Internet, good or bad for pool?

I don't know about pool itself but my wife thinks it is good because it replaced my porn time. :sad:
 
Mostly good. Live feeds, and access to tons of info that you wouldnt otherwise be able to get any other way. Ive bought books and movies that i never wouldve even heard about if it wasnt for the internet. and bought tar's live feeds and dvds of those feeds later. which puts money back into the players pockets. So writers, directors of pool movies and books are making more money, so are a few of the players. Theres also small tourneys that i never would have heard about therefore never attened so theres that too.

Yeah some peoples action is gonna get knocked but that would happend even without the internet (just not as much)

and pool halls are closing because the economy sucks not because of the internet. I can read the news online therefore dont need to purchase a newspaper, I cant play pool on the internet. Theres always gonna be a need for pool halls.
 
Mostly good. Live feeds, and access to tons of info that you wouldnt otherwise be able to get any other way. Ive bought books and movies that i never wouldve even heard about if it wasnt for the internet. and bought tar's live feeds and dvds of those feeds later. which puts money back into the players pockets. So writers, directors of pool movies and books are making more money, so are a few of the players. Theres also small tourneys that i never would have heard about therefore never attened so theres that too.

Yeah some peoples action is gonna get knocked but that would happend even without the internet (just not as much)

and pool halls are closing because the economy sucks not because of the internet. I can read the news online therefore dont need to purchase a newspaper, I cant play pool on the internet. Theres always gonna be a need for pool halls.


tap...tap...tap.
 
The internet has to be good for pool. Actually, it's a MUST since TV thumbs its nose at pool.

Don't know how one can say it's bad.

Dave

Gotta love TAR, OTR, etc. Thank God for the internet.


The last year or so TV has been showing more pool than ever - by leaps and bounds. I don't know where you are coming from - maybe that the US Open isn't show nationally, with I would agree with.

I think the internet is good for pool. The APA in Md has a website where APA members can post. Eventually this has to be good as friends will meet more and more on the internet, like AZ.
 
With the internet pool reaches a worldwide market. Without the net it doesn't reach anybody. Nobody knows about the tournaments. Nobody knows where to buy anything. There is no question that the internet has been good to pool.

I haven't read the rest of the thread. No need. Only those who want to be under the radar would think the internet has been bad for pool.

Edit: I read the thread :( Hadn't thought about poker. I don't play so it never entered my mind.
 
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I believe the internet to be good for pool... As has been said it brings more members together , teaches people about the game ... Let's ordinary people see that hey we are no different from anyone else we have some great people that post on these boards we also have some bad ones like any other race or sport. It gives people greater access to teachers like Scott Lee , Randy , Black Jack and several others posting here. Gives info on pool tournaments to attend we never knew about. Before I joined AZ I never new what Valley Forge was or DCC... Never read great posts by the likes of Jay Helfert heck now I have his book coming he also sent me a 8 ball rack and set of centennial balls I use every day on my home table .. Dang I should of got him to sign them or at least the rack... Did'nt know he was going to be a Author ... lol ... JAM I want to buy her book if she ever gets done with it ... ;) Pinniochio , Iowa Player , Fatboy ,Terry A. Smorgie, Ribdoner , John Barton , Shooting Arts , Spiderman you know the dude with the cam and all the info j/k ... Actually this list could be a long one and go on and on ... Sorry for those I missed I am limited on time right now ...

How about Cue makers ... I never would of met Leon Sly , Or known Doug Patrick , Chris Byrne or known of many, many more on here or got complemented by Barry Samboti , found out all the top names in the business ... It is very scary to think that in my world with the use of the interent and AZ my only cue makers and repair source would be Jeff Eason... See pool on the Internet has been very , very good to me ... Or how about cue supplies we have none here the interent has opened doors to me all over the world to get things I want for pool and pool related supplies. It is killing my wallet as I have one of the biggest cue addictions but I love it ...

How about Pro's my whole world consisted of Nick Varner and Johnny Archer they where my hero's and at age 49 they still are my Hero's but before the internet I never even knew who Kieth McReady was or how important and colorful he is to our game.. I thought Earl Strickland was a ***hole... I just never understood him cause I did not know him like I do now thanks to the internet ... I love the guy and his antics now he comes from the heart and lot of what he says makes sense ... He loves the game with a passion and is not afraid to say what he feels ... Before the internet the only phillipino player I really knew about was Efren Reyes ... I did'nt know Ralph Solquet , Bustamonte ... or several of the others I still don't know how to spell thier names but I know they dominate the pool scene and when you come from that country they give you a pool cue instead of a pacifier... Heck I did'nt know who SVB was The Iceman ...And woman's pool to me was about like Womans softball... Now I love to watch Jasmin ... Karen , Allison , Some of the Asian woman who play I am not going to attempt names many of them sound alike .. Jenette Lee and while I know she does alot of good things for our game I also know she is not the saint that I thought she was ... The Black Widow is a great name for her... And Her and Jasmin have alot of backbone for woman and you got to love that ... I love watching the woman play now and I'm really into thier ESPN shows I wish the men had something like that... Come on Mark Griffen make it happen ...Yes I even know who you are thanks to the internet...

