Golf vs. Pool: Prize Money (mini-Rant)

[pooltchr]

The simple answer is... if there isn't an influx of money (via fans, retail merchandise, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, websites, etc), then there just can not be big payouts.

Great point. In addition, consider the fact that golf is overall a game primarily for people who have a larger disposable income to begin with. How many pool players would be willing to go out and pay $50 or more in "green fees" to play 18 racks every Saturday? For that matter, how many pool players do you know that don't even have $50 in their pocket?
Golfers pay thousands of dollars to join a country club so they can play golf. How much would you pay a year to become a member at your pool room? A great majority of golfers are far better off financially than the great majority of pool players. That kind of money attracts more money. There aren't a whole lot of corporate CEO's in my pool room...they are out on the golf course. So when they are offered a choice of whether to sponsor a golf tournament or a pool tournament, guess where the check goes.
And yes, I think the image of pool rooms, when compared to that of country clubs, has a lot to do with what kind of players and fans our game attracts.
Of course there are exceptions, but I think it's a fair characterization of the difference between the two sports.
Steve

 

[midnightpulp]

I just don't see how every great talent out there could be rewarded. Professional sports are a business, just like any other business. They are able to give big payouts because they generate BIG MONEY. Plus, those athletes are serving a greater purpose than throwing a football or hitting a 3 point shot. They serve as role models (some better than others). They provide an entertainment value that people are willing to pay for. They have marketing value in which attaching their name to a product makes selling that product easier.

If people didn't flock to the movie theater, buy DVDs, pay for pay-per-view movies, watch TV non-stop, engorge themselves in the lives of their favorites actors/actress... then that business wouldn't pay much either.

No one is saying that being a great pool player, scrabble player or whatever isn't an awesome thing, and that those people shouldn't be proud of themselves. Is it worth lots of money? No. The simple answer is... if there isn't an influx of money (via fans, retail merchandise, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, websites, etc), then there just can not be big payouts.

I totally agree with you. That was my point. Just something that has always intrigued me. Why one thing captures our collective attention while another thing is ignored? And I find it somewhat sad that the 75th ranked pool player in the world can't pay the bills if that's his only means of income while the 75th best football player in the world is a multimillionaire. But it's just not the right time for pool players, I guess.

I remember watching a special on ESPN about the poor state of Pro Boxing, and Bert Sugar outlined how it used to be one of the three major sports in the 1950s along with Baseball and Horseracing. In just 50 years, the hierarchy has totally changed. What is it now? I know the NFL is definitely number 1. Nascar?

Pool can definitely be relevent again

 

[worriedbeef]

i stumbled across the world series of backgammon a couple of weeks back by the way and was staggered by the prize money there:

http://www.worldseriesofbackgammon.com/?view=about

now firstly let me just say i love backgammon i think it's a great game. far better than golf imo lol and much better than chess. cracking game.

but how in hell does it manage to create a business model that can afford those payouts yet pool can't????? I never realised backgammon was a better product for the public than pool lol.

(somewhat of a rhetorical question - i haven't looked into it myself yet)

maybe i'm missing something.

 

[UGA330]

No reason for corporate sponsers to sponser!!!!!

The bottom line is pool is not a spectator sport. If you have a favorite player, you have to sit for hours to just see him play two matches. Pool can never be a high dollar sport. There is no way to really get big corporate sponsers because of the low interest in going to tournament.

Beer and tobacco sponsers would seem to be a no brainer for pool. but what do they have to gain by throwing big bucks at pool. It sells itself in pool halls.

I love pool and I get bored at tournaments. The fun in pool is in the backroom and the green rooms. This is where it gets to be interesting.


