that have no idea what a billiard table is. The title was sensational with the purpose of being attention grabbing.

It was not meant as a sleight against anyone.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
I think people like justnum prove that this forum is become goofy.

Black people already play Pool, justnum you need to go to area with large Black population, and do some fact finding.😇
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My other suggestion would have been to make pool targeted for gay and lesbians. However its unclear how the pool community is towards that sexual orientation.
 
justnum said:
Without the targeted marketing or educating people unfamiliar with the billiard room, its extremely difficult to get them to check out a pool room.
Click to expand...
Put <what would be a thrown away> pool table in every children's recreation area in every town, suburb, and city.
Presto, basically everyone gets exposed to billiards to some degree.
And it cost them nothing but their time in order to participate.

You have to reach the people who have no money, at that point in their lives, to pool.
Billiards rooms, bars, and the like are not where we need to expose the masses; those are for later; after they catch the disease.
 
MitchAlsup said:
Put <what would be a thrown away> pool table in every children's recreation area in every town, suburb, and city.
Presto, basically everyone gets exposed to billiards to some degree.
And it cost them nothing but their time in order to participate.

You have to reach the people who have no money, at that point in their lives, to pool.
Billiards rooms, bars, and the like are not where we need to expose the masses; those are for later; after they catch the disease.
Click to expand...

I used to work at a few colleges that had pool tables in them. Without the right instructional staff or billiard community they were used as furniture that people only look at.
 
The best approach, if one had to go after one particular segment, is the senior market and retirement communities.

My pals play APA and there are a lot of older folks that compete in APA. That signifies, IMO, that there’s a receptive
market with older folks. You are not going to get them to become main line players but you certainly could attempt
to introduce organized leagues for residents in retirement communities. I could foresee teams competing between
different retirement communities and arranging day trip excursions that includes lunch at the local pool hall. It is
time to step out of the box and be creative, like working with local high schools to introduce billiards as an elective
and fielding boys and girls teams. If the billiards industry doesn’t change, it will continue to die a death of a thousand
cuts. Something must change and unfortunately the billiards industry acts disjointedly and without any real leadership.
 
justnum said:
My other suggestion would have been to make pool targeted for gay and lesbians. However its unclear how the pool community is towards that sexual orientation.
Click to expand...

Think your typical of your generation who when to institution of high learning.

You instructor must have taught you to point out problems, and wrongs.

Sad part is the only way to fix is getting hands dirty, and back sore by working on fix.

Too bad work was not part of lesson at school.

You’re either part of problem, or part of fix. What are you?
 
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