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

I think there are a lot of things we can do to increase the popularity and change the image:

1. If at all possible, get a table at home, even if only a 7 footer will fit, and not just one that serves as a place to lay your dirty clothes :D Get your family involved, encourage your children to play, as well as your friends. If you have to, play left-handed to make it fun for them, but show them a few basics and draw some interest in your own home.

2. For those that don't/can't have a table, have your dates or set up social events at pool halls.

3. Room owners could set up cheap table time during the day on weekends for kids, which would include special kid's meal deals, and offer a little bit of instruction for both the kids and parents that accompany them. Set up packages so the owner can make money, invest in a future customer, and keep the tables full during slower times.

4. Promote kids leagues, as well as tournies, to teach sportsmanship and grow it at a youth level.

5. For adults, support leagues - league owners and room owners should work closely together to make sure everyone is making money, and the ultimate customer is getting value.

6. More promotion around the game in general - without being on AZ, I would have never known about the world 10-ball event in Jacksonville earlier this year.....and I like pool.....I don't remember seeing any adverts at local pool halls in the area and other players had no idea the event was even happening.

7. I'd be willing to donate money and time to better the game. While my comments above are reiterations from previous sports or what others have said before, there has to be others with better ideas that we can act on....all of us can support those with some time and money to better the game.

my two cents...
 
How do you improve the sport's image?

1. TAKE OUT THE MONEY GAMES especially in local pool levels.
Let's bring back the FUN in the sport by playing it because we enjoy playing it. As they say, "Money is the root of all evils" (nope am not a preacher:D ) and it really does complicate things.

2. STOP ATTACKING THE DIGNITY of the other player, cue maker, etc. This is a fun SPORT not POLITICS

3. PLAY FOR GLORY & HONOR, and again not for the money.
Isn't more gratifying and inspiring to win for the title than to win for the money? NBA, Superbowl, & Soccer world cups get large fans & aspiring players not because they play for the money, rather for the sports' prestige (and adrenaline as well:D )

4. TEACH THE PRO'S HOW TO MANAGE THEIR EARNINGS.
I've heard stories of pro's winning lump sums in prestigious events then burning their money within a month `coz of gambling especially in money games, leaving nothing for their children's education. They must learn how to have a sustainable source of income, thru investments, etc, since they can never be sure that they'll be able to win or even play again in the future

The rest is up to you:rolleyes:
 
mikepage said:
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...
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Maybe can have a Hall Of Deaths..use their lifetime achievements as inspirations for the younger pool generations..
 
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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While I tend to agree to some extent with the first part, the second cannot be right. By the measure of 'instant gratification' no sport would be popular.

I do believe that pool is not a sport or game that parents will put their children into, assuming there is that opportunity (a BIG assumption). These are people of my generation who remember the days when women and under-16s were not allowed into the pool hall. Movies like TCOM etc do nothing to make parents more confortable with putting their children into a pool hall, rather they will continue to send them to Little League baseball and Youth Bowling Leagues etc.

So, what is needed in my opinion is a single 'governing' body for pool, one that promotes the overall game. Currently groups like the VNEA and BCA promote only their self interests. As an example, the VNEA here in western Canada has no opportunity to promote junior pool as their focus is on the bar scene, assuming they want to, which I doubt. There are no real standardized rules, mainly because there are so many variants and so little promotion and education of the "World Standardized Rules". Keep money out of pool until the professional or semi-professional (developing professionals) levels.

The whole pool scene has been created by gambling men for gambling men around here, imo, but our truely successful sports all start with good junior amateur programs organized through national bodies or educational institutes.

Dave
 
If gambling is such a deterrent for corporate sponsors, why is professional poker so popular?

The World Series of Poker alone has the following corporate sponsors... a lot of which are non-poker related.

-Corum - Official Timepiece
-Milwaukee's Best Lite - Official Beer and Presenting Sponsor
-Pepsi
-Degree deodorant
-Levitra
-Hershey's
-Bicycle Playing Cards

As well as the Nevada Cancer Institute being the Official Charity. In 2006, Harrah's Entertainment (who runs the WSOP) signed a deal with IMG (the world's largest and most respected Sports Marketing agency) to help them expand with sponsorships. Seems like the gambling image isnt the problem.
 
I don't see what the problem is. Growing up my friends and I went to the pool hall to get away from the ugly temptations in life. I think you guys created a monster by listening to the goodie two shoes that roam the world *****ing and moaning about shady this and boozer that and gambler spaghetti monster guy that burns our village and steals our ladies.

Most pool halls aren't like that and even the ones that have their shadier guys still aren't any worse than the guy in a trench coat flashing the kids at the mall. I've been to some craphole pool halls with only two tables and no AC in a box no bigger than 1000 sqft and I've been to some pool halls that make Vegas look boring. Guess what? There are bad people everywhere and not just in pool halls and around this game. Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and so on are in far worse shape despite the larger market.

Personally I like where it is. If this gets any more popular we'll be paying 20 an hour for table time in a half decent joint. Lets face it some places are already charging 12-14.

Lets all spend less time trying to fix the state of the game and more time raising our kids to behave properly when around it.
 
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It's about the kids and making it an Olympic sport. The Korean clubs and the fellow in St Louis have the right ideas. Clean family fun and leagues for 10 - 21 year olds. There is a need for local sponsorship from Dairy Queen, car dealers, and insurance companies.

To do all this we need clean facilities to which parents want to send their children.
 
