How Can We As Pool Lovers Change The Image Of Pool?

jimmy-leggs

jimmy-leggs

A GREAT DAY
Silver Member
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
 
jimmy-leggs said:
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
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Changing the image of Pool must be approached from the lowest level. First, pool should be integrated in schools, for recreation and for the purpose of stimulating young minds. Next, a nation wide campaign must be undertaken to encourage and teach our young. This campaign should be sponsored by the Billiards Distributors Nation wide, and Pool Room owners should be willing to Donate Table time and offer other programs to encourager our youth to play pool.

By positive exposure, our Nations youth will become the next generation and their out look on this Sport will greatly differ from that of their parents.
 
jimmy-leggs said:
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
Click to expand...


The issue is more a socio-political.It is more to do with the ingrained PURITONIC values of the American society.Those values will not be going away and the stigma attached to pool will not go away either.US open champions will only collect Bread crumbs in prize money.That is the reality and pool players have to accept that.I am only a messenger.:cool:
 
I haven't figured out the RIGHT way to do it yet. I definitely agree that the youngin' interest in the sport is a good start.

But I think American culture is stuck on the big and flashy. The DRAMA. And our drama just isn't big enough for that.

Maybe a reality TV show? lol. Every manner of reality show is getting picked up, why not pool?
 
Inzombiac said:
I haven't figured out the RIGHT way to do it yet. I definitely agree that the youngin' interest in the sport is a good start.

But I think American culture is stuck on the big and flashy. The DRAMA. And our drama just isn't big enough for that.

Maybe a reality TV show? lol. Every manner of reality show is getting picked up, why not pool?
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LOL,your right about the reality show.:D picture this......................
Efren
Earl(minus pads)
Busty
Thorsten
John s.
Neils
Corey
Yang
Shane
(could go on and on)
In a "Big Brother" house,no shower,no clean clothes,no toothpaste,no nothing,and just beans to eat.:eek:Just a table and chess game,each night they would have a ring game to see who is going to be kicked out of the house.:D
And have Jay helfert as emcee.;)
I would watch that.lol
 
Enlist Michael Moore

jimmy-leggs said:
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
Click to expand...

Movies like Pool Hall Junkie certainly are not going to do it. Enlist Michael Moore to do a movie promoting the game.
 
There's an idea

berlowmj said:
Movies like Pool Hall Junkie certainly are not going to do it. Enlist Michael Moore to do a movie promoting the game.
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How about "Sticko"?
 
get rid of the gambling, smoking, drinking,and seedy back room parlors full of shady folks.


but then who would want to play?

Shane <<<< wonderers what would happen if the UPA/BCA/APA/IPT/WPA (or whoever is in charge of this thing) drug tested????
 
jimmy-leggs said:
LOL,your right about the reality show.:D picture this......................
Efren
Earl(minus pads)
Busty
Thorsten
John s.
Neils
Corey
Yang
Shane
(could go on and on)
In a "Big Brother" house,no shower,no clean clothes,no toothpaste,no nothing,and just beans to eat.:eek:Just a table and chess game,each night they would have a ring game to see who is going to be kicked out of the house.:D
And have Jay helfert as emcee.;)
I would watch that.lol
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So would I and several others on these boards.........however I'd be willing to bet that whilst quite a lot of non-pool enthusiasts might happily tune in to watch these guys, or any other group of minority sport players, sleeping, snoring, farting, cooking and arguing.......a large proportion of them would switch off or lose interest as soon as the actual pool ring game started:)
 
no steroids

smokeandapancak said:
get rid of the gambling, smoking, drinking,and seedy back room parlors full of shady folks.


but then who would want to play?

Shane <<<< wonderers what would happen if the UPA/BCA/APA/IPT/WPA (or whoever is in charge of this thing) drug tested????
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Pool players don't use steroids.
 
it's easy

Inzombiac said:
I haven't figured out the RIGHT way to do it yet. I definitely agree that the youngin' interest in the sport is a good start.

But I think American culture is stuck on the big and flashy. The DRAMA. And our drama just isn't big enough for that.

Maybe a reality TV show? lol. Every manner of reality show is getting picked up, why not pool?
Click to expand...

I know how and want to sell it,
If anyone knows who's buying, let me know.

Pool will blow up, because of what it is.
It's the working man's game.

It just needs captured and promoted properly.

