Can Pro players get jobs and still compete?

[snowmon34]

JAM -

I have interviewed just about all of the OLD pros, years ago.

Most were broke. Things really havent changed.

I was interviewing Ray Martin at his house in Florida years ago. It was small, very modest. I asked Ray about some pool players his age, including a number of HOF players that were absolutely broke. Ray considered himself very fortunate to have what he had and he thought he was better off than almost all of them.

So thinking the old guard were rich isnt right either. The ones that have made a ton in the pool industry made it from other than the money made gambling or tournaments. Hopkins, Varner, etc.

The pool player that is most successful today isnt the best pool player by far. It is one that has leveraged pool into other things, and that is Jeanette Lee. Again years ago, when I was doing some writing she made over $400K in endorsements and advertising, and probably $30K max from tournaments.

The folks that are successful in pool, IMO, would have been successful without pool.

But whining about how little money is in pool, years and years, reminds me of the liberals and the 99%ers who think they are entitled to something. IF you want to be successfull go do the work to be successfull, dont go belly aching about the price of gas in 1960 and the payouts in tournaments.

Both of my daughters went to college and are teachers. Teachers start at $34K a year, but I dont stomp my feet and whine and blame the BCA, blame the fans, blame everyone. My kids knew how much they were going to make as teachers and still went into the field.

Pool players could and can ask anyone, unless you really have something on the ball you are going to make very little money, it is expensive to go and play, and more than likely going to be broke most of their lives.

SVB is the best in the country, makes $100K. Almost any engineer in the country makes more than that when they are upper end performers.

I dont really care, but damn can you please quit whinning about it, nobody is entitled to anything....just go out there and earn it.

Ken

exactly right

 

[SLIM]

i think that also depends on where you live. I live in a small town, and the nearest large tournaments are hours away, at least. I'd spend a lot of money just getting to the tournaments, including food and gas, and it'd be tough to make that make money for me on a consistent basis. What would be my dream job? To make enough money to survive, not be rich, but survive, within the pool community by using my graphics design and commercial production skills. Making money at what you love is the definition of dream job. Have i done that yet? No. Will i be able to? You never know. Heck, i'd do some stuff for free just to get my foot in the door. You hear that povpool and inside pool! Lol!

PVA,

most people work hard their entire life to live a little bit of the dream.
Very few, if any, get to work the dream.

Trying to live the dream without working & building up to it very seldom works out, reguardless of what the dream is.

SLIM

 

[$TAKE HOR$E]

J dont go belly aching about the price of gas in 1960 and the payouts in tournaments.
Ken

Hell with 1960, I remember buying gas for $.89 a gallon and im young enough to be your son.....

 

[JAM]

JAM -

I have interviewed just about all of the OLD pros, years ago.

Most were broke. Things really havent changed.

I was interviewing Ray Martin at his house in Florida years ago. It was small, very modest. I asked Ray about some pool players his age, including a number of HOF players that were absolutely broke. Ray considered himself very fortunate to have what he had and he thought he was better off than almost all of them.

So thinking the old guard were rich isnt right either. The ones that have made a ton in the pool industry made it from other than the money made gambling or tournaments. Hopkins, Varner, etc.

The pool player that is most successful today isnt the best pool player by far. It is one that has leveraged pool into other things, and that is Jeanette Lee. Again years ago, when I was doing some writing she made over $400K in endorsements and advertising, and probably $30K max from tournaments.

The folks that are successful in pool, IMO, would have been successful without pool.

But whining about how little money is in pool, years and years, reminds me of the liberals and the 99%ers who think they are entitled to something. IF you want to be successfull go do the work to be successfull, dont go belly aching about the price of gas in 1960 and the payouts in tournaments.

Both of my daughters went to college and are teachers. Teachers start at $34K a year, but I dont stomp my feet and whine and blame the BCA, blame the fans, blame everyone. My kids knew how much they were going to make as teachers and still went into the field.

Pool players could and can ask anyone, unless you really have something on the ball you are going to make very little money, it is expensive to go and play, and more than likely going to be broke most of their lives.