The interent has been very useful to me and learning more about the game. I live in a town in rural South Georgia we have no form of Public Transportation . There are still alot places not far out of town that don't have interent access. We still have a funeral home for White people and one for blacks ... Our Cemetary is the same whites on the front blacks buried in the back... We have dentist that see black clients and dentists that see white clients. I once asked a older gentleman why they don't go to a black dentist seeing there are not many here and he said he don't want nothing in his mouth that has been in a black mans mouth. We still have people that will not rent to black people and vise versa. Mixed relationships are still heavily frowned upon here ... When I moved here it felt like I moved back into the stone age ... Our city goverment is still run by the Good Ole Boys ... Who they prefer to call themselves the Dixie Mafia ... They hide it well but most here know it still goes on... Back when Unslolved Mystery's was popular they did a segment on a FBI agent that was killed here by the Dixie Mafia trying to track down the drug trade ... To me in this place that still lives alot on the past the interent has been a blessing not only for pool but for everything in life ... I am still baffled that while things have moved forward in so many places there is still alot of the old South here... Even today in this time when we have a Black President some people are just stubborn and will not change ... Mostly the older people several of which will still not let a black person set at thier dinner table and believe they should come to the back door. So I am hopeful that not only will the internet help the world of pool but also help the world and the South for several other reasons.
 
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More good than bad !

Good for finding tourney's, equipment, supplies or even general information,but after poker started it the internet put the final nail in the coffin as far as actually being able to make it on the road.
 
I love to read about other areas...tournaments and places to play. The streaming stuff is super and the woofing is actually fun but in a whole I think the internet is one huge KNOCK FEST!! If its not a cuebuilder its a player...and I know in life most people dont have the stones to say 75%-90% of the stuff in person as they do when their fingers do the talking.

Voodoo~~~enjoying the road players hanging in my home room, now thats cool :thumbup:
 
The internet is great for pool. Pool is not represented on TV very well in the USA... there's just too much other competition. The internet not only allows for people to watch matches online and buy pool supplies for discount prices, it also is responsible for great forums like this where people can come and learn a few things about pool from people who are more experienced than they are.
 
The internet has been great for pool. Just look at all of the people that have come to this site alone looking to improve their game.
 
Now if there were FREE internet access in the pool rooms, with terminals players could login and use... that might help.

I think the internet has been very useful for the pool world in general. Impact wise, I think it has played a major role in letting players see (streaming) players that normally it would take years to see.

PPV intenet streaming hasn't taken off like most have suspected. Rent-a-Streamer is more of the norm... or FREE with sponser's ads on the side.

I think for the most part the Chat is more popular for the players that access the stream.
800 viewer and that many reading the chat.. more stats please.

All in all, internet in the pool room just might become necessary to maintain business rather then increase it.

JMHO
 
I believe the Internet is bad for the survival of pool as I used to know it. Neighborhood pool rooms, a gathering place for the regulars, seem to be nonexistent in my area today.

Just like the Internet is causing the elimination of newspapers, the Internet has done some damage to pool room businesses, I think.

There will be a day when there won't be a need for newspapers. I hope that never happens to the pool rooms. :frown:

I think it depends on your perspective. FOr many who are mine and Kieths age, it can seem very bad as we are stuck in the golden years and miss them badly.

Pool didn't just change oevernight. It began way back in the early 80's. SUddenly the bar action was all but gone and money really tightened around the pool halls.

When the leagues got popular many got wise very quickly and the level of play rose rapidly. Used to you could find bars where they played for $5, $10, or $20 a game all night and never have to show any speed at all. Now it's races to 5 for $20 which is like pulling teeth from a chicken.

We never carried a cue into the place and how everyone on the planet has one. Action has really died since the early 80's and I doublt it will ever be back.

Jen is right though, people just don't hang out like they used to. Me included.
 
I think it depends on your perspective. FOr many who are mine and Kieths age, it can seem very bad as we are stuck in the golden years and miss them badly.

Pool didn't just change oevernight. It began way back in the early 80's. SUddenly the bar action was all but gone and money really tightened around the pool halls.

When the leagues got popular many got wise very quickly and the level of play rose rapidly. Used to you could find bars where they played for $5, $10, or $20 a game all night and never have to show any speed at all. Now it's races to 5 for $20 which is like pulling teeth from a chicken.

We never carried a cue into the place and how everyone on the planet has one. Action has really died since the early 80's and I doublt it will ever be back.

Jen is right though, people just don't hang out like they used to. Me included.

I was thinkin the same thing earleir, but didnt want to come across as calling anyone old, but yeah it could just be a generational thing. Cause nowadays pool wouldnt be the same for alot of people WITHOUT the internet. And besides ironman newleweds like me and you should be at home anyways:boring: (thank god ive got a table or id go insane) and the economy has something to do with people staying home too.


And for the people who say that it distracts from pool youve got a point but think of all the people that the internet also brings in. It works both ways. overall good. but like everything in life its got its pros and its cons
 
Considering that pool gets zero coverage from mainstream media and sports magazines/newspapers, I'd say that the internet has been very, very good to pool.
 
Has the internet been good or bad for pool?

Hu

Interesting question...

I think the advent of live streaming and widespread information (on tournament and gambling matches), has made pool available in ways that were previously unimaginable...So the preexisting pool fanatics have more avenues to get their "fix'.

I don't think it's brought many new players to the game, however; that only happens inside pool halls.

Most of the AZer's were in love with pool before there was an Internet, now many of the youngsters are just in love with the Internet...games where you get up and move around just don't have the same appeal as they used to...
 
From the perspective of pro pool, it is very good. Without the internet most information about the World Championships, US Open and other major tournaments would be passed through hearsay. As long as the newspapers are not reporting pool results, it is good.

Another example is player exposure. Shane Van Boening had a legion of fans long before he made an appearance on ESPN. The first time I saw him on tv was the BCA Championships, but I tuned in because I had been hearing about this guy for a while. In fall 2007, there were at least 5 SVB threads active at any given moment and he had only 3 or 4 tv appearances up to that point, and one of them was a white wash defeat. His popularity was due to, the World 10 ball Championships, stories from other posters and the Action Challenge among other things, all of which were reported or watched through the internet.

There are other players who make very few appearances on tv but have so many fans due mostly to internet exposure. And people will go to tournaments to see these players, because of this exposure.
 
this is what I am wondering about

Interesting question...

I think the advent of live streaming and widespread information (on tournament and gambling matches), has made pool available in ways that were previously unimaginable...So the preexisting pool fanatics have more avenues to get their "fix'.

I don't think it's brought many new players to the game, however; that only happens inside pool halls.

Most of the AZer's were in love with pool before there was an Internet, now many of the youngsters are just in love with the Internet...games where you get up and move around just don't have the same appeal as they used to...

No question that certain things about the internet are great for existing pool players but I have to wonder if the overall effect of the internet on pool and on the lives of ourselves and our young people didn't result in a net loss for pool.

I know far more theory of playing pool now than I ever did when I was a solid shortstop, I'm just too busy learning all of this to get out to practice and play pool! :grin-square: :grin-square: :grin-square:

Hu
 
Different but Good

I agree with Ironman, it's definitely different!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be debating Jeanette Lee's calcutta etiquette in Illinois, a player being air barreled for $40 in Texas and making $20 sweat bets with a guy in Europe on a pool match in New York........All while sitting at my computer in Texas! LOL

It gets better.........

Also......while feeling ill on the weekend, I am able to view 4 different events in Pensylvania, Texas, Arizona and One I'm not sure were it was! LOL.....All at the same time, while chatting with people in all of them. Funny thing.....some of the people I was chatting with were the same people in all of the different tournaments.

We have more access to information than ever. We are able to have discussions with top players from all over almost at a moments notice.

Man........what's going on is "the triple nutz"!!

God knows what we'll be doing in 10 years!! I know one thing.......get on board or........get left behind people. The train has left the station, enjoy the ride!

Ray
 
The internet is great as far as tournaments are concerned. What better way to advertise? I also love reading about the events or watching TAR being streamed live. Also, it is a great means as far as cues and billiards supplies being sold.

The only down side, as far as I can tell, is action/people's speed being blown. Another problem (personal issue) is spending ridiculous amount of time on this forum when I should be working or doing something productive:eek:. Thank goodness for the blackberry:). Now I can actually leave the house:p.
 
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