-cOOp
 
jimmy-leggs said:
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
Click to expand...

This is not directed at you specifically Jimmy, your post is just a lead-in, but people often seem to speak about changing the "image of pool" without necessarily thinking through whether what they are proposing is to somehow simply rebrand the existing nature of pool and its surrounding culture or whether they actually mean genuinely changing the nature of pool and its surrounding culture itself, subsequently leading to a natural corresponding change of image.

The former has some prospects of relative success if handled properly by branding experts with an aptitude for creating a silk purse out of a sows ear. The general public have in the past shown an almost limitless capacity to be conned by utter codswallop posing as entertainment and pool cannot have any worse a set of existing fundamental attractions than some of those successes. Unfortunately in the coldest of cold worlds it is unlikely that the opinion of pool pros would matter very much to those rebranders who would see them as hired help, with any who didn't come on board being easily replaceable. Not a nice thought but that's the way it is.

Regrettably, though we could all contribute some window dressing, the latter probably has little chance of well founded success for many very real reasons, some of which are described by Vagabond in his post within this thread.
 
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If everyone stopped talking about what 'people should do' to make pool better, and they did something themselves.
 
I agree!

smokeandapancak said:
get rid of the gambling, smoking, drinking,and seedy back room parlors full of shady folks.
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This is especially important if you want more kids to be involved, because a lot of parents (even the ones who do these things themselves) don't want their kids around such nasty habits. I know no parents who actually want their children to grow up to be gambling, smoking, drinking pool players. They want them to be good, upstanding citizens with a good head on their shoulders and know how to save their money, not throw it away.

When you can make pool fit into THAT category, you might have something going that will really last.

Just my honest 2 cents...
 
memikey said:
[...]
The former has some prospects of relative success if handled properly by branding experts with an aptitude for creating a silk purse out of a sows ear.[...]
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Here's one thing that's bizarre about our sport.

The most revered and famous "pool players" in the US, as measured by their prominence on the hallowed walls of pool halls all over the country, are

Tom Cruise
Paul Newman
Jackie Gleason

If you don't see posters of those guys, then you see posters of old dead pool players.

Perhaps we should replace the COM/Hustler posters in pool halls with action shots of some of our more photogenic young pros...
 
vagabond said:
The issue is more a socio-political.It is more to do with the ingrained PURITONIC values of the American society.Those values will not be going away and the stigma attached to pool will not go away either.US open champions will only collect Bread crumbs in prize money.That is the reality and pool players have to accept that.I am only a messenger.:cool:
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Nonsense, pool is not that important. Puritanical values have for the most part disappeared from all aspects of our life. The problem is most people don't enjoy it and aren't willing to work to the point they can enjoy it. It isn't about image anymore, it's about people wanting instant gratification and pool does not nor will it ever provide that. You've got to work to achieve enjoyment in pool and people are no longer willing to work unless they have to.
JMHO.
 
catscradle said:
Nonsense, pool is not that important. Puritanical values have for the most part disappeared from all aspects of our life. The problem is most people don't enjoy it and aren't willing to work to the point they can enjoy it. It isn't about image anymore, it's about people wanting instant gratification and pool does not nor will it ever provide that. You've got to work to achieve enjoyment in pool and people are no longer willing to work unless they have to.
JMHO.
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that is such a loaded comment......................

right on point though..
 
jimmy-leggs said:
As we have talk a billion times about pool and its future,I was curious if we could all put our heads together and come up with some ideas of how we as pool lovers can change the IMAGE of pool.Would love to hear from some pro's as well on this topic.;)
Click to expand...

I think the effect of "image" is highly overrated. If there was a meaningful industry association (BCA is a joke), they could try pushing some "Got milk?" type of commercials, try to make people realize playing pool could be fun. It isn't the image of gambling or smoke-filled rooms that hurts pool, the casinos do alright; it is the perception that pool isn't fun that hurts pool. I think also like any endeavor requiring skill, people are hesitant to go through the "making a fool of themselves" stage; they think the "players" are laughing at them behind their backs. If we want this sport to grow, we've got to make new players feel welcome; we got to play a 'D' player just for fun even if it is a little boring; we got to offer tips and guidance, rather than acting like we're a secret society you can't get in until you "pay your dues".
If we act exclusive, we'll remain exclusive, more exclusive year by year.
 
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