SVB is the best in the country, makes $100K. Almost any engineer in the country makes more than that when they are upper end performers.

I dont really care, but damn can you please quit whinning about it, nobody is entitled to anything....just go out there and earn it.

Ken

Another happy AzB-er continuing to demean American pro players.

 

[PETROBOY]

Another happy AzB-er continuing to demean American pro players.

Can you explain to me how this demeans anyone ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SLIM]

another happy azb-er continuing to demean american pro players.

JAM,

i just don't understand how you extract that from what he posted?

SLIM

 

[JAM]

Can you explain to me how this demeans anyone ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm kind of tired replying to you. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[JAM]

JAM,

i just don't understand how you extract that from what he posted?

SLIM

He posts a diatribe about as if he's an SME on professional pool and then ends it with a sentence that just stuck in my craw.

 

[Ken_4fun]

Another happy AzB-er continuing to demean American pro players.

I said nothing demeaning.

My point is if you are teacher, you better be prepared to start at $34K (what my daughters started at).

IF you are an engineer, you are going to earn ALOT more, but you wont get rich.

If you are a pool player, its tough action and more than likely you will be broke.

If you want to make money in pool, you will make alot more if you can dress, act and present yourself in a way that you might be able to represent products. (Janette Lee, Nick Varner, Johnny Archer, Ewa Lawerence, Allison Fisher, etc.) Maybe even do things like JR Calvert, or Shannon Dalton.

Remember when Earl Strickland represented CueTech, I think he got something like $40K a year for YEARS. And then did nothing about talk about how bad there are? Eventually they found someone that would play nice.

Those are choices.

That isnt demeaning, that is looking reality and making choices.

Ken

 

[JAM]

I said nothing demeaning.

My point is if you are teacher, you better be prepared to start at $34K (what my daughters started at).

IF you are an engineer, you are going to earn ALOT more, but you wont get rich.

If you are a pool player, its tough action and more than likely you will be broke.

If you want to make money in pool, you will make alot more if you can dress, act and present yourself in a way that you might be able to represent products. (Janette Lee, Nick Varner, Johnny Archer, Ewa Lawerence, Allison Fisher, etc.) Maybe even do things like JR Calvert, or Shannon Dalton.

Those are choices.

That isnt demeaning, that is looking reality and making choices.

Ken

I did not care for your last sentence. I'm not whining. I'm defending a minority on this forum, one that I happen to care about. I read your posts on this forum. I don't always agree with you, but I don't ask you to quit whining about topics you post about, either, just because I don't agree with you.

Have you ever played professional pool? Unless you've traveled that tournament trail, you have no idea what it's like.

 

[SLIM]

he posts a diatribe about as if he's an sme on professional pool and then ends it with a sentence that just stuck in my craw.

JAM,

what would your advice be to someone who was very good at something, other than pool, that could not make a deasent living at it.

Mine would be to either find something else to do, or find something to do along with it that would allow them to keep doing what they were very good at.

Not as any kind of insult, just as a fact of life.

It is nice that this thread is staying on a civil level, even though we don't all agree.

SLIM

 

[JAM]

JAM,

what would your advice be to someone who was very good at something, other than pool, that could not make a deasent living at it.

Mine would be to either find something else to do, or find something to do along with it that would allow them to keep doing what they were very good at.

Not as any kind of insult, just as a fact of life.

It is nice that this thread is staying on a civil level, even though we don't all agree.

SLIM

This thread here came about because Jerry Forsyth posted a thread about asking if anyone was interested in staking a player at the upcoming Derby City Classic. Some members of this forum were outraged at this request and said pro players should go out and get a job. That's the genesis of this whole dialogue.

I don't see anything wrong with working for a living. Heck, I have two jobs and work 16-hour days now, trying to survive. My first job was when I was 14 years old.

That said, this is a pool forum. The BCA has washed its hands of professional pool. Many regional tours have banned pros fromplaying in their events. Bonus Ball players are now branded with some pool promoters. Non-American players are competing around the world and get sponsored by their countries. Americans have nothing, no backing. Only one or two American pros can afford to go overseas to represent the United States.

