It was simply amazing!

Roger Long said:
I just came from Bull Shooters where Shane Van Boening showed up tonight unannounced and started hitting balls on one of the 9-ft Gold Crowns. I got the camera out and started taking some pictures, and after a few minutes of that, league players started coming up and asking me who I am taking pictures of. When I told them, they said they'd never heard of him before and wanted to know if he was any good. There must have been at least six or seven exchanges like that.

That got me to wondering...are lower eschalon players that disinterested in what's going on with professional pool these days; or is it that professional pool is just poorly promoted?

Roger
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Why "WOULD" they know who he is? He doesn't do commercials, he is not a spokesman for any product, he is never a guest on Letterman. Pool tournaments are not on TV and the pool results are not covered in any sports media outlet anywhere in the US, be it newspaper, internet news organizations, or any sports shows on regular TV or cable. So I ask again, why "WOULD" they know who he is? Why would anyone other then the most hardcore fans of the sport know who he is?

You seem to want to use your statement as some kind of put down of the average players who are not fanatics. The fact is, the number of pool players who would have a clue of who Shane Van Boening is, be it by sight or name would be really really small and that is no fault of their own. Except on here of course, a forum that to the average player is as obscure to them as is Shane Van Boening. So what is your point?
 
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SmorgasBored used to lament about the shrine that was erected at Planet Nine Ball in Tampa, Fl for Buddy Hall and the fact that when the league players were around, they could be looking straight at Buddy Hall and none of them had any idea who he was.

I think a bridge should be built to enlighten the "amateur" players. BCApool league has done that and continues to do that with their shared pro and amateur tournaments but no others that I know of.
 
AzHousePro said:
I just don't think the average amateur cares.

Mike
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I agree. It's a shame, but where I live pool is mostly APA leagues (Bar Tables) and you'd be hard pressed to find any of the APA players who could name 5 pro players. They just aren't interested in professionals playing on 9' tables. I go to the US Open every year and I don't see a single person there who lives in my home town and we have a ton of league pool players here.

James
 
macguy said:
Why "WOULD" they know who he is? He doesn't do commercials, he is not a spokesman for any product, he is never a guest on Letterman. Pool tournaments are not on TV and the pool results are not covered in any sports media outlet anywhere in the US, be it newspaper, internet news organizations, or any sports shows on regular TV or cable. So I ask again, why "WOULD" they know who he is? Why would anyone other then the most hardcore fans of the sport know who he is?

You seem to want to use your statement as some kind of put down of the average players who are not fanatics. The fact is, the number of pool players who would have a clue of who Shane Van Boening is, be it by sight or name would be really really small and that is no fault of their own. Except on here of course, a forum that to the average player is as obscure to them as is Shane Van Boening. So what is your point?
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You make good points, but I SINCERELY doubt that Roger has any intention of the "put down" you refer to.

td
 
So I bike at least once a week with my son/family, take trips to cape cod and ride the trails there, no clue who any of the pro bikers are. I guess that would be like a once a week league player or bar player.

You have to not only be interested in participating in the sport but be a student of it. I could easily see someone playing pool in a bar for 20 years, get to be about a B level, and have no clue about the difference in tips, shafts, rails, etc... In fact, I have seen it. Just last night. Guy was using a half-open closed bridge like a beginner, poked at his shots, had no idea about proper spin, if he wanted the ball to move more he just hit it harder. Yet he played at a decent speed, I'd say a low B, high C. Made decent shots, got decent shape, probably could not tell you who Shane or Alex or Tim Scruggs were.

Just like I can own a $500 bike and have no clue who anyone in the sport is aside from Armstrong. But he's on a different level of famous, up there with Tiger, Shaq, etc... In pool, that's the Black Widow.
 
Not only is Jeanette Lee more recognized, the average Joe has no idea about the top players relative abilities. I was chatting with a well-known pro who had just won a big tournament. After he had won someone came up to congratulate him and said,"But don't you wish you were as good as Jeanette Lee?"

Simply amazing.
 
Poorly promoted!! How would they know? They are never on tv or mainstream media. Since my dish network plan dropped ESPN classic, I almost never see any pool on tv, and my DVR is set to record all things with billiards in the title.
 
When I went to the exhibition with Earl Strickland and John Schmidt, I was talking to the room owner, and he told me that he would have liked a bigger turnout, but it wasn't bad for such short notice. Then he told me that next time he was going to try and get Jeanette Lee in there assuming that I would be more excited about her coming. Just basic notoriety I guess.
 
