How to improve pool

Neil said:
The ABP thread got me thinking, and these are some of my thoughts and ideas on the subject. They are by no means conclusive, or the only way to improve pool. But, they are food for thought.

Most people are sheep. Most don't like to hear that, but it's the truth. They are always looking for a leader. Just the fact that they want a leader proves they are sheep. They are willing to go where they are led. So, how do we lead them to pool?

Few like change, so we can't just all of a sudden throw a bunch of pool matches on t.v. and expect people to watch it. They won't. They need to be led to it.

Most people never even think about pool. So, the first thing you have to do, is get them to think about pool a little more. The proven method to do that is t.v.. But, not matches or tournaments, not yet anyways. You first have to make them want to have matches on t.v. So, you get the main pros to start doing commercials. (I don't know how to go about doing that, but it needs to be done) Tasteful commercials, not promoting pool, but showing pool. This currently is being done to a very small scale, and it is helping the leagues grow. You show pool as something that people do, and that it is an acceptable and fun thing to do.

Then, you up the commercials, still selling whatever product, but you start showing some pool skill in the commercial. Then, after that goes on for a while, you start having the now recognizable pros with some skill doing a little banter about another pro during the commercial. You get the people interested in seeing a matchup between these two guys.

You don't just throw it in the publics face, you lead them a little at a time. Pretty soon, you have them going in the direction you want them to go. That is, interested in seeing a pool matchup.

Now, once you are actually going to show a matchup, you have to teach the public something about the game. This is where the announcers are paramount. Two pros playing looks boring as can be. Too many easy shots. The non-playing public needs to be taught just how hard it really is to make it look easy. The announcers need to be able to keep it exciting for the public even on the easy shots. They need to talk about what it takes to get from point A to point B with the cueball. How much skill it actually takes, and just how special these guys really are.

Again, people want to be led. If the announcers, just for example, where to talk a lot about the P stroke required to make that shot. Pretty soon there would be a lot of talk about what a P stroke is, and how so-and-so is better at the P stroke than whats-his-name is. Thereby getting people interested and talking about pool. After some time, you actually have people watching pool, getting into it, having their favorite players, ect.

During this time of getting face and name recognition, there can be spots that also show a little of the personal side of the players. You have to make them "part of the family" so to speak. People want to have a personal interest in people that they follow. Whether it be to love them, or hate them.

Once the public is interested, the money from the sponsors will naturally follow. It takes time to build, and there has to be a plan. To get it where it should be might take the better part of a generation of players. But, then you are at the end goal. Right now, the way things are being done, the end goal will never be achieved. No one is leading in the right way IMO. Right now, the ABP is trying to reach the end goal overnight by dictatorship. That is a sure way to kill what they are going for. People want to be led, not dictated too. One way gets you what you want, the other way gets you enemies.

For a current example of what I am saying, look no farther than the show "Dancing With The Stars". Do people really give a darn about the show? NO! BUT.... they have been led to believe that they do, so it gets pretty good ratings. When people are told enough that they should like something, a surprising amount of people will actually start to like it. No matter how stupid is seems to some of us.

So, to sum it up, you first have to get people to know pool is out there. Then you have to get them a personal stake in the people that play it. Then, you have to get the matches going. Then you have to teach the people how difficult it really is to play that good. All the time telling the public how great it is that they actually get to see this! Pretty soon, you have people invested in pool mentally, you get a good following, and then you get the big corporate $$$$$.
Click to expand...


Kudos Neil for posting this with pool's best interest at heart.
 
I wholeheartedly agree. When golf started being televised, it was not a well-known sport (for the masses). Golf had a shining star at the time...Arnold Palmer. He was charismatic, personable, extremely attractive, a "man's man" and a "lady's man"...in a sense, he brought a "personable face" to the game of golf.

The endoresement deals he received were well outside the realm of golf, with Pennzoil being one his biggest...Pennzoil...not a dang thing to do with golf, and yet he's still widely known for his endorsement of the product! That also helped stir interest in the game of golf..."I use Pennzoil, just like Arnie...I should play golf like Arnie too!"

Yep, I agree with you, but I think the key is finding that ONE player to achieve this...I believe Jeanette Lee was a good choice for a female player and is already attempting to do this...but I believe true success with this will only come when a man takes that place. NOT THAT I AGREE WITH HAVING TO DO THAT...but our society is structured that way...look what happened last year with the women's basketball team who broke the all-time "win streak"...the coverage was brief and then it wasn't talked about much after...

Just rambling...

Jason
 
I go back to my previous position which is first, pick out who you're appealing to. Or maybe what image exactly are you looking for? Start with something simple (yes, when I first read this I was thinking of Jeanette's commercial) like a statement:

Pool is Precision

If that's your pitch, stay away from, "Pool is Precision, but any hack with a $5 knock-off can smash crap into a hole and steal your money so come join us!"

In the video making its way around pool-people's FB accounts Grady mentions that pool is one-of, if not the-most difficult of the ball striking sports. Shorten that up;

"The most difficult sport", or
"The most precise sport".

Now you can have a discussion with a narrator, "The knife's edge of precision". Now you're reinforcing the idea that precision, not smash-em-up, is pool.

"Are you as precise as The Scorpion?"

It doesn't have to be this, but if you use it, I want royalties. :D
 
The only way to grab peoples attention would be to show clips of Earl being Earl, Alex being Alex, and footage of Keith owning the room and chirping while running out from everywhere.
I love this game but, to watch it, it's as boring as watching my grandparents fall asleep on the couch.

Pool will ALWAYS be a tough sell. Honestly, I will be pleasantly shocked if it ever becomes mainstream.

Neil, kudos for some good ideas though.
 
What about a reality show ?

A&E seems to put just about anything on the air...

