gunzby said:
For every three players who can make money in professional pool, there are hundreds of aspiring pros and pro players who cannot.
The lady pros do have an edge. Unfortunately, for the male pros, they can't wear push-up bras, fishnet stockings, stiletto heels, and tight leather pants when they are putting on an exhibition. Well, I guess they can, but I don't think it would go over too well. :embarrassed2:
Professional pool is a sinking ship in the United States. It is great there are a handful -- and I mean ONLY a handful -- who can profit from it. I really don't think anybody would pay money to come see Earl Strickland, as an example, if it were not for his multiple world championship wins, Hall of Fame status, and overall sparkling personality.
Let me pull a pro's name out of a hat here. Do you think Danny Medina would be able to garner enough support to make a profit putting on an exhibition? How about Sparky Ferrell or Larry Nevel or Silver (sp) from Texas? How about the young guns, the new blood, that we need desparately to keep American pool alive with prospective champions?
THESE are the aspiring pros and pro players that I am talking about who cannot continue on the tournament trail, what little there is of it on American soil, and make a profit. Some of them leave and pursue a traditional job, and legitimately so. I would much rather have a roof over my head than sleep in a car waiting for the hotel to open up, so that I can save money on one night's rent for lodging.
Let's not forget there is no male professional tour either. How many opportunities are there for American pros, male pros I am referring to? Gee, I guess they can all just jump in a plane and fly all over the world. Some American pros can who are staked, but there are only a minute few.
Recreational pool, weekend tournaments, regional tours like the Southern Tour, Joss, Viking, Blaze, Florida Pro Tour, Tiger, et cetera -- I know I am forgetting some great tours -- are where pool shines the brightest for the masses of pool enthusiasts in the U.S. Leagues are strong and give pool rooms financial gain, much more so than hosting a pro tournament.
This debate can go on forever on this forum, and there will always be differing opinions. It is only those who have actually walked the shoes of a professional pool player in these United States that understand the stop signs and hurdles there are in professional pool.
I have a pool friend in College Park who is making a bundle on pool, six figures a year, but I guess I can play games too on this forum, releasing a wee bit of information without providing the full facts.
One thing for, though, he ain't doing in competing in professional tournaments.
I will tell you one damn thing. I enjoyed pool much more when I was playing leagues. This professional lifestyle sucks a big weenie. After living out of a suitcase for five or six years, driving hundreds and thousands of miles every month to attend two, three, and four tournaments, praying to break even, you can have it.
In the words of Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz, there is no place like home. In the words of Scarlett O'Hara of Gone With the Wind, I will always save Tara. :smile:
