Is Pool a Sport?

cuechick said:
I have no doubt that pool is a sport and have read many arguments on the subject. I would love to know the source of the article, you posted?... :p
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I agree with you.:grin:

I did insert the source of the article on the first post when I initiated this thread, but here it is again.:smile:

CLICK HERE ---------------> OPEN MIC: THE DEFINITION OF SPORTS
 
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If I Can Smoke A Cigarette And Drink A Beer While Doing Something, I Don't Consider That Activity A Sport. So I'd Say No, Pool Isn't A Sport.

But..... I'd Love To See Pool In The Olympics, And Pool Is More Of A Sport Than Some Other Olympic Games. (curling)
 
stuckart said:
So let's say that in 2012 CueSports was going to be apart of the Olympic Games. What would it look like? How would we compete against other countries and ourselves? ...
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It would probably be like the competition at the World Games, which includes snooker, 3-cushion, men's 9-ball and women's 9-ball. But I think the events for the 2012 Summer Games have already been set, and they don't include cue sports.
 
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To me, anything that has 2 or more people competing against one another in some contest of skill where the outcome can be bet on, is a sport. Yes, that's right...Thumb wrestling is a sport!!!

However, I was HIGHLY disappointed when ESPN started airing Magic:The Gathering collectable card game tournaments 15 or so years ago. Although it is technically a sport by my own definition.

I would like to see pool become an Olympic sport. I also believe that it would gain some expanded viewership if it were televised in that venue. There would be a lot of people watching it just because it was in the Olympics, to see if the US could take the gold. I believe it would also gain some increased participation as a result.

As far as the whole curling issue, I would not even know what it was if it were not for Olympic coverage. How many people do you know that have never heard of pool? I don't know of any. I do know people who say they have NEVER played a game, but at a guess, that percentage would maybe be in the 5% range.

It amazes me that a sport played so much cannot garner a larger audience. Every sport has its own niche of people that are willing to sit down for a few hours to watch it being played, but how many with as big of a participation rate as pool, also have as limited an audience. At least here in the states. I would be willing to bet that if you put the same tournaments we watch on TV in the Phillippeans, the viewership would increase exponentially.
 
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Yeah, but they are not out doing a Sunday morning stroll

Tristan said:
Yes, I think it does deserve to be an Olympic competition. There are some current competitions that, I think, should be removed to make way for more deserving activities. First on my list is Walking. Yes, that's right, Walking is an Olympic sport.
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Not to mention drug testing.....

:o

Colin Colenso said:
It shouldn't be important how the term 'sport' is determined. Pool is a human challenge with parallels to endeavors as vast as those in engineering and professional football.

It's not necessarily a fitness challenge, though hard trainers will derive fitness benefits.

As for the aim of Olympic acceptance I'm 100% against it. I believe it would be highly detrimental to the game's development. Almost every sport that has become reliant on an 'Olympic Status', has become a sport ruled by national bureaucracies overseen by stagnant central committees. This is not the formula for evolving sports. Even Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming and gymnastics are extremely poor sports, but for a few superstars.

If pool was an Olympic sport, no entrepreneurs would dare touch it. They'd have to wait 6 months for the committees to meet to give approval on every decision.

btw. JAM, don't mean to poison your thread, just being an contrarian bastard ;-) You're a gem in my books! Missed you while I was away:-)

Colin
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Thunderball said:
I love pool,but a sport it is not.

imo
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Based on what criteria? Does it take physical skill? Do you compete at it? Dose it require hours of training in order to improve? Are there players of such a high level, they are considered professionals and support themselves through pool? How is it not a sport?

Fast_N_Loose said:
If I Can Smoke A Cigarette And Drink A Beer While Doing Something, I Don't Consider That Activity A Sport. So I'd Say No, Pool Isn't A Sport.
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I have seen league level baseball players do this during games, so is baseball not a sport? Why should the actions of casual players negate the abilities of the pro players? Most pro tours including the WPBA & UPA do not allow these activities during events, nor do I think most pro players would consider drinking during an event.

IMO, not acknowledging pool as a sport takes something away from the professionals, who have devoted their lives to the game. I find it hard to comprehend how anyone that understands that actual skill it takes, hours of practice and dedication involved could think otherwise.
 
I still think that they could make poker an Olympic sport, if the chips weighed 50 lbs each and the loser of the hand were allowed to pummel the winner.

Doug
(pool would be more sporting if played on a 40' boat........in a squall) imo :)
 
Smorgass Bored said:
(pool would be more sporting if played on a 40' boat........in a squall) imo :)
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Sounds interesting, but the only challenge there would be not scratching. Make it call pocket for every ball before the rack is lifted, now that would be a challenge.
 
There is no doubt in my mind pool is a sport. I would like to see some of these writers play a 8 ahead set against someone and it takes 20+ hours to play or something similar and then let him say it isnt a sport. In my younger days I've played over 24 hours straight but physically cant anymore. Being disabled, I feel it more than ever now just after an hour. Sometimes I could barely get through a league match.

I'd love to see it in the Olympics and the place WOULD be packed for sure. I think our players would probably put more into it with a gold medal on the line instead of something like the Mosconi Cup. Pool is larger than most people think, especially those outside of the pool world.
 
Smorgass Bored said:
I still think that they could make poker an Olympic sport, if the chips weighed 50 lbs each and the loser of the hand were allowed to pummel the winner.

Doug
(pool would be more sporting if played on a 40' boat........in a squall) imo :)
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LOL, Bridge is already a recognized sport by the Olympics.
 
JAM said:
... (WCBS) ...
What about what's going on in Qatar right now? WTH! :angry:

JAM
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The WCBS is an organization of organizations. It is composed of snooker, pool and carom world governing bodies. The world governing body interested in pool is the WPA. The WPA site does have info/results from Qatar, but not as complete as the event website.
 
I think pool as an Olympic sport would help, the real hope for pool is that it goes worldwide and moves out of the confines of the United States which has happened to a degree over the last several years and the Olympics would move it along even more.
 
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Originally Posted by Thunderball
I love pool,but a sport it is not.

imo


Based on what criteria? Does it take physical skill? Do you compete at it? Dose it require hours of training in order to improve? Are there players of such a high level, they are considered professionals and support themselves through pool? How is it not a sport?
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Ya know,I'm not really sure of the criteria....But I'll try to explain as simply as I can.

I play a lot of pool.I have for lots of years.Never,ever,not one single time did I feel as though I was engaged in a sport.I'm not sure how else to say it.

HTH
 
Colin Colenso said:
It shouldn't be important how the term 'sport' is determined. Pool is a human challenge with parallels to endeavors as vast as those in engineering and professional football.
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The article in the opening post to this thread is in agreement with this concept, and I agree.

Colin Colenso said:
If pool was an Olympic sport, no entrepreneurs would dare touch it. They'd have to wait 6 months for the committees to meet to give approval on every decision.
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Yikes, I never thought of that. :shocked2:

We already have too many blowhards in the politics of pool. They do things behind closed doors, and there is no transparency. That is my opinion and the way I see it here in the States.

Thinking about it in this light, Colin, I may just have to change my view about pool getting in the Olympics. The powers-that-be now don't seem to help pool excel, speaking as an American, and I envision discriminatory practices and favoritism if things move in the Olympic direction. What a shame there is not ONE authoritative body in pool that treats ALL COUNTRIES EQUAL.

Colin Colenso said:
btw. JAM, don't mean to poison your thread, just being an contrarian bastard ;-) You're a gem in my books! Missed you while I was away:-)
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Where ya' been, Colin? I missed you too. I'm sure you're happy to be back home in Australia. There's no place like home. The longer I am in this pool racket, the more that becomes true for me. :wink:

I am now thinking I don't want pool in the Olympics.

JAM
 
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