Calling all gazillionaires!!!

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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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 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.
 
There is going to be a backlash to the digital age where it will be considered trendy and cool to get out of the house and go "screenless". I think there will be a demand for non-digital activities for generation alpha. Billiards is half way between a video game and golf so it is appealing in that aspect, similar to how people like upselling older technology as "artisan".
 
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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I have watched multiple videos of guys camping in subzero weather with their dog and get like 3 million views in a week or so. Your points are well taken.
 
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.
Click to expand...
Pool just needs one eccentric gazillionaire. If you know the story of Foxcatcher Farms- John DuPont was a huge wrestling fan. He got tired of seeing the US team get boat raced by the Russians and Eastern European countries at International competitions. He decided to get off the porch and do something about it, turning part of the DuPont estate into Team Foxcatcher, where Olympic hopefuls could train for free, live for free, and he paid for travel to wrestling tournaments.

It completely transformed Amateur wrestling in the US...even though he did eventually go crazy and kill our most popular athlete...

:eek:
 
mnorwood said:
I have watched multiple videos of guys camping in subzero weather with their dog and get like 3 million views in a week or so. Your points are well taken.
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For some reason the Algorithm started sending me videos of Asians setting up and camping in the rain with all their fancy tents, stoves, and other tech. It is scary that I will watch those stupid things every time they show up...
 
nataddrho said:
There is going to be a backlash to the digital age where it will be considered trendy and cool to get out of the house and go "screenless". I think there will be a demand for non-digital activities for generation alpha. Billiards is half way between a video game and golf so it is appealing in that aspect, similar to how people like upselling older technology as "artisan".
Click to expand...
If youve ever seen a high school kid develop withdrawal symptoms when they have to turn their phones in at the beginning of class, you would not be so confident in them voluntarily ever going screenless.

They start shaking and picking at their skin if they cant check snapchat every 30 seconds.
 
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