I know I've said this before...but I don't think the gambling aspect of pool has anything to do with why it's not popular. Look at Casino's and Poker! Casino's are popping up all over the place now and not a one of them is going out of business do to lack of customers. I know very few people who haven't become at least marginally intrigued by the poker craze...including my quite puritanical, mid-western elderly grandparents! ;)

Pool on TV is not only boring to the average joe, but also to a lot of die hard pool players! Lot's of people will sit around and watch a big gambling/money match, but very few people will stick around to watch the finals of a pro tournament. If you don't believe me, go to the Derby City and see which one of the two draws more spectators! The rest of the world has embraced gambling, but until America does too pool will probably always be a second class sport/game/whatever the heck you want to call it, here in the US.

Pool needs a marketing machine and by machine I mean someone like Steve Jobs of Apple! The type of guy that can literally sell igloo's to eskimos! If you've got a good enough marketing machine, you can sell anything to anybody. Even Microsoft got to where they were by brilliant business savvy and great marketing, not by having the best product.

In short (or maybe I should say in long at this point :D) pool needs to be more than fun to play, it needs to be entertaining! It needs glitz, and glamor and excitement! One of the things that makes poker exciting is the luck factor! No matter how bad somebody is in a hand there is always the chance that they can crap out at the last second and win! That makes for great tv and edge of your seat suspense! People like that!

I don't know what the solution is, but I do have a feeling that to market pool to a mass audience, people need to be able to see great comebacks from behind, insane shots from out of nowhere to win the match and to get the feeling that the underdog has a chance. Combine this with colorful characters a descent prize pool and entertaining commentators and you might then just have a chance at making pool popular again!

Just my opinions...
~J
 
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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You and I went thru this before.Puritonic values STILL GOING VERY STRONG in USA.
Tell me what are the objections from some city councils for granting a license to the pool halls and why it is so important for the city councils to listen to the comments /opinions by the neighborhood church in making a decision of granting such licenses.:cool:
 
One starting point would be for all of us to look in the mirror...be aware of our behavior when playing and talking the game....present the game more as the fun family recreation it can be while downplaying the shadier aspects...
 
No Safeties

Allen Hopkins had a great idea for a format that was exciting enough to get me back into pool again. His Texas Holdem shootout that featured George, Jeanette vs. Archer, Baretta. There were no safeties so we got to see incredible shotmaking from the pros. That will appeal to the general public. A non pool playing public or even novice players are not excited by even the most impressive safeties because they don't see it as a success. Another exciting feature was that it featured men and women. I know this isn't a popular view but hey we all know it, sex sells and if there are beautiful women out there that will get people to watch then we should all get behind that idea. I think that this kind of programming on t.v. is exciting enough to get joe average and as a result, non industry sponsors interested.
 
If gambling is fine in any situation why isn't Pete Rose in Cooperstown ?

Dave
 
SheShoots said:
Allen Hopkins had a great idea for a format that was exciting enough to get me back into pool again. His Texas Holdem shootout that featured George, Jeanette vs. Archer, Baretta. There were no safeties so we got to see incredible shotmaking from the pros. That will appeal to the general public. A non pool playing public or even novice players are not excited by even the most impressive safeties because they don't see it as a success. Another exciting feature was that it featured men and women. I know this isn't a popular view but hey we all know it, sex sells and if there are beautiful women out there that will get people to watch then we should all get behind that idea. I think that this kind of programming on t.v. is exciting enough to get joe average and as a result, non industry sponsors interested.
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I watched that, it was a great idea. Not only do you see aggressive offensive shots, but you see the interaction between the teammates which makes it entertaining. After getting out of line, Jeanette Lee apologized to her husband by saying, "I love you!"
 
Image makeover

Have nice, smoke-free, family friendly places to play and compete. That's all it takes.
 
smokeandapancak said:
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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I can see the headlines now...

"Steroids: Is there a use for it in Billiards?"
 
DaveK said:
If gambling is fine in any situation why isn't Pete Rose in Cooperstown ?

Dave
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I think if you ask most average people if Pete Rose should be in Cooperstown the resounding answer would be "YES!" In fact I don't currently know of anyone who thinks he shouldn't be. Of course I also do believe eventually he will be inducted in, and hopefully it will be in his life time!

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some remnants of the "gambling must be bad" mindset and sadly a lot of these people are in high ranking positions in authoritative offices.

Let's face it, the main reason our government opposes it, is because A)they haven't figured out a way to tax a lot of it (ie. Internet Poker)
and B)lobby groups that feel it's detrimental to the morals of society

However, keep in mind there is a big difference between what is legally acceptable and what is socially acceptable...in many states oral sex is still considered deviant behavior by the law and is illegal (in states like KS, MO, and IN it would go on your record as "sodomy" *explain that one...GEEZ!*) Legally Acceptable vs. Socially acceptable
 
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jwilliams said:
I think if you ask most average people if Pete Rose should be in Cooperstown the resounding answer would be "YES!" In fact I don't currently know of anyone who thinks he shouldn't be. Of course I also do believe eventually he will be inducted in, and hopefully it will be in his life time!

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some remnants of the "gambling must be bad" mindset and sadly a lot of these people are in high ranking offices in authoritative offices.

Let's face it, the main reason our government opposes it, is because A)they haven't figured out a way to tax a lot of it (ie. Internet Poker)
and B)lobby groups that feel it's detrimental to the morals of society

However, keep in mind there is a big difference between what is legally acceptable and what is socially acceptable...in many states oral sex is still considered deviant behavior by the law and is illegal (in states like KS, MO, and IN it would go on your record as "sodomy" *explain that one...GEEZ!*) Legally Acceptable vs. Socially acceptable
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As a quick addendum to my previous post it does appear though that in "Lawrence v. Texas" the supreme court did finally rule that these state laws were an invasion of privacy and for the most part could not be prosecuted...but the point still remains. :)
 
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