Could this happen to a pool player?

JAM · 2009-12-21T09:58:27+00:00

I tried to imagine this happening for a pool player, what happened to this guy in bowling. I mean, the payouts for the "big" tournament of the year are just about the same in bowling and pool: $40,000 for pool and $50,000 for bowling. Check it out: Just in time for the holidays last year, Tom Smallwood was grappling with the fallout of losing his job. He had just been laid off at General Motors Co. where he worked on an assembly line making seat belts for extended cab trucks. Now, almost a year to the day that he received his pink slip, Smallwood received one of the highest honors in bowling: He won the PBA World Championship, beating the reining Player of the Year Wes Malott 244 to 228. The 32-year old Smallwood, who was an avid amateur bowler before he was laid off, not only got the trophy, but he also received $50,000 in winnings. On top of that, GM just offered him his job back. Source: Laid-Off Worker Finds Redemption in PBA Championship Making his victory even sweeter, Smallwood recently received a call from GM' s Job Bank offering him a new job. He politely turned down the offer, explaining he was due to appear on ESPN. "They were surprised when I said 'no thanks'," he says. Winning the top prize in pool at the U.S Open 9-Ball Championship of $40,000, one would still need to earn money the rest of the year. This gentleman wins $50,000 and doesn't want his job back. What do you think? Did he make the right call, or is he just another passionate competitor about his sport, as most pro pool players are today?