Clapping when someone scratches

bud green

bud green

Dolley and Django
Silver Member
Just wondering what folks thought about people clapping when a player scratches and the guy they're rooting for gets ball in hand.

A friend was in Reno and when he scratched, four friends of the guy he was playing would start clapping and yelling. Personally I think its a classless, shitty thing to do during a major tournement but it seems like people are allowed to freak out at certain events like the Mosconi cup. That's the only event I can think of where it might be ok; it happens during the Ryder Cup (golf) so I don't think its going to stop.
 
I don't think there's anything wrong with being happy when your guy gets a break, but I do think it's poor sportsmanship to clap. There's a difference between taking pleasure in another's misfortune, and rubbing it in his face...
 
Very classless and very shitty. On league (APA) I would have wrote the team up for unsportmanslike conduct, which is a nice way of putting it.
 
I wouldn't describe it as "classless" or "shitty", but just bad etiquette. All sports have their proper etiquette, and some audience members are just ignorant of these unwritten rules.

For example, in a baseball game...if you are rooting for the team on offense, there is nothing wrong if you clap and cheer when the defense makes a defensive error. You wouldn't necessarily be rubbing it in the face of the fielder who made the error (although you could); the assumption is that you're cheering because your team got a lucky break. For baseball, there is no proper etiquette that looks down on cheering for such circumstances.

Pool is a different sport with different rules of etiquette. Some people can just carry this baseball mentality over to the pool situation. When they cheer as result of a scratch, they probably are just ecstatic that the player they're rooting for obtained a fortunate break. It would still be bad etiquette for them to do so, but I don't think their intentions are "shitty". It would be an entirely different story if there intentions are to rub it in the face of the opponent.
 
this might sound a little backwards but i think its only ok when your teammates opponent scratches to lose a match. in that case, i tend to clap for my opponent because he made less errors than his opponent and therefore played maybe one notch better. i'm not happy he may have won the match in that fashion, but i'm happy he won the match by making less costly mistakes than the opponent.
 
I think it is bad etiquette for sure and would probably file it under classless and shitty too. I have been on the receiving end of cheering when I screwed-up, so I know how it feels. I think it makes the cheering section too much a part of the match. If your opponent is not allowed (by etiquette or otherwise) to cheer and jeer at you, his friends should keep quiet as well.
 
Pool, Snooker and Billiards are interesting games in that, the etiquette is completely different from most other sports. Both the audience and players are supposed to act in a high class manner; whereas in other sports you can cheer when the other team (or person) messes up, a player can refuse to admit to a foul etc. Personally I believe that Billiards is high class game and everyone involved should act accordingly. We saw alot of cheering from the stands in Taiwan when the opposing player fouled. I was not impressed.
 
Sounds like something that happens in league pool, just one of the many reasons I do not like the league format for competition. I see it as rude, classless, and completely unnecessary. I have never seen it in any tournament competition either handicapped or otherwise.
Dan
 
They do this all the time on ESPN when showing the women play. The player makes a very simple shot. The audience claps like she made something that was very difficult and then... boom goes the dynamite, the cue ball falls into the pocket. What are they clapping for. I think it is disrespectful to the female players that they have to clap on every shot as if they did something amazing and beyond their ability.
 
bud green said:
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, scratched, four friends of the guy he was playing would start clapping and yelling. Personally I think its a classless, shitty thing to do during a major tournement but it seems like people are allowed to freak out at certain events like the Mosconi cup.,,,,,,,,,,,o I don't think its going to stop.
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classless ?????,,,,in pool???
 
They clap so often at women's tournaments because for every shot the women make, the audience is that much closer to going home.
 
bud green said:
Just wondering what folks thought about people clapping when a player scratches and the guy they're rooting for gets ball in hand.
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It is something I would never do. On the inside I am clapping loudly :) but I would NEVER show it on the outside. That does not fit my personality and will not allow it to surface. Pool, in my eyes, is a game that demands respect.

It does not bother me if somebody claps when I foul. I just tune it out. Same goes for somebody saying "nice shot". I used to say "thanks" but have since learned to ignore everything except my mind and the table. I play my game and tune out everbody whether they are on my side or not.

If I had friends clapping for me when my opponent fouls, they would get the "talk"...
 
cuetechasaurus said:
They clap so often at women's tournaments because for every shot the women make, the audience is that much closer to going home.
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Love it. If pool is scheduled for TV and it is the women I won't watch it. The only thing worse is women doing trick shots.

Nothing wrong with the women players it is just the BS from the commentators and the way the show is produced.
 
