Is the public being underestimated?

fan-tum

fan-tum

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
After watching "speed pool" yesterday, I'm left with the following--"ok, I get it, here's one more example of catering to the public's assumed need for instant gratification in all things pool. But is it possible the public is being underestimated? Probably not, but has anyone lately seriously tried to popularize the traditional games, including 14.1 and one pocket? Speed pool and trick shots get old quickly.
 
How anyone could watch trick shots is beyond me. 7ball looks like it was kind of built for tv, but it is fun to watch. Lots of good kicks anyway.

Unfortunately, I think 14.1 and One Pocket, you have to be familiar with the games to appreciate them.
 
fan-tum said:
After watching "speed pool" yesterday, I'm left with the following--"ok, I get it, here's one more example of catering to the public's assumed need for instant gratification in all things pool. But is it possible the public is being underestimated? Probably not, but has anyone lately seriously tried to popularize the traditional games, including 14.1 and one pocket? Speed pool and trick shots get old quickly.
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I said almost the same thing in a different thread that is active right now. This maybe what is needed to at least get the interest of the mainstream public. ESPN have dropped out of a number of events for 2008 and have obviously replaced it with other formats that they think will get more attention. The purists seem to not like speed pool, I like it myself. I also love other pool games, however we have some kind of pool on TV that is not trickshots. They paid $50k to the winner of speed pool, the USA Open seems to be the only one paying that kind of $$. I could be wrong on that but anyway as I have said before if Speed Pool is the vehicle that will get more people involved and get more 9 ball 10 ball tourneys on TV we should be happy about it and support it. At least it was not cup stacking, and even if it was cupstacking would anyone have said Oh man I hate cup stacking? NO, the chances are that it would neve have been mentioned on here. The fact that pool was on tv in any capacity whatsoever is great but it has been made fun of and put down by the pool community because it was not their fav game. Everyone needs to quit complaining about the fact Speed Pool was on tv. At least it was on tv.
 
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I thought Trick Shot magic was the bottom of the barrel with regard to televised pool...then came the World Cup of Trick Shots or whatever the hell it is. I like the entertainment value of a good trick shot, but a whole show is just too much. Maybe it would be more appealing if that God aweful announcer, Mitch Laurence, were replaced. I dunno. He makes any televised pool worse IMO...but I digress.

I thought trick shots were bad enough, but Speed Pool has successfully surpassed them as pure pool stupidity. I have an idea...let's make a format where it doesn't matter if you miss, doesn't matter if the balls stop rolling and where the audience IQ must be below 100. If the players sport a mullet and an overbite, that wouldn't hurt either. I am seldom passionate about a topic on this board, but after really, really trying to watch speed pool on my Tivo (only made it 2 minutes), I came to the conclusion that it was about like watching a couple of kids smack balls around for fun. Oh, he missed...no time penalty. Speed pool should have the "No Skill (or Brains) Required" label.

P.S. Sorry if I offended anyone, but I find speed pool and it's endorsement pretty insulting as a pool player.
 
Had watch part of an episode of trick shot pool last night :mad: :mad: :mad: , I was over at my brother and his wife's house and they like trick shots. After I explained to them how trick shot "pool" was horseshit and infact not real pool I turned them away from it and we were finally able to turn that shit off and watch American Gangster
 
I use to play speed pool at the local YMCA. At the time I thought that I had invented it. I once saw big Steve Mizerak playing speed pool. He was good at it too. A lot harder than it looks.....
 
pool said:
I thought Trick Shot magic was the bottom of the barrel with regard to televised pool...then came the World Cup of Trick Shots or whatever the hell it is. I like the entertainment value of a good trick shot, but a whole show is just too much. Maybe it would be more appealing if that God aweful announcer, Mitch Laurence, were replaced. I dunno. He makes any televised pool worse IMO...but I digress.

I thought trick shots were bad enough, but Speed Pool has successfully surpassed them as pure pool stupidity. I have an idea...let's make a format where it doesn't matter if you miss, doesn't matter if the balls stop rolling and where the audience IQ must be below 100. If the players sport a mullet and an overbite, that wouldn't hurt either. I am seldom passionate about a topic on this board, but after really, really trying to watch speed pool on my Tivo (only made it 2 minutes), I came to the conclusion that it was about like watching a couple of kids smack balls around for fun. Oh, he missed...no time penalty. Speed pool should have the "No Skill (or Brains) Required" label.

P.S. Sorry if I offended anyone, but I find speed pool and it's endorsement pretty insulting as a pool player.
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lol. Preaching to the choir(pttc from now on).
 
Interesting point, but...

To me, hardly anything (billiards-wise) more elegant than a 3cushion billiards shot using 5+rails.

Do I think John and Jane will remember which channel it was on after a commercial break? Nope.
 
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