Golf vs pool for tv time..

ARROWCRUSHER

ARROWCRUSHER

N/ CUE STROKER
Silver Member
I was talking with my 11 year old son of which has been biten by the pool and billiards bug just like myself except I never really got really interested till I hit the age to drink and play in bar leagues. But my son comes to me and ask why pool is never televised but golf is. He really took notice now because of the US Open golf thats on now. He remembers me talking about and he and I watching the US Open pool streams. But my point is this is why pool is dieing. I tried explaining to him that it all has to do with sponsorships and whatever will make money for the people that put up the money. To tell you the truth I really dont know what to tell him :confused:. This is something that alot of us wondered but I never thought I would hear it from my son complaining how pool is never televised but something as boring as golf is ! That was his last statement before he went back down to his room,, really quite pissed to tell you the truth...lol. Im just glad to see he has taken to something I tried to instill in him . He loves all sports and is always playing something and the occasional video games systems of which he has 4 different ones and hundreds of games. But the most impotant this to actually realize is he loves pool..:thumbup: ,, But he still wants more of a answer of why golf is more important so I figured you guys could help me explain or give him a answer ,,, Thanks ED
 
Last edited:
I have seen the following televised more than pool that I find far more boring:

Golf
Darts
Spelling Bees
NASCAR
WNBA
Cake baking reality shows
Repo reality shows scripted like WWF
Taxidermy reality show
Jersey Shore

Sorry if I offended any Jersey Shore fans. I was particularly miffed that ESPN didn't televise the Mosconi Cup this year in the States.
 
ARROWCRUSHER said:
I was talking with my 11 year old son of which has been biten by the pool and billiards bug just like myself except I never really got really interested till I hit the age to drink and play in bar leagues. But my son comes to me and ask why pool is never televised but golf is. He really took notice now because of the US Open golf thats on now. He remembers me talking about and he and I watching the US Open pool streams. But my point is this is why pool is dieing. I tried explaining to him that it all has to do with sponsorships and whatever will make money for the people that put up the money. To tell you the truth I really dont know what to tell him :confused:. This is something that alot of us wondered but I never thought I would hear it from my son complaining how pool is never televised but something as boring as golf is ! That was his last statement before he went back down to his room,, really quite pissed to tell you the truth...lol. Im just glad to see he has taken to something I tried to instill in him . He loves all sports and is always playing something and the occasional video games systems of which he has 4 different ones and hundreds of games. But the most impotant this to actually realize is he loves pool..:thumbup: ,, But he still wants more of a answer of why golf is more important so I figured you guys could help me explain,,, Thanks ED
Click to expand...
The answer is, Golf is not boring to watch, in fact they used to win awards for their coverage but now it is just excepted the the coverage will be outstanding. I have not statistic to point to but I would bet the 3 out of every 4 people watching do not play the game at all on a regular basis. The coverage is captivating, just sitting watching is like a day in the park the settings are so beautiful. Add to that the excitement of almost every shot. Even the shortest shot can be missed and then the money that is involved and golf is in a class by it's self.

I can't in my wildest dreams see pool coming within a mile of everything golf has to offer the viewer. It is a class act and no accident, smart people have put this together over the years. There is almost nothing like sitting and watching a Masters or US Open Final on a Sunday afternoon. Like it or not, pool has just never found it's nitch on TV and that is due to the powers that be. It doesn't have to equal Golf to find it's audience. One big problem is, where is the product? What pool are they going to show? There is no tour or even tournaments of any consequence to show. Plus it goes without saying , no sponsors. Enough said this is all plowed ground.
 
Last edited:
Golf is exciting because every few minutes you will see someone make a shot that the average golfer could only ever dream of making. Be it a 320 yd drive, a 4 iron from 225 yds to 3ft, a 60 ft putt, a chip in from a bunker or a crazy out from behind a tree...there are many different ways professional golfers can amaze us and so many of them playing at the same time that they amaze us often.

How would you, as a TV producer, bring that type of excitement to the viewer from pool? What does it take to amaze the average person when it comes to pool and how often do those shots (a) present themselves and (b) get executed?

We love pool because we 'get' that the best players make it 'look' simple and 'easy'. To the non-playing viewer, does the average run-out by a pro look 'amazing'?

Also, pool tournaments are typically elimination events, so the number of players and, thus, the number of available amazing moments to pull from dwindle the closer you get to the pinnacle of the event. Not so in golf.

