Clear time for change!
Scott Lee said:
Tim...How about because the "billiards" part of P&B Magazine refers to 3-C, or carom billiards. The magazine reports information and statistics from both pool and 3-C. Pool has always been pocket billiards, as has snooker. 3-cushion has always been referred to as just billiards. There's nothing wrong with the name pool
...what's wrong are the antics and behavior of some players. That's what helps shape (for better or for worse) public perception.
Scott Lee ~ a professional pocket billiard instructor
www.poolknowledge.com
Hey Scott,
If you re-read my original post, you might understand my point I was trying to make. There is nothing wrong with the word "pool". I feel it is incorrect as by definition. I didn't create the definition, nor did you. In fact it was a shortcut expression (for lack the understanding the correct term) used in bars where Men way back in the pub era pooled their money in gambling games on a pocket billiard table. It was also easier and shorter to say than Billiards or Pocket Billiards, 2 & 4 syllables vs. 1. America set the word "pool" into action not the original foundation of the game.
We can't change the image of the word overnight, if so it would have been done already. The image to those who don't play look at "pool" in a very nagative way. This is the foundation of my point. It is much easier to change a name than change a history of negativity.
That's what is so difficult to overcome in a single word to the general non-playing public. The majority of all successful sports fans don't participate in actually playing that sport. When you meet someone new, I suspect you introduce yourself as a "professional pocket billiard instructor"...Yes ?? Or do you say I am a pool teacher or I teach pool, etc. etc.
When I used (past tense) the term "pool", many thought I meant swimming or I taught people how to build pools. I always had to elaborate, with the "air stroke". Hope you know what I mean here.
Google search for "pool" = 268,000,000
Google search for "billiards = 17,700,000
Google search for "pool billiards = 1,850,000
The majority of the results for "pool" are not realated to billiards at all, in fact by a percentage, it looks like .007 (less than 1 %)
When you add the correct word billiards you get a more accurate result (over 9 times more results)
This could be part of the problem why "pool" has such confusion as to its real gravity in the general publics eye and the difficulty really explaing very quickly what and how we love this so much. It is not really about just putting the same balls into pockets time after time with a piece of wood. The depth goes way beyond that as we all know and feel.
As quoted by the great Albert Einstein -
"Billiards is the well-developed Art of thinking ahead. It is not only a game, but first and foremost a demanding Sport, which requires good stamina, the logical thinking of a chess player and the stable hand of a concert pianist"
Nowhere did he use or infer the word "pool". And clearly he pointed out the word "Art" and thinking. "Good Stamina" refers to good health. And "pianist" yes he refered to a stable hand of precision.
This is clearly not the impression or the image the majority of the world sees and feels when they hear the word "pool" as intended to mean billiards. Times change, that's a great thing. Major companies change their names to reflect a different image all the time, because it works. At & T changes by the sun. Anyone remember who "Bearing Point" was previously? Surely everyone must agree that "pool" today is much different than 2000, 1000, 100, etc... years ago and even much different than even 20 years ago. What happens when the US is completly smoke free in billiard rooms? It will happen, hopefully sooner but the track is clearly in that direction. So what then? When things change for the better, it is always a good idea to reflect that in the name.
"pool" is such a simple word. Just 2 con's and 2 vol's and even the same 2 vol's. Seems a bit elementary to me. I am sure most of us don't look at the game as elementary at all.
Scott, maybe you can say you teach the "art of billiards", doesn't that sound much more accurate and clear as Einstein quoted.
Yes their will be "pool" players who will still fill the negative definition quite well, but for the true reflection of the others, I think it is at least time to consider making a change in the "new" clearer positive direction.
