It"s Such A Shame

nicksaint26 said:
That there still are class acts in pool who don't get sponsors, It doesn't matter if your are a good person only if you can play and bring attention on yourself. Good or bad! To clarify there just aren't enough sponsors out there so that good people/players can make a living.
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Yes, but how you play, more than anything, determines whether you are visible to pool fans and players. Whether you are visible to pool fans and players largely determines whether a sponsor's product will be visible if you endorse it.

Hence, the great players are the ones that get the endorsements. I wish that pool had so much sponsorship that everybody who competes at it could make good money, but that day is neither here nor coming in the foreseeable future.

Sponsors have limited means and need to put their products where they are most visible. It does, in fact, make perfect sense.
 
sjm said:
Yes, but how you play, more than anything, determines whether you are visible to pool fans and players. Whether you are visible to pool fans and players largely determines whether a sponsor's product will be visible if you endorse it.

Hence, the great players are the ones that get the endorsements. I wish that pool had so much sponsorship that everybody who competes at it could make good money, but that day is neither here nor coming in the foreseeable future.

Sponsors have limited means and need to put their products where they are most visible. It does, in fact, make perfect sense.
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I do agree 100% with everything you have stated above. I quess my frustration comes in with guys like Tom D'Alfonso and Jeremy Sossei who in my opinion are always the ultimate gentleman when they play and they might not get sponsors because they don't bring attention on themselves when they play. They just shoot and sit down quietly when its their opponents turn at the table. No sharking, no smashing sticks on the table and definitely no vulgar language when they play. Oh well it is what it is, there is just not enough visability out there to sponsor players and get a return on investment.
 
nicksaint26 said:
I do agree 100% with everything you have stated above. I quess my frustration comes in with guys like Tom D'Alfonso and Jeremy Sossei who in my opinion are always the ultimate gentleman when they play and they might not get sponsors because they don't bring attention on themselves when they play. They just shoot and sit down quietly when its their opponents turn at the table. No sharking, no smashing sticks on the table and definitely no vulgar language when they play. Oh well it is what it is, there is just not enough visability out there to sponsor players and get a return on investment.
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Jeremy Sossei has brought considerable attention to himself through his play, his classy attire, his good sportsmanship and his commitment to participating in all the prestigious American events. He came 7th in the most recent US Open 9-ball and came 2nd at the most recent Turning Stone event. He also won the most recent Joss Tour event. He was selected as one of the last eight for the American Mosconi Cup team and this adds to his visibility. If he is one of the last five, and on current form he might well be, he will get international attention. He is letting his game do the talking, and it should pay off for him at some point in sponsorships.

Tom D'Alfonso, a great player and a great guy, doesn't compete nearly as often as Jeremy and, for that reason alone, is less attractive and less known to potential sponsors.

Of course, sponsors would do well to latch onto either or both of these two.
 
nicksaint26 said:
That there still are class acts in pool who don't get sponsors, It doesn't matter if your are a good person only if you can play and bring attention on yourself. Good or bad! To clarify there just aren't enough sponsors out there so that good people/players can make a living.
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The shame is that they don't know how. Sponsors don't just come knocking you have to look for them. Many players could get sponsors from companies who have nothing at all to do with the pool industry. They may also get sponsorship from people looking for nothing in return.

My wife dumps money into a number of things she gets nothing back from animal rescue, children's theater, church things and so on. This week I paid a vet bill for someone who could not afford to have their cat treated. I used to have an old couple who came in my pool room who were always trying to give me money towards going to tournaments. They had an RV and used to go to every tournament within a few hundred miles and liked watching me play. I didn't need any money but I steered them to a nice kid who was a good player and they paid his expenses and entries allowing him to play in many more tournaments then could have.

It is little work getting a sponsor and the player needs to put together a package selling themselves to the sponsor. Maybe doing some research into tax advantages it may offer. They could start right within their own family and friends. Small business often sponsor Kids ball teams that gets them pretty much noting in return.

There are people who have more money then they know what to do with who may also be pool fans. You just have to find them. Player sponsorship is not the problem, tournament sponsorship is the real problem. The player doesn't need a sponsor if there are no tournaments to even play in.
 
Hits 'em Hard said:
Must be really upset with professional golfers then too. Professional players/athletes are paid for their productive worth for the sport/company. Shall we hold teachers to the same standards as professional athletes? No class room achieving, no pay. Sound like a deal?
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I don't have a problem with the sponsorship of professionals and amateurs alike. You are right. They ARE paid for their productive worth....at playing a game and/or hawking some kind of product to the masses. I personally think we hold teachers to a higher standard than the pro athlete. Having known plenty of teachers in my time, most if not all of them are having to spend some of their own money for supplies to teach. And all this while our government continues to look the other way. They deserve better. Not saying all teachers are great. But, anyone who chooses to spend their profession teaching our future leaders and followers, deserves my benefit of the doubt.
 
Black-Balled said:
I would not, but I do believe those pursuits should be worth far more to our society than they currently are.
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An experienced tenured high school teacher here in Oregon makes about 50k for 9 months work depending on the district. Seems like honest wages to me.

JC
 
I'm amazed that anyone gets sponsored in pool. I suspect the dollar amount of the average sponsorship is VERY low. A "Case" sponsor gives you a free case; wow! A cue or tip sponsor gives you a couple new cues and a year's worth of tips, plus a couple hundred bucks.