Elliot
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: "T"
macguy said:
The answer is, Golf is not boring to watch, in fact they used to win awards for their coverage but now it is just excepted the the coverage will be outstanding. I have not statistic to point to but I would bet the 3 out of every 4 people watching do not play the game at all on a regular basis. The coverage is captivating, just sitting watching is like a day in the park the settings are so beautiful. Add to that the excitement of almost every shot. Even the shortest shot can be missed and then the money that is involved and golf is in a class by it's self.

I can't in my wildest dreams see pool coming within a mile of everything golf has to offer the viewer. It is a class act and no accident, smart people have put this together over the years. There is almost nothing like sitting and watching a Masters or US Open Final on a Sunday afternoon. Like it or not, pool has just never found it's nitch on TV and that is due to the powers that be. It doesn't have to revel Golf to find it's audience. One big problem is, where is the product? What pool are they going to show? There is no tour or even tournaments of any consequence to show. Plus it goes without saying , no sponsors. Enough said this is all plowed ground.
Click to expand...

I didnt say evrything was from my opinion,,I was just saying what my 11 year old said to me , and had asked me why pool is never televised,,, I understand golf is not easy and you do need talent to play.. I just thought it was something to have my son just come out of the blue about this. He was actually mad and wanted to know why. There just isnt money in pool or anyone will to sponsor it...ED
 
Last edited:
Add to all this that the demographic in pool doesn't compare to that for golf. People who watch golf wear Rolex watches and lease a Mercedes or a Lexus. And they tune in to watch the telecast and attend the events by the tens of thousands. And as for golf related advertising, golfers spend money on equipment made by the companies that advertise on golf broadcasts.

The pool demographic doesn't make it for advertisers. Present company excepted, by and large the pool playing population is nitty compared to golf. They complain about not getting free table time as a "regular" and sit around in the owner's room all day drinking tap water. And for whatever reason, pool players as a group do not support the professional game. They don't attend events in big numbers nor tune in to watch it on TV. Go to any BCA National and see how many of the thousands of "serious" amateurs will even walk down the hall and pay the entry to watch the best pool players in the world compete for a US Open title. Not many. If the advertising dollars aren't there then TV isn't interested.

The best pool equipment (cues) is made by small shop craftsman that don't have the money nor the capital to advertise on TV. Even if they did they don't have the capacity to produce enough product to make that type of advertising worthwhile. On the other hand, the best golf equipment is made by companies like Nike, Taylormade and Callaway, large companies with plenty of capital to advertise and the capacity to fill the resulting demand.
 
Last edited:
Follow the money rings true here. But a golf course is a big & beautiful outdoor pool hall. (That's how Bobby Riggs descibed it in his book "court hustler".) Really for scenic value alone, there is no way pool can compete with golf.
 
no TV coverage?????????????

In this day and age of digital everything, and a kazillion channels, why is it that no one can nail down a channel, even if it's channel 7639, just to rebroadcast pool matches? I would believe there is more than enough coverage to fill up a line up, even if it's only for 12 hours a day. Kind of like a YOUTUBE but for television????
How is this not possible???
 
I started playing pool first and never liked golf. I then picked up golf years after pool and I now understand the appeal. It is anything but boring when you actually play it. I am much better at pool than golf. I'm not really a good pool player, just an APA league player mostly and play as an SL7 in 8 Ball. I shoot in the 90s mostly in golf with the occasion to hit in the mid 80s from time to time. That said, if someone said he had tickets to the Golf US Open or the Pool US Open held on the same day, I'd take the Golf US Open tickets all day any day, every time.

Its the same as watching it on TV. I would be watching the live coverage of the final 18 holes of the Golf US Open and tape the Pool US Open to later viewing. Golf appeals more to the masses on TV. Pool appeals to pool players only. I also work in TV for a network affiliate station and can tell you which game I'd be putting on TV money wise.
 
The simple answer would have been golf makes craploads of money while pool does not.
 
ARROWCRUSHER said:
But my son comes to me and ask why pool is never televised but golf is.....I tried explaining to him that it all has to do with sponsorships and whatever will make money for the people that put up the money
Click to expand...

It's really simple. No one likes to watch pool on TV. No one likes to watch pool except pool players. The sponsorship and money follow where the interest lies.

Tell your son he's in the minority and then go on to explain what "minority" means: as in 1 out of 110,000
:)
 
Last edited:
mikefingers said:
In this day and age of digital everything, and a kazillion channels, why is it that no one can nail down a channel, even if it's channel 7639, just to rebroadcast pool matches? I would believe there is more than enough coverage to fill up a line up, even if it's only for 12 hours a day. Kind of like a YOUTUBE but for television????
How is this not possible???
Click to expand...

Well, if you haven't been lately. Check out PoolActionTV.

I have a 2 shows at once channel with chats now! Also a channel that you can search pool matches on Ustream and Vimeo.

