Lou Butera realized that competing in pool professionally in tournaments was like a dead fish in the water, and so he figured out how to capitalize on his pool talents and made pool work for him. :smile:
Here's what "Machine Gun Lou" Butera said about the state of pool in America when he was in his prime: You've got five companies doing over $10 million a year in this game. Yet, the amount they spend on the promotion of the game is peanuts, ridiculous. Now, if those companies can't put a quarter of a million of that into the promotion of the game, something is very wrong. There should be a Brunswick Open, an Ebonite Open, a Fisher Open, a National Open, just to name a few...all the big manufacturers should be promoting the game through tournaments.
This statement was made over 30 years ago. Players were struggling then, too. Those who were successful took their show on the road like Lou, Steve Mizerak, Willie Mosconi, and Minnesota Fats. I don't think any of them got rich from competing in pool tournaments.
Of course, Lou Butera also used his pool skills in Hollywood. Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, and Elizabeth McGovern starred in a movie in 1984 called "Racing with the Moon," in which there is a pool scene. Sean and Nicolas are desparate for money and decide to gamble playing pool at their local pool room. Lou Butera was the technical advisor and also had a role as one of the pool players.
In addition to playing himself in "The Bullet" in 1980, Lou Butera had a role as a pool player in "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege," filmed in 1989.
He also owned part of a pool room in Vegas, I think, but maybe sold it. I'm not sure. Wasn't it Pool Sharks?
Well, aside from being a fast shooter, he's a multi-talented kind of guy, to include being inducted into BCA's Hall of Fame. :wink:
I only met Lou Butera once, and that was in December 2005 at the IPT's King of the Hill tournament in Orlando, Florida. He was generous and kind, allowing me to snap his picture.