How many pool cues do you think Lucasi sells each year because they sponsor Thorsten Hohlmann? Good players aren't influenced by Thorsten's sponsorship (more likely the opposite is true if you believe AZ threads: "oh, he only uses it because he's paid to...")and bangers have no idea who TH is.

There's no money in professional pool because it's not a spectator sport. 99% of US pool players have no idea who SVB is, nor do they care.
 
It's called free market forces, the market determines your worth.
Good Baseball players are in demand Pool players are not, next.
 
JC said:
An experienced tenured high school teacher here in Oregon makes about 50k for 9 months work depending on the district. Seems like honest wages to me.
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Key terms; "tenured" and "experienced".

50k might be good enough to get by in rural Oregon, if you have a working spouse, or a dwelling inherited from a parent. Living close enough to bike to work might be helpful. For a position with educational and state certification requirements, it sounds more like an entry-level salary. Great money if you happen to be still living at home. And those other three months… Who has bills and other obligations which will take a 3-month hiatus? Maybe they should get off their high horse and pull a stint in the local fruit-packing house, or harvest produce.

Society has significant expectations of our educators, but doesn't seem to want to pay a commensurate salary. We need to decide if education is important or not, and whether it's a career or not.

Ken <--- Not involved with education, other than financial support.
 
Slider said:
Key terms; "tenured" and "experienced".

50k might be good enough to get by in rural Oregon, if you have a working spouse, or a dwelling inherited from a parent. Living close enough to bike to work might be helpful. For a position with educational and state certification requirements, it sounds more like an entry-level salary. Great money if you happen to be still living at home. And those other three months… Who has bills and other obligations which will take a 3-month hiatus? Maybe they should get off their high horse and pull a stint in the local fruit-packing house, or harvest produce.

Society has significant expectations of our educators, but doesn't seem to want to pay a commensurate salary. We need to decide if education is important or not, and whether it's a career or not.

Ken <--- Not involved with education, other than financial support.
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Teachers will earn a good salary when they decide that eduction is important enough to fire incompetent teachers. But as long as they protect the incompetent the public will view them as nothing more than wage-workers...and treat them as such.
 
bdorman said:
I'm amazed that anyone gets sponsored in pool. I suspect the dollar amount of the average sponsorship is VERY low. A "Case" sponsor gives you a free case; wow! A cue or tip sponsor gives you a couple new cues and a year's worth of tips, plus a couple hundred bucks.

How many pool cues do you think Lucasi sells each year because they sponsor Thorsten Hohlmann? Good players aren't influenced by Thorsten's sponsorship (more likely the opposite is true if you believe AZ threads: "oh, he only uses it because he's paid to...")and bangers have no idea who TH is.

There's no money in professional pool because it's not a spectator sport. 99% of US pool players have no idea who SVB is, nor do they care.
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That's why I don't say I am a sponsor just because I gave up a case. If I give up money or product that can be turned into money then yes.

I find it to be kind of tacky to crow about your product being great because a pro uses it. Unless that pro paid for your product their use of it is not purely because they think it is the best.

But having said that I can say that in my travels and conversations with hundreds of players their equipment choices are influential to some people.
 
bdorman said:
I'm amazed that anyone gets sponsored in pool. I suspect the dollar amount of the average sponsorship is VERY low. A "Case" sponsor gives you a free case; wow! A cue or tip sponsor gives you a couple new cues and a year's worth of tips, plus a couple hundred bucks.

How many pool cues do you think Lucasi sells each year because they sponsor Thorsten Hohlmann? Good players aren't influenced by Thorsten's sponsorship (more likely the opposite is true if you believe AZ threads: "oh, he only uses it because he's paid to...")and bangers have no idea who TH is.

There's no money in professional pool because it's not a spectator sport. 99% of US pool players have no idea who SVB is, nor do they care.
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Who is SVB?
 
nicksaint26 said:
That there still are class acts in pool who don't get sponsors, It doesn't matter if your are a good person only if you can play and bring attention on yourself. Good or bad! To clarify there just aren't enough sponsors out there so that good people/players can make a living.
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Let's cut to the chase...

Question:
Why should GOOGLE (One of the most profitable company's in the world today) choose to sponsor a Professional Pool Player with a great personality?

Answer this question and you'll be able to adapt it to any single company you choose and represent anyone of your 'Class Acts' to make a dime for yourself and the 'Good People' you endorse...

I'll even assist your answer with a small quote:
"ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

PS:
Please do not take offence here as I support your words and empathise with many pro pool players, but the above question is the reality. I'm just the messenger :thumb up:
 
Slasher said:
It's called free market forces, the market determines your worth.
Good Baseball players are in demand Pool players are not, next.
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There are many types of sponsorship deals. The majority of what is being discussed in this thread is the type of sponsorship based on individual mass market appeal / popularity.
The above quote pretty much sums up a pro pool players position within that mass market place.

There are however, alternate ways for a pool player to go. :thumbup:
 
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JB Cases said:
That's why I don't say I am a sponsor just because I gave up a case. If I give up money or product that can be turned into money then yes.

I find it to be kind of tacky to crow about your product being great because a pro uses it. Unless that pro paid for your product their use of it is not purely because they think it is the best.

But having said that I can say that in my travels and conversations with hundreds of players their equipment choices are influential to some people.
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When I went to the Reno open in February my first 10 ball opponent was Oscar Dominguez. After the match he said "that's a nice case you have ".

It was my new brown and cream ultimate rugged.

JC
 
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