JMO

 

[worriedbeef]

I love pool and I get bored at tournaments. The fun in pool is in the backroom and the green rooms. This is where it gets to be interesting.

you know why a lot of people are apathetic towards the tournament action? because it's not that important and relavent to the players.

imagine if we had one great big united tour with a series of set events and big tournaments and big prize money. think IPT. all of a sudden the tournaments don't seem so irrelevant now do they? you wouldnt see a shrug of the shoulders from a player who just lost in the quarter finals of an event and thinking "oh well at least i can get in some action now the tournament's out of the way". at the moment the tournaments just aren't that prestigious and important.

 

[Bluesteel]

So here we are kicking the horse again...

Without the formation of ONE major organization for professional pool, it won't happen. That is not to say that the smaller tours can't exist, because just like in golf, that is where the great players of tomorrow will develop the skills they need to get to the next level. I also do not believe that it is the gambling image that hurts pool because there is at least as much money gambled for on the golf course as the pool table. What it is lacking is the organization and image. To give you an idea of the image professional golf has and why it has the level of sponsorship it does, here is some food for thought...

Taken from PGATOUR.COM

The PGA TOUR's Drive to a Billion ended several months ahead of schedule during the week of the 2005 Chrysler Championship, Charles Schwab Cup Championship and Nationwide Tour Championship. The $1 billion raised since 1938 has allowed PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour events to help more than 2,000 charities and countless individuals around the world.

It is thanks to the collective efforts of many -- from tournaments to sponsors to players to volunteers, and most of all, to the fans -- that professional golf can touch millions of lives as the official sport of "Giving Back."

As far as what it takes to play the two SPORTS on the professional level, both myself and my wife played golf professionally, and played in events including the US Open, so I have a good idea of what it takes to get to that level. I also know that getting to that level in pool is not an easy task either. In both pool and golf, with enough practice, you can become a good player, but to get to the next level with either sport you have to have something special that allows you to see things that even the good players do not see. Whether it is the ability to read the correct amount of break in a 30 footer down hill cross grain during a rainstorm, or kicking safe when it looks like there is no way to get there.

Mark

 

[Gatz]

Theres more money in playing video games then pool. They give out 100's of thousands of dollars every year to game teams. There are people even on contracts and are paid salary all the way up to 100K a year, and thats not even the money you make in the tournaments.

But this is understandable as the gaming industry is even bigger then the movie industry.

 

[trustyrusty]

This topic is discussed at least bi-weekly here, and I'm finally gonna ask....

Why does pool need to compete with the PGA, NFL, NBA, or ping-pong for that matter? We need a pro tour, we need a pro tour....really???!!! Pool is better than this or harder than that, why can't I get paid for playing it well? If you play it to get paid, good luck! I don't care if you have Tiger's talent on a felt covered table with pockets....everyone knows there's not the kinda money in it that there is in other sports, so become GREAT in those other sports if your goal is to make money! If you enjoy playing pool...play it, and don't whine about not getting paid for it - you knew you wouldn't when you were putting all the practice in. SHEESH!

 

[COLLECTION GURU]

Nononononononono!!!!!!!!

Now that is true. Bowling is you against 10 pins. The same 10 pins every frame. Lanes are all the same length. In my opinion bowling is 1000 times easier than pool but there is more money it. I suck at bowling myself. Best game ever was like 170, but avg. is 105-120. I do it for fun once every 3-4 years. But is pool a more difficult sport, HELL YEAH!!

AS AN EX-WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL IN POOL AND BOWLING,THEY ARE BOTH DIFFICULT GAMES. THE REASONING ABOVE IS FLAWED IN TOO MANY WAYS TO MENTION; ALL SPORTS THAT HAVE REASONABLE PARTICPATION SETS IT LEVEL OF STANDARDS BY THE TOP PERFORMERS.

FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD THE HIGHEST BOWLING AVERAGE IN ILLINOIS IN THE 1960'S WITH 209 WHICH WAS GREAT THEN BUT NOT THE BEST TODAY AS STIFS AVERAGE BETTER THAN THAT TODAY AS CONDITIONS ARE MUCH EASIER TODAY; THUS THE STANDARD INCREASES. SAME AS WITH GOLF, TRACK, ETC. BEFORE SOMONE SAYS HITTING A BASEBALL IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN SPORTS, IT REQUIRES TO HIT THE BALL 1 OUT OF 12 TIMES, 8.5%, TO HIT .250 AND MAKE $2,000,000 A YEAR AS A SECOND BASEMAN THUS THE STANDARD EVOLVES.