In order for a player to compete on a global scale, they need to hit balls every single day to stay in stroke. You can't work a job and do both. For 5 or 6 years, I went on that professional tournament trail, going to two, three, and four tournaments a month. I saw what it was like, how expensive it is. I watched players sleep in their cars to save money for one night of hotel rent. I could go on and on and on about it.

I'm just saying that I don't care for the way people on this pool forum deman American pro players. Pool is cruel to its own, and this forum is a good example of why American professional pool is hurting. If the American pool culture doesn't accept professional pool, why would mainstream American accept it?

Professionals pool in the United States is circling the drain, and the more people slam pro players, the quicker they will sink. So let's keep it going, and then we can all post about who's the best there was back then instead of who's the best today.

 

[Ken_4fun]

I did not care for your last sentence. I'm not whining. I'm defending a minority on this forum, one that I happen to care about. I read your posts on this forum. I don't always agree with you, but I don't ask you to quit whining about topics you post about, either, just because I don't agree with you.

Have you ever played professional pool? Unless you've traveled that tournament trail, you have no idea what it's like.

No, I am not professional player.

Are you a Professional Engineer?

Unless you have been a Professional Engineer on projects larger than $20MM, with deadlines, commitments, lives of workers, their families, the livelihood of businesses, pressures and concerns of communities - you have no idea what real pressure is like.

Ken

 

[one stroke]

Most pros are BANNED from regional tournaments today.

And to pick out one pool tournament is not statistically significant at all.

Mike hasn't even worked a full year yet. LOL

Where ,, Joss NE. Mezz , Action Tour ,, just in this area


1

 

[JAM]

Where ,, Joss NE. Mezz , Action Tour ,, just in this area


1

I am not sure what you are asking.

 

[JAM]

No, I am not professional player.

Are you a Professional Engineer?

Unless you have been a Professional Engineer on projects larger than $20MM, with deadlines, commitments, lives of workers, their families, the livelihood of businesses, pressures and concerns of communities - you have no idea what real pressure is like.

Ken

Pretty lame comparison, but okay.

 

[PINKLADY]

....I don't see anything wrong with working for a living. Heck, I have two jobs and work 16-hour days now, trying to survive. My first job was when I was 14 years old....

so you & i are in the same boat?

.

 

[Ken_4fun]

Hell with 1960, I remember buying gas for $.89 a gallon and im young enough to be your son.....

Ouch that hurt.

Ken

 

[one stroke]

This thread here came about because Jerry Forsyth posted a thread about asking if anyone was interested in staking a player at the upcoming Derby City Classic. Some members of this forum were outraged at this request and said pro players should go out and get a job. That's the genesis of this whole dialogue.

I don't see anything wrong with working for a living. Heck, I have two jobs and work 16-hour days now, trying to survive. My first job was when I was 14 years old.

That said, this is a pool forum. The BCA has washed its hands of professional pool. Many regional tours have banned pros fromplaying in their events. Bonus Ball players are now branded with some pool promoters. Non-American players are competing around the world and get sponsored by their countries. Americans have nothing, no backing. Only one or two American pros can afford to go overseas to represent the United States.

In order for a player to compete on a global scale, they need to hit balls every single day to stay in stroke. You can't work a job and do both. For 5 or 6 years, I went on that professional tournament trail, going to two, three, and four tournaments a month. I saw what it was like, how expensive it is. I watched players sleep in their cars to save money for one night of hotel rent. I could go on and on and on about it.

I'm just saying that I don't care for the way people on this pool forum deman American pro players. Pool is cruel to its own, and this forum is a good example of why American professional pool is hurting. If the American pool culture doesn't accept professional pool, why would mainstream American accept it?

Professionals pool in the United States is circling the drain, and the more people slam pro players, the quicker they will sink. So let's keep it going, and then we can all post about who's the best there was back then instead of who's the best today.

Do they automatically get respect because their a Pro ,,,

1

 

[JAM]

Do they automatically get respect because their a Pro ,,,

1

Since this is a pool forum, a modicum of respect would seem to be in order. :smile: