Is pool the most difficult sport for an Amateur to turn Pro?
- Thread starter Keith Jawahir
- Start date
one becomes a professional boxer (and most of the time a pro fighter in general), not because of skill, but because they pay for that title and compete in the pro ranks...
there are amateur boxers who represent their country and get paid by their country so they never need to go pro in order to make a living. many top international amateurs have 100+ fights, hell even 300+ in some cases. they posess pro caliber skills but they're not technically a 'pro'...
Good and pro are two entirely different levels. A few years ago I was in a bowling league for work. There was a guy in the league that would bowl multiple 300s during the course of the season. Asked him why he didn't try for pro and he said that bowling pro is an entirely different world with pro oil patterns vs just regular run of the mill bowling lanes.
The next year we bowled pro patterns and I instantly understood what he meant and I'm a terrible bowler.
I'm not sure that turning pro is necessarily difficult in pool, but making a nice living by being a pro pool player for any length of time is exceedingly difficult.
In most other pro sports the list is pretty long of ppl who make a nice living by just being pro. Heck there are a lot of ppl who don't even play anymore that still live nicely because they were pro.
On the other hand in pool that list is very short and generally reserved for the cream of the crop. It would be like having the NBA list of good earners being Lebron and Stephen Curry, followed by the rest.
In most other pro sports the list is pretty long of ppl who make a nice living by just being pro. Heck there are a lot of ppl who don't even play anymore that still live nicely because they were pro.
On the other hand in pool that list is very short and generally reserved for the cream of the crop. It would be like having the NBA list of good earners being Lebron and Stephen Curry, followed by the rest.
Tru DatHad a friend that said he could hit 90mph at the cages... Ummm, yeah, you know where the pitch is going, and you can swing way early and look like you are a superstar.
Brought him to a "real" sports facility with a machine that throws major league curve balls.... I told him I'd buy him lunch for a year if he fouls off a pitch. He only gets 3 pitches..... The first pitch he jumped out of the way, and it was right down the middle. The next one buckled his knees and he could not swing. The 3rd pitch he "waved" at and missed by at least a foot.
I said you wanna try the 98 mph fastball, and he took a pass
People who have never faced a major league breaking ball will never know what it takes.
I grew up playing baseball. It was a way of life. My father was a great coach and leader in my development. I broke his heart when I quit playing. There is a upper talent level that I knew that for me to achieve would take more time and effort than I was willing to give. I found this out the day I batted against Ricky Hunley.
In 1979-ish Rick Hunley (the NFL Hall of Fame inductee and linebacker coach at Oakland) was pitching on the Post 2 American Legion Baseball team. He was a great pitcher. Most know of him as a football player but he had an offer from Pittsburg to go pro in baseball directly out of high school (Petersburg Va.).
I had prided myself on the fact that I could hit any pitcher. I was small and lacked homer power but could get base knocks regularly and usually carried the highest batting average on the teams that I played on. My big brother was already on the team and batted better than me. My dad acted as an assistant coach, helping out when he could. My dad wanted me to tryout for the team.
I show up for batting practice with Ricky on the mound. He threw 5 breaking balls that came in so fast that the experience was surreal. This was just practice. Ricky wasn't throwing at 100%. That's the moment that I knew baseball was over for me (plus I was burned out).
If money ever finds it's way into pool, most of the players you know today will be pushed out of the way by a new wave of talented players with a work ethic that rivals SVB's. I believe a player with decent talent and enough time to practice could make it to the top 100 in the USA. But to get into the top 25 in the world, you have to have that extra special talent.
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Pool is a game. Pool is not a sport, and certainly not a profession.
Unless you're willing to take a vow of poverty, forego any chance of buying a house, paying for your kids' college education, and retiring comfortably.
The time and effort it takes to get to the top, and stay there (if that's even remotely possible beyond a couple/few years) is not worth the ROI.
Now if you're charismatic, popular, and are able to line up sponsors, start a business, and sustain it, now you're talkin' profession.
Just sayin'.
I'd have to go with Rhythmic Gymnastics, no one has turned pro at that yet...
hmm...
I agree that if there were more money to be had in pool, there would be a higher rate of players going pro, for the simple fact of there being more vultures circling the carcass.
As far as drawing comparisons between how hard a given sport, activity, et. al. is to master... completely moot. Talkin about pool here, no pinball machines, no bowling alleys, just pool... nothing else. (couldn't resist)
I play on a near daily basis with people that I clock as being short-stop / pro level, and none of them are touring. They match up for action, play tournaments locally or just come in to be with friends and wipe the walls with each other and tell a few lies. I believe there are presently MANY Pro Level players out there lurking like ninja. If life were 5% easier, we would see more of these players out there in the tours. But Life only gets harder these days. So do the math.
Hate to be the downer here, but its been a death spiral for some time now, and it is not my intention to hijack the thread into some "where have all the good times gone" or "the future of pool" nonsense. I will play pool until I can no longer get to a table and hold a cue, and like most of you, I will continue to promote pool and support our local gunfighters and suppliers.
Lesh
I agree that if there were more money to be had in pool, there would be a higher rate of players going pro, for the simple fact of there being more vultures circling the carcass.
As far as drawing comparisons between how hard a given sport, activity, et. al. is to master... completely moot. Talkin about pool here, no pinball machines, no bowling alleys, just pool... nothing else. (couldn't resist)
I play on a near daily basis with people that I clock as being short-stop / pro level, and none of them are touring. They match up for action, play tournaments locally or just come in to be with friends and wipe the walls with each other and tell a few lies. I believe there are presently MANY Pro Level players out there lurking like ninja. If life were 5% easier, we would see more of these players out there in the tours. But Life only gets harder these days. So do the math.
Hate to be the downer here, but its been a death spiral for some time now, and it is not my intention to hijack the thread into some "where have all the good times gone" or "the future of pool" nonsense. I will play pool until I can no longer get to a table and hold a cue, and like most of you, I will continue to promote pool and support our local gunfighters and suppliers.
Lesh
I don't believe 20% of amateur boxers turn pro. That is ridiculous. Their definition of amateur must be like us saying 20% of Short-stops turn pro, instead of us saying 20% of D, C, B, and A players turn pro.
As far as skill goes, I think in any sport, the difficulty of reaching the top is the same, from a purely athletic ability. No matter how easy or hard the sport is perceived to be, it will always be a bell shaped curve of where people end up in their abilities in said sport. You are not competing against the sport, you are competing against your peers. Not everyone can be at the top, it wouldn't be the top then! LOL
Now, as far as the business and political side of reaching the professional arena of sports, pool must be one of the easiest on the whole planet. All you have to do is put your money up to play in professional events. And if you have the skills, and do well in those professional events, you will automatically be called a pro by your peers. In other sports, you have to jump through hoops just to get a chance to play on the same arena as other legitimate top pros, even if you do have the skills.
As far as skill goes, I think in any sport, the difficulty of reaching the top is the same, from a purely athletic ability. No matter how easy or hard the sport is perceived to be, it will always be a bell shaped curve of where people end up in their abilities in said sport. You are not competing against the sport, you are competing against your peers. Not everyone can be at the top, it wouldn't be the top then! LOL
Now, as far as the business and political side of reaching the professional arena of sports, pool must be one of the easiest on the whole planet. All you have to do is put your money up to play in professional events. And if you have the skills, and do well in those professional events, you will automatically be called a pro by your peers. In other sports, you have to jump through hoops just to get a chance to play on the same arena as other legitimate top pros, even if you do have the skills.
Im a pretty darn good nose picker. Ill stick with that.
With such small hands it must make it easier to get right up in there for the good nuggets. And you know what they say about small hands right? Small hands.... better boogers.
First & foremost, I do not consider pool a sport.........it is a parlor game.......and I am a die hard pool buff.
One can argue that physical skills are involved but so is accidental luck sometimes & it can happen a lot.
Hooking your opponent unintentionally, colliding off another object ball that makes the intended shot drop.
It is a timeless debate that never ends but the bottom-line is it isn't really a sport just like darts aren't either.
The hardest sport for an amateur to turn pro is baseball followed by golf.......why baseball?
Because you don't decide to turn pro.......someone else decides if you can...it's called a scouting report.
So you are competing against tens of thousands of others playing the same game you are and that's huge odds.
Then you have to progress through the farm system so you can face 98 - 100 mph pitches in MLB.
One can argue that physical skills are involved but so is accidental luck sometimes & it can happen a lot.
Hooking your opponent unintentionally, colliding off another object ball that makes the intended shot drop.
It is a timeless debate that never ends but the bottom-line is it isn't really a sport just like darts aren't either.
The hardest sport for an amateur to turn pro is baseball followed by golf.......why baseball?
Because you don't decide to turn pro.......someone else decides if you can...it's called a scouting report.
So you are competing against tens of thousands of others playing the same game you are and that's huge odds.
Then you have to progress through the farm system so you can face 98 - 100 mph pitches in MLB.