Icon of Sin said:
I think you are proving my point here.
Im not arguing that he is hurting the sport. Others here are, Im not. I am arguing that the way he acts is embarassing to the professionals who play the game as well as the nation he represents. Not to mention he is making himself look bad... ala Mike Tyson.
Tyson is/was good for boxing. Keririgan/Harding was good for ice skating.
Pool already gets no respect from mainstream America. The American pool culture, the majority of them, pummel pro players as if they are "bums without jobs," "scum of the earth," "cheaters," "dumpsters," "drug addicts," et cetera, et cetera.
If the pool culture within this country continues to bash professional American players, why would mainstream America take the sport of professional pool seriously? It won't ever happen.
The existing lot of professional pool is dwindling. Soon there will be no American professional pool.
We can all shoot pool at the local neighborhood tavern, on the leagues, and in our basements. This is what we can look forward to, UNLESS and UNTIL there is a major change agent. If Earl Strickland is that change agent, then that's a good thing.
There is a reason why he is invited to the Mosconi Cup. It was just several years ago that he came in the top four at the U.S. Open. Anybody thinks Earl is washed up is sadly mistaken. Tiger Woods loses a couple of tournaments, and his critics do the same thing, saying Tiger Woods is a had-been, all washed up.