Storage Wars : Follows four professional buyers as they scour repossessed storage units in search of hidden treasure
American Pickers : Travel along with them as they scour the country's junkyards, barns and basements for hidden gems
Pawn Stars : Step inside the colorful world of today's pawn business with Corey, Rick, Old Man and Chumlee
American Restoration : Rick Dale and his crew of loose screws at Rick's Restorations in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they take rusty, beat-up items and restore them to their original glory.
Dog the Bounty Hunter : Duane "Dog" Chapman's adventures as a fugitive recovery agent, aka "bounty hunter"
Intervention : A powerful and gripping television series in which people confront their darkest demons and seek a route to redemption
Hoarders : offers a look inside the lives of people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis
Parking Wars : follows the Philadelphia Parking Authority and Detroit's Municipal Parking Department as they deal with parking tickets, booting, and towing cars

And the two newest shows are...
Monster-In-Law : Watch the fireworks as married couples enlist the help of unconventional, no-nonsense relationship experts to try to make peace with their meddling in-laws.
American Hoggers : Follow the Campbell family as they rescue Texas residents from the devastating chaos caused by millions of invasive wild boars

On a side note, I can't believe there's an audience for some of these shows

So how about a reality show about pool players ? And who's one of the biggest names of all time when it comes to billiards ?

"Road to Mosconi" : Follow along as five professional pool players compete in tournaments nationwide for the chance to play in one of the greatest events in the world, the "Mosconi Cup".
Camera crews follow Archer, Hatch, Morris, Strickland and Van Boening for a year as they film not only thier 'professional' lives, but thier personal lives as well.

That's my $.02...
 
I think another way of raising the awareness of pool is to simply have TV shows have pool tables on the sets. I can imagine scenes from many current shows set is a situation where the characters are playing pool. One way to 'encourage' this would be for a table manufacturer to contact the producers and offer a table.
 
Mickey Qualls said:
A&E seems to put just about anything on the air...

Storage Wars : Follows four professional buyers as they scour repossessed storage units in search of hidden treasure
American Pickers : Travel along with them as they scour the country's junkyards, barns and basements for hidden gems
Pawn Stars : Step inside the colorful world of today's pawn business with Corey, Rick, Old Man and Chumlee
American Restoration : Rick Dale and his crew of loose screws at Rick's Restorations in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they take rusty, beat-up items and restore them to their original glory.
Dog the Bounty Hunter : Duane "Dog" Chapman's adventures as a fugitive recovery agent, aka "bounty hunter"
Intervention : A powerful and gripping television series in which people confront their darkest demons and seek a route to redemption
Hoarders : offers a look inside the lives of people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis
Parking Wars : follows the Philadelphia Parking Authority and Detroit's Municipal Parking Department as they deal with parking tickets, booting, and towing cars

And the two newest shows are...
Monster-In-Law : Watch the fireworks as married couples enlist the help of unconventional, no-nonsense relationship experts to try to make peace with their meddling in-laws.
American Hoggers : Follow the Campbell family as they rescue Texas residents from the devastating chaos caused by millions of invasive wild boars

On a side note, I can't believe there's an audience for some of these shows

So how about a reality show about pool players ? And who's one of the biggest names of all time when it comes to billiards ?

"Road to Mosconi" : Follow along as five professional pool players compete in tournaments nationwide for the chance to play in one of the greatest events in the world, the "Mosconi Cup".
Camera crews follow Archer, Hatch, Morris, Strickland and Van Boening for a year as they film not only thier 'professional' lives, but thier personal lives as well.

That's my $.02...
Click to expand...

sounds good to me; I'd watch !!! probably even set the dvr !! good idea
 
The best shot pool had was the IPT. It had all you needed to showcase pool in a very fun and attractive manner. The camera angles, celebs...just about everything was tastefully done. It was something people could've really enjoyed and gotten used to.
 
There was a time in history where Billiards & Pool had a heyday. It was in the newspapers across this country. Hoppe, Greenleaf, Cochran & Mosconi were heroes. It is true there weren't as many different venues back then, but it is the appeal that garners participants, not just something to do.

We have players among us that compare "watching Pool" as to watching "Paint Dry". Maybe that's because the TV matches (streaming too) are a bit sterile. Look at our sports heroes... they ain't sterile... they are DYNAMIC. Muhammad Ali, Dennis Rodman, Earl the Pearl & so on, to name a few. Maybe instead of just one MC, there could also be a "roving mic" where the audience, stake horses & players get to add to the "thrill of victory" or "agony of defeat".

Pro Sports aren't fun to me, because I like POOL & I understand the game & the drama that goes along with it. That is my likes & dis-likes. Pro Sports has noise, announcers, lights & action that keep the spectators riled up... That's fun for them. That keeps them coming back. Just imagine the audience doing "the Wave", on a full table shot for the match... Katy bar the door if the shot is missed..

In just about every video production there is BACKGROUND audio of some sort (laughter for sitcoms, crazy music for gangsta movies) to assist in the developing the mood of things... Create something that is FUN & EXCITING to watch.

Good Luck in this endeavor...
 
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Great post you got here. I also though that pool can also be promoted on a smaller scale - for kids as extra curricular activities. With that being said, it could start with a couple schools getting some tables, or YMCA promoting a kid's league. My perspective is that people do like shooting pool, but its not a game where you can just mess around and improve because its not very public. But you start off with getting the kids interested and reshaping the image of pool from a dark room full of degenerate gamblers to a room filled with kids.

I am not too familiar with how the youth activities work here since I didn't grow up here, but it sees like a plausible option. Once the image of pool has turned more into a family game, then it has the chance to become more widespread.
 
There are a bunch of kids playing Pool in the schools in Texas. I went to one of their tournaments & met lots of the parents. This has a great future
 
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