Calling all gazillionaires!!!

lfigueroa said:
We have one of those guys in St. Louis, actually just a few blocks from my house.

But, alas, he's into chess. Beautiful facilities, classes, museum/HOF, restaurant, big (big) tournaments, and he's bought up a bunch of primo property to expand.

saintlouischessclub.org

Saint Louis Chess Club

World-Class Tournaments, Lessons & Events
saintlouischessclub.org saintlouischessclub.org

Lou Figueroa
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Get him to play you some and let him throttle ya. Get him hooked. ;)
 
King T said:
I see your point..., but the gambling thing cant be a issue anymore. FanDuel, online poker and the popularity of tv poker on multiple channels has brought gambling into every home. Theres no longer a stigma associated with Pool as it pertains to gambling.

The real problem with Pool is that its to hard to play for most people compared to poker, darts, cornhole, shuffle board, bingo..., if you dont play it your are less likely to follow it.
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When you say gambling as it applies to pool it is much different then say the sport of kings. It is thought of as hustling, cheating, sleaze back rooms and shady characters. It is a image that has been cultivated and the game is stuck with it.
Derby city seems to like the image.
 
garczar said:
A US national billiard program with a dedicated facility and nationwide chapters would be great. Do i see it happening in the next 10yrs? No. There are junior programs in the US but they are too scattered and not on the same page to really be effective. The BEF does a great job with the resources they have but it could be a lot bigger. Of course $$ is a huge part but just getting kids near a table is a huge challenge. BTW, there is hope. US kid Eddie Vondreau just finished 3rd in the Predator World's Under19's.
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I’m an American but I live and play in South Korea. I’m part of the KBF(Korean Billiards Federation) which exactly what you’re talking about. It is a well organized national billiards program that includes pocket pool and carom. Here, city counsels and various organizations put money and effort into Billiards in hope to produce Pro players and support a long standing tradition of Billiards in the country.

Scattered around Korea are Billiards rooms called clubs. These are more of a players room versus bars/pubs that we have in the US. People here that play in these clubs actually come to improve their game and work their way up the rankings through various tournaments through out the year all over the country versus running up a bar tab on league night in the US.

It would be great if we could have something like this in the US but you would need a billiard culture that is focused on the game itself rather then having a night out drinking and playing with your buddies. I’m not saying that the US doesn’t have these types of players but it just seems there are not enough of them or they’re scattered in small pockets through out the country. This makes it difficult to get them all in one place considering how big the US is.

We need more players rooms or actual clubs like they do in Asia that are focused on the game and are able to make an income on players alone and don’t have to rely on alcohol and food. But that’s the tricky part, how do you do that in a place like the US.

My observation from living and playing through out Asia is, billiards is treated like we treat football or baseball for example. A lot of effort and resources are put into the game and these countries, as a whole, treat billiards as one of their main sports.
 
Jesse Cool said:
I’m an American but I live and play in South Korea. I’m part of the KBF(Korean Billiards Federation) which exactly what you’re talking about. It is a well organized national billiards program that includes pocket pool and carom. Here, city counsels and various organizations put money and effort into Billiards in hope to produce Pro players and support a long standing tradition of Billiards in the country.

Scattered around Korea are Billiards rooms called clubs. These are more of a players room versus bars/pubs that we have in the US. People here that play in these clubs actually come to improve their game and work their way up the rankings through various tournaments through out the year all over the country versus running up a bar tab on league night in the US.

It would be great if we could have something like this in the US but you would need a billiard culture that is focused on the game itself rather then having a night out drinking and playing with your buddies. I’m not saying that the US doesn’t have these types of players but it just seems there are not enough of them or they’re scattered in small pockets through out the country. This makes it difficult to get them all in one place considering how big the US is.

We need more players rooms or actual clubs like they do in Asia that are focused on the game and are able to make an income on players alone and don’t have to rely on alcohol and food. But that’s the tricky part, how do you do that in a place like the US.

My observation from living and playing through out Asia is, billiards is treated like we treat football or baseball for example. A lot of effort and resources are put into the game and these countries, as a whole, treat billiards as one of their main sports.
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Yes, parents in the US are not going to drop their kids off after school to play pool at some dumpy bar. That’s not where the Europeans (learn to play as kids.
 
middleofnowhere said:
When you say gambling as it applies to pool it is much different then say the sport of kings. It is thought of as hustling, cheating, sleaze back rooms and shady characters. It is a image that has been cultivated and the game is stuck with it.
Derby city seems to like the image.
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Well again I get your point and for the most part agree about the Pool-gambling link..., but that doesn't explain the lack of interest in this country?
I've played lots of poker, talk about degenerates, shady characters and sleaze back rooms to be truthful Pool doesn't even come close!!

