Breakdown of a pool player career

[justnum]

Problems with the career of a semi/pro pool player:
-income from tournaments is not steady
-being recognized or talked about (being stereotyped)
-traveling takes time away from other pursuits
-billiards industry is not interested in their input, feedback or ideas
-not knowing how to manage or deal with weak minded business people
-finding a way to survive in the billiards industry
-developing something that sells in the billiards industry
-getting the support to develop an idea/service/product for the billiards industry
-learning that playing pool is just one part of the billiards industry

Significant Events in a pool players career:
-winning a major tournament
-getting a sponsor
-gaining a major title
-beating a HOF in a televised event

Aside from the problems in the billiards industry, a focus on the player and their career is important because it makes problems easier to identify and solve.

Tournament operators are like insurance salespeople. And tournament players buy insurance. A salesperson makes the pitch and hopes to sell out. After the transaction is completed the focus becomes finding the next investor. Little time is spent on keeping existing and past customers happy.

 

[justnum]

In many ways a pro pool player would be like a foreign (non-US) persons way of finding work. To the non-US person it is a job that pays the bills. And maybe to a few US-players it is that.

While within the US so few people can afford to pursue professional billiards full time.

The point I am describing is a pro pool player is a job to some and for others a extremely passionate hobby which one day might become a dream job.

The debate for how rewarding the job is, whether or not it is worth it is for another thread. But for some people the job of pro player maybe the only job they qualify for. While younger players might not be too old to qualify for other jobs, old players may only be qualified for the job of pro player.

 

[inside_english]

Tournament operators are like insurance salespeople. And tournament players buy insurance. A salesperson makes the pitch and hopes to sell out. After the transaction is completed the focus becomes finding the next investor. Little time is spent on keeping existing and past customers happy.

I resent this claim.

I have run a few tournaments myself and being compared to an insurance salesperson (aka, sleazy business person) is offensive.

As a TD you do hope to sell out because more players means bigger prize funds and some cash in your pocket. Why shouldn't we get paid for spending all that time organizing and running a pool tournament?

After the transaction is completed we do focus on the next event...primarily for the players and pool itself.

How exactly should we "keep existing and past customers happy" as tournament directors? Wouldn't the simple act of having more, bigger tournaments do just that?

You also failed to mention that pool players as a whole are largely a bunch of complainers, who do little to promote themselves and the game. I know there are many that go above and beyond, but the majority do not. Most are content to complain about everything under the sun and moon, whilst expecting every tournament, and every room, to have the very best of everything all the time, at a low price...basically "pool utopia".

 

[$TAKE HOR$E]

Tournament operators are like insurance salespeople. And tournament players buy insurance. A salesperson makes the pitch and hopes to sell out. After the transaction is completed the focus becomes finding the next investor. Little time is spent on keeping existing and past customers happy.

LOL, one of the best TD's in this area is an insurance agent. His tournaments always fill up and usually have a waiting list in case of a cancellation. Everything is on time everytime and runs super smooth. The past and present players are all treated the same and some have followed his tournaments for many years. How about a car salesman.....?

 

[JCIN]

Guys this dude is nothing but a troll.

 

[JAM]

Problems with the career of a semi/pro pool player:
-income from tournaments is not steady
-being recognized or talked about (being stereotyped)
-traveling takes time away from other pursuits
-billiards industry is not interested in their input, feedback or ideas
-not knowing how to manage or deal with weak minded business people
-finding a way to survive in the billiards industry
-developing something that sells in the billiards industry
-getting the support to develop an idea/service/product for the billiards industry
-learning that playing pool is just one part of the billiards industry

Significant Events in a pool players career:
-winning a major tournament
-getting a sponsor
-gaining a major title
-beating a HOF in a televised event

Aside from the problems in the billiards industry, a focus on the player and their career is important because it makes problems easier to identify and solve.

Tournament operators are like insurance salespeople. And tournament players buy insurance. A salesperson makes the pitch and hopes to sell out. After the transaction is completed the focus becomes finding the next investor. Little time is spent on keeping existing and past customers happy.

I like the theme of your post and understand what you mean for sure. :smile:

I'd liken the tournament operators, though, to entrepreneurs more so than insurance sales people. They're taking a chance, investing their time, effort, and money into what could be a sinking ship. "Build it and they will come" doesn't apply to pool, unfortunately.