 

[Gatz]

Your capslock button is on.

 

[DeadPoked]

AS AN EX-WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL IN POOL AND BOWLING,THEY ARE BOTH DIFFICULT GAMES. THE REASONING ABOVE IS FLAWED IN TOO MANY WAYS TO MENTION; ALL SPORTS THAT HAVE REASONABLE PARTICPATION SETS IT LEVEL OF STANDARDS BY THE TOP PERFORMERS.

FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD THE HIGHEST BOWLING AVERAGE IN ILLINOIS IN THE 1960'S WITH 209 WHICH WAS GREAT THEN BUT NOT THE BEST TODAY AS STIFS AVERAGE BETTER THAN THAT TODAY AS CONDITIONS ARE MUCH EASIER TODAY; THUS THE STANDARD INCREASES. SAME AS WITH GOLF, TRACK, ETC. BEFORE SOMONE SAYS HITTING A BASEBALL IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN SPORTS, IT REQUIRES TO HIT THE BALL 1 OUT OF 12 TIMES, 8.5%, TO HIT .250 AND MAKE $2,000,000 A YEAR AS A SECOND BASEMAN THUS THE STANDARD EVOLVES.

World class professional in pool? This is news to me. What are your credentials to claim yourself to be world class?

 

[deadwhak]

Don't sugar coat it John! We have allready blown five good chances.
Two movies and three well sponsored tours, and still no one has
gotten through too MOST of the players about that necessity.

yeah..bowling had the movie KINGPIN to represent and look where it got them!!

 

[grandpapkusky]

yeah..bowling had the movie KINGPIN to represent and look where it got them!!

That just reminded me that golf never had a movie like pool did. Golf was big since who can remember? How has it been so durable and steady?

It's harder to make plans for a golf outing than it is to just go to a pool hall.
You can get better quicker in pool than in golf.

I just don't understand all this either.
Good thread.

 

[deadwhak]

That just reminded me that golf never had a movie like pool did. Golf was big since who can remember? How has it been so durable and steady?

It's harder to make plans for a golf outing than it is to just go to a pool hall.
You can get better quicker in pool than in golf.

I just don't understand all this either.
Good thread.

caddyshack!

 

[midnightpulp]

This topic is discussed at least bi-weekly here, and I'm finally gonna ask....

Why does pool need to compete with the PGA, NFL, NBA, or ping-pong for that matter? We need a pro tour, we need a pro tour....really???!!! Pool is better than this or harder than that, why can't I get paid for playing it well? If you play it to get paid, good luck! I don't care if you have Tiger's talent on a felt covered table with pockets....everyone knows there's not the kinda money in it that there is in other sports, so become GREAT in those other sports if your goal is to make money! If you enjoy playing pool...play it, and don't whine about not getting paid for it - you knew you wouldn't when you were putting all the practice in. SHEESH!

I think the sentiment expressed here is that these great players deserve to make a decent living playing they game they love. You've heard the expression that your passion/destiny chooses you? It's not easy nor desired just to switch over to a more lucrative sport. This is what they love to do. The goal is enjoy it and get paid for it like any other endeavor. Doesn't have to be millions, but the 50th ranked player in the world deserves to make a living off his skill.

I find quite sad when a person is forced to undermine and waste their talent because it's not a practical way to make a living. For a great player, pool should be his job that he devotes 8 + hours a day to. Not the other way around. He shouldn't have to find a decent job and consider pool a hobby, of course, unless he wants to.

That's why most of us want to see some money put into the game. Somehow.