The only difference between the two is one is glamorized and one is or was demonized. The bad behavior in Pool is done in public large crowds and lots of alcohol. The bad behavior in poker is done in private and controled environments.

Remember Las Vegas was built by thugs.
 
Wait, we were all blasting the WPA's EU federations, which do pretty much this as part of their programs, and now we want to copy it?

I do agree it's a good idea. It's just funny we like parts of an organization, but not others. Can't have your cake and...
 
I recall saying Roosters crowing and a dog biting them on the leg as they shot the money ball. Another member mentioned mosquitoes.

Nonetheless I still believe the US team would benefit greatly from four to six months of time playing in the Phillipines. Expense wise that would be the most economical training g they’d ever get. Europe or Asia would be far more costly.

Either way I agree with the fellow in the video regarding a serious need to improve. IMO the US lost once again on the first day and at that point the pressure compounded in every match and every shot.

Losing badly on the first day is a death sentence in this event. So how do we get better? You go and play better players and learn by losing until you can’t stand it.

Winning the first day is crucial.
 
garczar said:
Get him to play you some and let him throttle ya. Get him hooked. ;)
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lol, I couldn't afford the first game with this guy.

everything-chess.fandom.com

Rex Sinquefield

Rex Sinquefield is a billionaire, chess enthusiast and player. He has been the main organizer of several chess tournaments in the United States of America and has reignited the passion for chess in his hometown, Saint Louis Missouri. Rex created the Grand Chess Tour, a multi-chess event where...
everything-chess.fandom.com everything-chess.fandom.com

Lou Figueroa
 
skor said:
Do the current pros even want any of this?
What America needs is a US Pro tour, like the pro tour in snooker.
Take the top 32 players and start a tour, each player should be fully funded for each event and all 32 get paid.
For each event there would be a qualifier in which the bottom 8 drop out and new 8 get in, this would be an incentive to finish at the top 24 or higher. This will also set up a goal for young up and coming players, to get into the pro tour.
A player that is good enough and finishes top 24 in all the events should be making a good year salary and give them a good peace of mind to focus on the game, practice and train.
Those top 24 will surely do great in time in major international events and the top 5 will surely do better at the Mosconi cup...
Top players will represent the USA in world titles events.

A pro tour like that, can get sponsors and TV time to generate the money needed to fund this.
With time, the money will get bigger if done correctly.
The Chinese billiard scene and the pro snooker tour should really be the case study for this.

If you think that it can't be done, might as well forget all about it and just play APA at the local bar...
I know that there were many tries in he past to do something, but can't give up, must keep on trying until something will catch. This should be done in collaboration with the BCA and any official US sports bodies.

There is also no point in investing in kids if there is no goal.
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You'd have a better chance of chipmunks building a rocket and going to the moon
 
middleofnowhere said:
I think pool is less a sport then it is a subculture. Within our own little world actually a lot is going on, but the outside world doesn't really know or care about it.

YouTube is full of videos on pool. And when you look at them maybe they got a few thousand views. Meantime you click on a video about how to set up a camping stove and get 150,000 views in 10 days.

I watched a video last night of a guy turning a little 5x8 cargo trailer into a camper. In 2 weeks it had 485,000 views.

I don't really know where I'm going with this other than to say, I don't think the general public cares one bit about pool.
I think in some respects you can't get away from the idea that some corporate people don't really want to be involved with pool. It carries a stigma that while to many is fascinating, others want nothing to do with it.

I think the gambling, living by ones wits, an outlaw so to speak is what the public has always liked about pool. Even when they did these old-timers tournaments years ago, the music was from the sting.
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Start a billiards program at a few public/charter schools. Get local boys/girls clubs involved, etc. Give folks tax breaks if they put a table in their home/garage, etc.
😉
Many school sports are club level, traveling programs, some (wrestling) are nearly year round. The same could be done with pocket billiards, as it is an indoor "sport." Unless the parents have a table in the home, many younger folks first introduction to the game is at a bar in their later years.
There are a number of things that could be done, but it will likely require a grassroots movement of some sort. I'm sure nothing I have posted here is an earth shattering revelation...just food for thought.
 
j2pac said:
Start a billiards program at a few public/charter schools. Get local boys/girls clubs involved, etc. Give folks tax breaks if they put a table in their home/garage, etc.
😉
Many school sports are club level, traveling programs, some (wrestling) are nearly year round. The same could be done with pocket billiards, as it is an indoor "sport." Unless the parents have a table in the home, many younger folks first introduction to the game is at a bar in their later years.
There are a number of things that could be done, but it will likely require a grassroots movement of some sort. I'm sure nothing I have posted here is an earth shattering revelation...just food for thought.
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Been done. There used to even be a boys club national champion. In the 70s I even taught a junior college course in pool held at a brunswick bowling alley. I think one of the biggest obstacles is access to the game.

It is a big deal to have a home table and there are fewer places to play in public especially for young people. There are a zillion place to play in bars though. Bar pool for years has been the only salvation of pool.

One good thing now is the quality of the current bar tables. Years ago a table in a bar was just an after thought stuck in the corner. If you were lucky it had a light over it.

Today wow, high quality bar tables to play on everywhere in fact I don't even want to use the term bar table anymore. They're just smaller tables with all the qualities of a big table and with millions of players enjoying the game.

Pool isn't dying it's just changed. But the simple fact is it isn't really a professional sport. Some may try and make a living at it and they'll be tournaments with prize money but the game is really an amateur sport.

I think one big difference I've seen in the past few years is these players who play in the bars are doing more than just passing time and having a beer. They are learning the game, men women. They have quality cues and are very serious about the game.

One aspect is, pool just does not seem to be a spectator sport. For a sport to thrive it needs fans beyond those who play themselves it needs the general public. I've been playing pool for almost 70 years and beyond maybe trick shots, I've never known people to have any interest in watching pool.
 
middleofnowhere said:
Been done. There used to even be a boys club national champion. In the 70s I even taught a junior college course in pool held at a brunswick bowling alley. I think one of the biggest obstacles is access to the game.

It is a big deal to have a home table and there are fewer places to play in public especially for young people. There are a zillion place to play in bars though. Bar pool for years has been the only salvation of pool.

One good thing now is the quality of the current bar tables. Years ago a table in a bar was just an after thought stuck in the corner. If you were lucky it had a light over it.

Today wow, high quality bar tables to play on everywhere in fact I don't even want to use the term bar table anymore. They're just smaller tables with all the qualities of a big table and with millions of players enjoying the game.

Pool isn't dying it's just changed. But the simple fact is it isn't really a professional sport. Some may try and make a living at it and they'll be tournaments with prize money but the game is really an amateur sport.

I think one big difference I've seen in the past few years is these players who play in the bars are doing more than just passing time and having a beer. They are learning the game, men women. They have quality cues and are very serious about the game.

One aspect is, pool just does not seem to be a spectator sport. For a sport to thrive it needs fans beyond those who play themselves it needs the general public. I've been playing pool for almost 70 years and beyond maybe trick shots, I've never known people to have any interest in watching pool.
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Perhaps some of the embers need a little kindling.
👍
 
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mnorwood said:
There have been several junior phenoms vanish after they went to college over the years. Which suggest to me that they are wise young men.
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Wise they were! When my oldest was 16 and youngest was 14 in 2002 there were only a few players in their age group nation wide that were playing better- we were involved in the SBE junior tournaments .
Now, still under 40 - both guys make more money than the highest pro player in the world on an annual basis .
The revival of pool should not be directed towards career aspirations - it will never be golf, tennis, or major sport money. It is a game that can be taught, learned, enjoyed for a lifetime, and a home table can often serve as a center of social interaction with friends and family.
My sons grew up on a 9 foot table in our home - as I did as a child in the 60s and now they have tables in their homes. At every family gathering the guys all end up playing in the home rooms- you can’t beat it!
 
middleofnowhere said:
When you say gambling as it applies to pool it is much different then say the sport of kings. It is thought of as hustling, cheating, sleaze back rooms and shady characters. It is a image that has been cultivated and the game is stuck with it.
Derby city seems to like the image.
Click to expand...
Well there was a time when just about every mansion in America and every country club in America had a dedicated billiard room. NYC had the Union League on Park Avenue and the NY Sports Club on Central Park W - each with large dedicated billiard rooms. The best hotels in major cities hosted week long straight pool tournaments.
 
Nobody cares about pool. Ya'll living in dreamland.

Either put up your own money or stfu about the gov or somebody else paying for it! Nobody cares!
 
mikemosconi said:
Well there was a time when just about every mansion in America and every country club in America had a dedicated billiard room. NYC had the Union League on Park Avenue and the NY Sports Club on Central Park W - each with large dedicated billiard rooms. The best hotels in major cities hosted week long straight pool tournaments.
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They also rode around on horse and buggy. I sure wish they'd bring that back too
 
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