I was half joking when I said that, SJM. At the same time I also feel that in pool the clapping is overdone, and as I said it might make the game feel boring to non players. You can't really compare it to basketball, golf, etc, because for example in golf, they applaud when someone makes a 2 inch putt because they finished that hole and moved on to the next. That's like people applauding in pool when they win a rack, which doesn't bother me. In basketball, there really is no difference in the crowd noise when a free throw is made unless it's the playoffs or something and people are in a frenzy over their city's team. In regular season games the crowd is already so noisy I can't even tell what the heck is going on with the crowd lol. Don't get me wrong I have alot of respect for you and your opinion SJM but I just think that it's silly how people cheer a fairly routine shot. I think they should cheer and applaud when a tough shot is made or the rack is won, etc. But not when someone screws the cueball 12 inches.
Holy crap... I just figured out why pool is not TV popular.
- Thread starter Billiard Architect
- Start date
LastTwo said:
What you're saying makes a lot of sense, LastTwo. One thing I wonder, though, is whether the average fan can draw their rock a foot when they need to. I suspect they cannot. Far sillier than the cheering for routine shots is when fans cheer a shot that is actually a mistake, on which the ball was pocketed but position was missed. It would be nice if the fans knew a little more, but it probably isn't hapening anytime soon, so we'll probably have to keep dealing with it.
T
Timberly
Guest
LastTwo said:So, next time you are at a tournament and someone starts clapping for an easy shot, start a fight! I mean really beat the crap out of that person.
OMG, I just about fell outta my chair laughing!!!
Seriously it gets annoying. The BCA event in Vegas last month was the 1st time I had attended a televised match. I couldn't stand it! As both you & SJM pointed out, I think you should clap for certain shots.... I've clapped at UPA events and regional events... when someone makes a great shot, they deserve a clap. In Vegas.... they clapped just because the ball was pocketed, it didn't matter that the player had hooked themselves and had no prayer on the next shot. I personally couldn't sit there and watch it. After about 15 min I left the room.
There's so many people out there that really have no clue how 9 ball is played. I prefer to play 9 ball over 8 ball but I honestly believe that in order to get the masses to watch pool on tv, they need to start showing 8 ball matches. The number of league players out there is astounding.... the majority of them play 8 ball. There were quite a few people on the league I played on that had no idea how to play 9 ball. Pool on tv is going to have to appeal to the masses, not just the players. I also liked the idea of showing more charity events where the players are more laid back and interact with each more. The "fun stuff" like the ring game in Jacksonville... those are the things that're going to show the personalities of the players. You'll see smiles and joking instead of the players seriously focused on winning a tournament as they are now on tv. JMHO
it may be annoying to us but what about the general public........they probably can't pocket 2 straight balls if their life dependend on it. are they only suppose to clap when they make a jump or masse. the public don't give a damn if a players gets position using 3 or 4 rails what the hell would they know about that or why should they care...they want to get entertained. i say let them clap for whatever they think is a good shot. so you actually think that people would watch a game that's completly silent and only clap when that rack is done.....that's boring, people want's action and entertainment, why would they waste their time watching pool with intricate safeties and all that crap they don't understand. we might get the logic behind the shot but what would they know....they just want to get entertained and this is why pool isn't popular in tv. you've got commentators saying "oh he's probably gonna do this shot and the ball should land right here with angle to get position on the next shot" "oh i guesse he opted to go the other way which is his preference blah blah blah" " i would have gone the other way but he sure showed us" BORING! You've got hockey and all he has to say is "he shoots he scores" and the crowd goes wild and everybody else watching tv . or someone watching baseball gets a homerun, or a guy getting a hole in one or shooting a 3 in basketball and everyone goes wild. But what about someone getting a golden brake in 9-ball.....does the crowd really go wild? no, not us much and it's really rare someones gets one to. I say let the game look like it more fun than it is and less boring to watch. It wouldn't hurt the game it could only make it better.
I think it's very funny how people on this board keep trying to come up with ideas to make the general public watch pool on TV. I got news for you folks, the desired audience for pool telecasts is YOU, not the general public. Who watches NASCAR - the general public? Hell no! NASCAR is watched by NASCAR fans, football by football fans, and golf by golf fans. Do you really think that housewives are sitting there flicking channels and come to a basketball game and think to themselves 'this looks interesting' and then become lifetime fans?
I've said it before on this board, but if you watch other sports, you will notice that they tailor their broadcasts to cater to the fans of the sport and make it more enjoyable to them. Pool already does fine on television, but I think it would do a lot better if they would start trying to please people who enjoy the game and take it seriously, instead of trying to attract new viewers. Pool doesn't do that and it makes the telecasts brutal and amateurish. The game's been on television for 30 years and you still have Allen Hopkins trying to explain basic position shots.
What they really need to do is to start showing the game as it's really played - in pool halls by folks like you and me, instead of the contrived made-for-TV crap they show now. It's boring.
I've said it before on this board, but if you watch other sports, you will notice that they tailor their broadcasts to cater to the fans of the sport and make it more enjoyable to them. Pool already does fine on television, but I think it would do a lot better if they would start trying to please people who enjoy the game and take it seriously, instead of trying to attract new viewers. Pool doesn't do that and it makes the telecasts brutal and amateurish. The game's been on television for 30 years and you still have Allen Hopkins trying to explain basic position shots.
What they really need to do is to start showing the game as it's really played - in pool halls by folks like you and me, instead of the contrived made-for-TV crap they show now. It's boring.
T
Timberly
Guest
When I'm watching a match on tv, I don't even listen so the clapping doesn't bother me. It was actually being there when they filmed it that drove me nuts. I'll continue to watch on tv with the volume turned down but I don't know that I'll sit through another televised match live.....would depend on who was playing. Simply a personal preference.Cardinal_Syn said:
i think the secret to getting people to watch pool is trick shot magic. the general public just doesnt have the attention span to watch a 9 ball race to 11 or 14.1 to 150 when the game is not a very popular spectator game/sport to begin with (unlike nascar and golf).
Going a bit overboard with the clapping reactions in this thread. Sure, people will clap whenever they want or feel is appropriate, either for skill or etiquette. The more advanced players clearly won't clap so often. But, when a great shot is done, even those advanced players will clap and respond accordingly. Thus, there is a noticable increase in excitement for those shots. The applause rises, the crowd cheers, even the pro players (both playing and in the stands) will often react. That's what makes it fun. Even the neophyte viewer can recognize higher levels of skill involved. Of course, just like in golf, you'll never fully understand the difficulties until you actually try it yourself.