Do Pro Players Cheat?
- Thread starter Jason Robichaud
- Start date
elizabeth said:
Please watch the video proof before calling people liars. He acknowledged it to Charlie but not to the ref. Almost 50 posts on this forum and all of them are rudely defending Earl. Am I the only one who finds that interesting?
I think in most pool halls, when there is money on the game, ethics fall by the wayside with the vast majority of players. If it is friendly game, they have nothing to lose.
My motto is:
Right is right even if nobody is doing it, and wrong is wrong even if everybody is doing it.
Plain and simple.
My motto is:
Right is right even if nobody is doing it, and wrong is wrong even if everybody is doing it.
Plain and simple.
JoeyA said:
Excellent point! I think that many people miss the impact that money (or the lack thereof) has on the integrity of our sport. Let me state from the outset that I don't condone cheating or stealing from people (especially from the inexperienced players who are just getting into the game). At the same time, I don't believe we can ignore the simple fact that desperate people will do desperate things to feed themselves and their families.
If we expand the discussion to the prevalence of hustling and dumping in the game, it is again clear that the lack of legitimate options for making money is at the root of the problem. Let's face it--unlike golf and tennis, only a mere handful of players, particularly on the men's side, have any reasonable hope at making a living on tournament winnings. Further, as we all know, particularly on this forum, the availability of information (particularly in the digital age) is such that you quickly run out of easy action no matter how far you travel. Thus, the hustling and the dumping.
Further, let's look at the avenues of player development. A young golfer or tennis player actually gets to go to school (often for free) to further develop his game. The top Americans in golf and tennis were schooled at Stanford and Harvard, respectively. In contrast, advanced training for American pool players is provided only by the University of Hard Knocks.
Even within our sport, we see that the European players, who in large part benefit from structured training and even government support, exhibit an entirely different approach to the game than their American counterparts.
The bottom line is that while we must seek to raise the standard of conduct in our sport, we must recognize that our attempts will probably be futile unless professional-caliber players are able to earn a living from the game by legitimate means, and until young players can develop their games in structured and supportive environments.
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I can't believe what I just read!
Thats just a poor outlook! I hope you're not trying to justify the behavior but rather point out that it's simply happens. Would you cheat against an opponent if you thought you could get away with it?
bobroberts said:
Thats just a poor outlook! I hope you're not trying to justify the behavior but rather point out that it's simply happens. Would you cheat against an opponent if you thought you could get away with it?