The aspiring pool players are limited on what they can do, and sometimes they do have to pick and choose which tournaments to attend, based on what they can afford. :frown:

For this reason, some tournament promoters offer free entry and free hotel to these pool players, hoping their attendance will be a good draw for others to come. It doesn't guarantee a sell-out crowd if pros are in the house, but it can lure those who may want to see the pros compete in person as opposed to on TV or the Internet -- well, let's scratch the TV part. :embarrassed2:

The most celebrated American pool player in my lifetime is Earl Strickland, winning more championship titles from around the world than any other American. Every top player has a streak when they're going to win just about everything they compete in, and Earl's streak, without a doubt, is the longest. Sadly, all those tin cups, to include his inexcusable belated recognition by the BCA's Hall of Fame committee, Earl Strickland does *not* enjoy a life of luxury. That said, you can just imagine the lifestyle of the other American pro players trying to eke out a pool career.

Sleeping out of a suitcase, staying up all night to save on hotel room expense, sharing hotel rooms and sleeping on the floor, eating fast food, having zero family life as most families can't handle this lifestyle, growing old alone, never getting ahead, being ridiculed when you're not hitting 'em as strong as you used to, and sometimes dying broke with not enough money to get a decent burial. This is the future of some -- not all -- pro pool players.

When you're young, have no wife/husband or children, sure, it's fun to travel all over the world and compete in pool events, but I guarantee you this lifestyle isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It gets really old after a while. Some players find out there's more to life than pool and move on, and there's others who are't capable of seeing a better life than pool. It's in their blood, and they're going down with it.

We all make choices. In this regard, those pool players look on heights beyond our gaze when they're on top of the world. There is an air of freedom unconquerable, and their spirits soar. I understand it. My priorities are just different than theirs, and that's okay. :smile:

 

[the420trooper]

I like the theme of your post and understand what you mean for sure. :smile:

That makes one of us. :thumbup:

 

[justnum]

I like the theme of your post and understand what you mean for sure. :smile:

I'd liken the tournament operators, though, to entrepreneurs more so than insurance sales people. They're taking a chance, investing their time, effort, and money into what could be a sinking ship. "Build it and they will come" doesn't apply to pool, unfortunately.

The aspiring pool players are limited on what they can do, and sometimes they do have to pick and choose which tournaments to attend, based on what they can afford. :frown:

For this reason, some tournament promoters offer free entry and free hotel to these pool players, hoping their attendance will be a good draw for others to come. It doesn't guarantee a sell-out crowd if pros are in the house, but it can lure those who may want to see the pros compete in person as opposed to on TV or the Internet -- well, let's scratch the TV part. :embarrassed2:

The most celebrated American pool player in my lifetime is Earl Strickland, winning more championship titles from around the world than any other American. Every top player has a streak when they're going to win just about everything they compete in, and Earl's streak, without a doubt, is the longest. Sadly, all those tin cups, to include his inexcusable belated recognition by the BCA's Hall of Fame committee, Earl Strickland does *not* enjoy a life of luxury. That said, you can just imagine the lifestyle of the other American pro players trying to eke out a pool career.

Sleeping out of a suitcase, staying up all night to save on hotel room expense, sharing hotel rooms and sleeping on the floor, eating fast food, having zero family life as most families can't handle this lifestyle, growing old alone, never getting ahead, being ridiculed when you're not hitting 'em as strong as you used to, and sometimes dying broke with not enough money to get a decent burial. This is the future of some -- not all -- pro pool players.

When you're young, have no wife/husband or children, sure, it's fun to travel all over the world and compete in pool events, but I guarantee you this lifestyle isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It gets really old after a while. Some players find out there's more to life than pool and move on, and there's others who are't capable of seeing a better life than pool. It's in their blood, and they're going down with it.

We all make choices. In this regard, those pool players look on heights beyond our gaze when they're on top of the world. There is an air of freedom unconquerable, and their spirits soar. I understand it. My priorities are just different than theirs, and that's okay. :smile:

I picked insurance sales person because a sales agent has a license and supposedly knows how the product they sell should work. But when something goes wrong, like their investment fund was raided by thieves, or lawyers find ways to deny claims that is when they can't be held accountable. In a pool tournament who is accountable for a tournament not doing well, the players or the tournament organizer.

The question of making someone accountable for the current slump in the billiards industry. Is anyone in charge of long term sustainability? Most times it seems like events are run from a year to year basis. And if one year is bad then a tournament operator can just blame it on attendance, lack of players, weather or something else because last year went smoothly. My point is if a tournament event doesn't do well than how can pro players fight back against a reduced prize payout, lack of prize payout, delayed prize payout or even ejection from a tournament.

There are no checks and balances. The tournament just sells attendance and entry fees. Nobody is ensuring that players aren't being cheated by tournament operators. Insurances sales, they do a great job and try to help people out but if their company tanks they don't have to take the blame. Similar to if an event doesn't do well, the blame can be on the lack of attendance or weather or magical reason that explains what went wrong that was outside of a person's control.