 

[trustyrusty]

I think the sentiment expressed here is that these great players deserve to make a decent living playing they game they love. You've heard the expression that your passion/destiny chooses you? It's not easy nor desired just to switch over to a more lucrative sport. This is what they love to do. The goal is enjoy it and get paid for it like any other endeavor. Doesn't have to be millions, but the 50th ranked player in the world deserves to make a living off his skill.

I find quite sad when a person is forced to undermine and waste their talent because it's not a practical way to make a living. For a great player, pool should be his job that he devotes 8 + hours a day to. Not the other way around. He shouldn't have to find a decent job and consider pool a hobby, of course, unless he wants to.

That's why most of us want to see some money put into the game. Somehow.

Having a love or passion, or even GREAT skill at something doesn't = $$$$. So, if pool is the passion/destiny that "chose" you...so did a modest income. I'm not saying that you have to switch over to a more lucrative sport, or give up your "love". I'm saying that you shouldn't expect pool to afford you a wealthy income. You know this, or wouldn't be complaining about it. I could find plenty of things I'd like to do more for 8 hours+ a day than my job, but since they wouldn't afford me the income that I have become accustomed to....I'll pass.

 

[Slow_roll]

Hilarious!

Look at it this way... there's prolly more money in pool than in table tennis.

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while....good one.

 

[midnightpulp]

Having a love or passion, or even GREAT skill at something doesn't = $$$$. So, if pool is the passion/destiny that "chose" you...so did a modest income. I'm not saying that you have to switch over to a more lucrative sport, or give up your "love". I'm saying that you shouldn't expect pool to afford you a wealthy income. You know this, or wouldn't be complaining about it. I could find plenty of things I'd like to do more for 8 hours+ a day than my job, but since they wouldn't afford me the income that I have become accustomed to....I'll pass.

I don't think anyone has expressed a sense of entitlement, what we're doing is brainstorming about ways pool can see some better financial support. After all, most pool players have "real" jobs.

Too bad a handicap system couldn't work, since there would be a lot of sandbagging. The idea behind this would be to draw amateurs who would have a small chance of winning, which would raise the buy-ins, which would raise the prize pool. In effect, turning tournament pool into sort of a World Series of Poker. But this is of course unrealistic. How would we objectively handicap players? And again, the sandbagging.

 

[RunoutalloverU]

AS AN EX-WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL IN POOL AND BOWLING,THEY ARE BOTH DIFFICULT GAMES. THE REASONING ABOVE IS FLAWED IN TOO MANY WAYS TO MENTION; ALL SPORTS THAT HAVE REASONABLE PARTICPATION SETS IT LEVEL OF STANDARDS BY THE TOP PERFORMERS.

FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD THE HIGHEST BOWLING AVERAGE IN ILLINOIS IN THE 1960'S WITH 209 WHICH WAS GREAT THEN BUT NOT THE BEST TODAY AS STIFS AVERAGE BETTER THAN THAT TODAY AS CONDITIONS ARE MUCH EASIER TODAY; THUS THE STANDARD INCREASES. SAME AS WITH GOLF, TRACK, ETC. BEFORE SOMONE SAYS HITTING A BASEBALL IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN SPORTS, IT REQUIRES TO HIT THE BALL 1 OUT OF 12 TIMES, 8.5%, TO HIT .250 AND MAKE $2,000,000 A YEAR AS A SECOND BASEMAN THUS THE STANDARD EVOLVES.

Somehow I doubt you were world class in one of those disciplines let alone both of them. Secondly in the 1960's or in any other decade for that matter, carrying a 209 aint cutting as a house pro, and it sure as hell isnt world class. And as far as bowling being eaisier today, that maybe the most ignorant statement ive ever heard, no sport is eaisier to do now than it was 40 years ago, they become harder because the competition becomes harder, yes the technology makes it different, but eaisier, absolutely not!

 

[RunoutalloverU]

As far as the thread goes, yes this topic has been discussed ad nauseum, but one tour is what we need, bring the ipt back, or something exactly like it, or things aint changing, period.