Bigger screens/viewers than any site.

I am currently getting @ 20,000 unique viewers per month from all over the world. Come by and check it out! More cool stuff coming soon!!

Ray
 
Bigtruck said:
Well, if you haven't been lately. Check out PoolActionTV.

I have a 2 shows at once channel with chats now! Also a channel that you can search pool matches on Ustream and Vimeo.

Bigger screens/viewers than any site.

I am currently getting @ 20,000 unique viewers per month from all over the world. Come by and check it out! More cool stuff coming soon!!

Ray
Click to expand...

Way to go Ray, I appreciate all you do with streaming all the events. My son and I watch alot of pool when it is being streamed. I got him hooked.;) He just seen that gold was on and it rung a bell with him cause he remembered the US Open in pool that we watched but he remembered it was always on the net. So he just asked why pool is never on Tv. So this is how it all came about, so he logged on and reads everything just like I do. He is only 11 and he really had drawn his own conclusions about everything that was said on this post and you know he is a very smart young man..:thumbup2: ,, He lets me know if theirs a straem on and I dont know about it,,hes a good kid...< Thanks for all the opinions,,,,,ED
 
arcticmonkey said:
Golf is exciting because every few minutes you will see someone make a shot that the average golfer could only ever dream of making. Be it a 320 yd drive, a 4 iron from 225 yds to 3ft, a 60 ft putt, a chip in from a bunker or a crazy out from behind a tree...there are many different ways professional golfers can amaze us and so many of them playing at the same time that they amaze us often.

How would you, as a TV producer, bring that type of excitement to the viewer from pool? What does it take to amaze the average person when it comes to pool and how often do those shots (a) present themselves and (b) get executed?

We love pool because we 'get' that the best players make it 'look' simple and 'easy'. To the non-playing viewer, does the average run-out by a pro look 'amazing'?

Also, pool tournaments are typically elimination events, so the number of players and, thus, the number of available amazing moments to pull from dwindle the closer you get to the pinnacle of the event. Not so in golf.

Elliot
Click to expand...

I agree with you on golf but if you look at other countries that regularly broadcast pocket billiards they have huge T.V. audiences and the stands are packed also production is the key and we need sponsors outside the industry
 
ARROWCRUSHER said:
Way to go Ray, I appreciate all you do with streaming all the events. My son and I watch alot of pool when it is being streamed. I got him hooked.;) He just seen that gold was on and it rung a bell with him cause he remembered the US Open in pool that we watched but he remembered it was always on the net. So he just asked why pool is never on Tv. So this is how it all came about, so he logged on and reads everything just like I do. He is only 11 and he really had drawn his own conclusions about everything that was said on this post and you know he is a very smart young man..:thumbup2: ,, He lets me know if theirs a straem on and I dont know about it,,hes a good kid...< Thanks for all the opinions,,,,,ED
Click to expand...

I have a very good feeling that by the time your son is 16 he will be able to see it on T.V.
 
I don't think the coverage of pool on TV is that great. The commentary is simplistic and the pocket cams are just stupid. Considering the number of players, there has to be a way...
 
Bigtruck said:
Well, if you haven't been lately. Check out PoolActionTV.

I have a 2 shows at once channel with chats now! Also a channel that you can search pool matches on Ustream and Vimeo.

Bigger screens/viewers than any site.

I am currently getting @ 20,000 unique viewers per month from all over the world. Come by and check it out! More cool stuff coming soon!!

Ray
Click to expand...

The future of pool is in our own hands. It is not and should not be left up to the tv networks. If they want to show pool great, if they don't so be it. With the quality of streams we have now and the streamers stepping up to produce some great entertainment, who really cares if pool is not "main stream". It is what it is and lets make it a great as we can.

Tap tap to you Ray-man.
 
The answer is pretty simple...follow the money.

How many million dollar deals have ever been made over a pool game compared to on the golf course? Golf is basically a white collar sport and pool a blue collar "game" at least in the eyes of the public. Another factor that I continue to repeat is the value of consumables in sponsorship capital. Thousands of golfers buy new golf shoes every year as well as millions of balls, new clubs, athletic wear, tees, gimics etc. Pool have little consumables, basically cloth and chalk. Yes, many people collect cues, but cues are relatively easy to make compared to golf balls or shoes or clubs. Buy a lathe and you are almost in business.

Also, many many people can watch golf, baseball, basketball, tennis, football in a live venue. It is difficult to watch a pool match from 30 feet away because of the detail involved in the game. It just doesn't compare.

BTW, pool can be boring to watch too. It is all in someones own personal perspective of what is truly interesting to watch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top