Up here in Canada we don't see much of women's pool. Just the BCA 9 ball championships, which is about one or two matches and the trick shots. Mostly we just get the the mens US Open, World Pool Masters, World Pool Championships and the World Snooker Trickshots, and a variey of stuff that TSN will show now and then, like the Mosconi Cup. So i guess i can count myself lucky. Especially considering pool is shown everyday on Rogers Sportsnet. Though its mostly repeats.

Regards
 
CaptiveBred said:
It is something I would never do. On the inside I am clapping loudly :) but I would NEVER show it on the outside. That does not fit my personality and will not allow it to surface. Pool, in my eyes, is a game that demands respect.

It does not bother me if somebody claps when I foul. I just tune it out. Same goes for somebody saying "nice shot". I used to say "thanks" but have since learned to ignore everything except my mind and the table. I play my game and tune out everbody whether they are on my side or not.

If I had friends clapping for me when my opponent fouls, they would get the "talk"...
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I decided to share this story that came to mind as I read this.
I was playing a BCA league match a few years ago, and in this league I was one of the highest rated players (believe it or not). Anyway we are playing this team and every time I'm in a game, the whole team is pulling against me pretty loudly. Hey it's amateur league pool. I don't really care. In fact it gives me more incentive to win.
So in my final game I'm running out on this guy and lo and behold I hook myself on the eight. As the cue ball is rolling to a stop behind one of his balls, he is cheering loudly "hook 'em, hook 'em" and it did. Now the whole team is cheering. For a moment I got a little irritated. And I looked at the guy and said "you want to make a side bet on this game?". Silence. I look at his team mates "what about any of you?". Silence.
I kicked and hit the eight and left my opponent a long shot. My comments must have unnerved him as he dogged the shot and left me and easy shot on the eight. I felt like they got their comeuppance for acting with so little class. What's my point? Hell I don't know. Somebody will probably rip me for telling this story.
I guess I'm like some people on here who still believe that Pool should be played with some degree of respect and dignity.
 
jay helfert said:
What's my point? Hell I don't know. Somebody will probably rip me for telling this story.
I guess I'm like some people on here who still believe that Pool should be played with some degree of respect and dignity.
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Not from me.
Those are the type stories I love to read. Fact is, you may very well have lost that bet but the fact you had the balls to call them out while you were hooked... I would have loved to have seen their faces...

Koop
 
Jay:

Well, we all let them get to us once in a while... Glad you won the game!

I have to disagree totally with quedup regarding his take on leagues. I think leagues are great for the game of pool because they take recreational players and train them to be better players, play within (real) set rules, and it does really teach them etiquette as well. They know when they are crossing the line, but as they get better and more pool wise, they will learn to be better sports and respect opponents more. Leagues are critical to the growth of pool and tournament participation. They are the legitimate foundation of our sport. Training yourself to compete in that battleground of unrefined, sharking and jeering players makes you stronger and more focussed. Who would not want that challenge?? And I agree with Jay, a win is never sweeter than the one where you put it on a guy AND his jeering section. Oh so sweet! Bring it on!!
 
I am a very bad pool player. I can count with one hand how many times I have won. Having said that, every player has his moment, right?

I was playing pool in a little mini eight ball tournament in another town. Believe it or not, I was in the finals. My opponent must have had a few too many to drink by the time he got to the finals as he could barely walk. It is not everyday that you would find someone who plays as bad as me and someone who is as drunk as him in the finals of a tournament.

Anyway, I was making some balls and I was on the eight ball, it was a straight in shot and normally I could make this type of shot may be 70% of the times if I really focus and try very hard.

Just before I shot, the girlfriend of my opponent came out from no where and started saying to my opponent, "beat the H%$% out of this luck suck, kick his F&*&(( ass, okay...honey?"

He was much bigger than me and she looked very vicious. I was so scarred I missed the shot and scratched.

It was a race to three and I was still up two one as he never won a game.

Just before he started to break, he told his girlfriend, "it is two two now babe, I ain't gonna lose to this &*(()))(**%%%$#@...watch me make the eight and finish this *&*(()))))&%%$%# off!"

To make a long story short, I did not say anything and I lost the game, although the actual score was two two instead of three two I felt that he was not going to agree with me no matter what I say so I let it drop.

I am not trying to complain. I have hardly even played in the finals of any pool tournament and I am quite proud of myself of coming second. I probably would have lost anyway but this way I felt that I lost only becasue I was sharked. It made me feel so much better.:)
 
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