Unfortunately I'm not surprised by this at all. A few years ago, when the Predator Pool School came to our pool room, I spent 2 days with Efren, Busta, Thorsten, and Tony Robles. At the end of the second night they were supposed to do a brief exhibition and challenge matches.

It wasn't very well organized or promoted, and all I remember was the league players drifting in, seeing higher than normal number of people in the room, and walking RIGHT BY Efren and the gang to go to their normal table to warmup. Several were pissed that the leagues were going to be delayed by 1 hour.

Again, some of this was the fault of the room owner, organizers of the school, etc. for not marketing it better, but it was amazing to see person after person walk right by some of the top players in the world.

I do like the analogy to bowling, darts, curling, biking, and other fringe-type individual sports is accurate, really only the better players care about what's going on at the top levels of the sport and keep up with standings etc. I remember when I used to bowl at a high level I knew everyone, but I certainly don't know any of the top names now except for the guys who are still plugging away that were around when I was playing (Pete Weber etc.). Even true with golf and tennis to some degree, but those sports are so heavily marketed and commercialized that there is a higher level of recognition by the general public, especially among the elite players.


It's still sad though - these are the same fans who can't play baseball, football, or basketball at anywhere near professional level but know every guy on their home team and many players in the league as well, along with stats, injuries, etc., and discuss the team and the sport in general as if their ideas are better than the people getting paid to call the plays and make those decisions. And they'd spot a guy from the team or league from across a busy room and rush over to get his autograph. These same people probably play pool better than they do other sports, but didn't see anyone lining up to get Efren's autograph, probably one of the best players to ever play the game.

Scott
 
Roger Long said:
I think if you was to read my second post in this thread you would be able to see my point. There are no requirements that I know of on AZB to make a point right out of the gate. :p

Roger
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Life has few requirements. The same with those amateur players who like to play pool for the sake of it. They would probably be interested in who the top players but it is not a prerequisite to playing. You don't have to pass a test when you get a table or join a league.
I apologize if my first post was a knee jerk reaction but I read posts on here almost everyday by people whose lives are consumed by pool and can't understand why others aren't total fanatics like they are.

They constantly put down league players or the general players who just want to knock some balls around as lesser then themselves using terms like "Ball Bangers" and so on.

I will tell you one thing, If his picture was on the wall holding a Coke in an advertisement they would know. I have never been to a Nascar event in my life but I know quite a few of the names from their advertisements. There is the problem, no promotion by promoters or even the players themselves. Remember how Miz became a house hold name from one commercial. Pool needs a public relations firm to get it in front of the public. Players need agents getting them gigs. I know without a doubt players could get commercials not so much because of their names but the visual of the game and what can be done with it on camera. O wonder if anyone remembers I believe it was Balukas who did a commercial for nail polish where they tied in pool. Could have been Ewa Mataya I don't really remember.
 
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Amazing...

Roger Long said:
I just came from Bull Shooters where Shane Van Boening showed up tonight unannounced and started hitting balls on one of the 9-ft Gold Crowns. I got the camera out and started taking some pictures, and after a few minutes of that, league players started coming up and asking me who I am taking pictures of. When I told them, they said they'd never heard of him before and wanted to know if he was any good. There must have been at least six or seven exchanges like that.

That got me to wondering...are lower eschalon players that disinterested in what's going on with professional pool these days; or is it that professional pool is just poorly promoted?

Roger
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I guess Tucson must be a lil different than most places. We have a small BCA, in house, league, and almost each night there is conversation of the Pro players.
If Shane were to wander into Pockets, here in Tucson, he wouldn't have to pay for any drinks....that's for sure. I'm betting his pool time would be comped also.....or one of us locals would put it on our tab.
 
mbvl said:
Not only is Jeanette Lee more recognized, the average Joe has no idea about the top players relative abilities. I was chatting with a well-known pro who had just won a big tournament. After he had won someone came up to congratulate him and said,"But don't you wish you were as good as Jeanette Lee?"

Simply amazing.
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So true..


The average Joe knows (of) Jeanette Lee. Why? Is she the best female pool player on the planet? Is she one of the best female self promoters on the planet? Is she recognizeable by the general public? She has created and crafted wide spread market penetration and has brand recognition.

The mystery well-known pro may indeed wish he were as good as Jeanette Lee-at what she does best-in being the highly visible, attractive, sweet but deadly-highly marketable Black Widow. In this niche sport/game-it may benefit the pro to operate a bit below the general public's radar.

I have a poolroom friend who likes to say 'It is what it is, brother.' True statement.

Big Change requires big effort and is very expensive. And it would have to turn a profit.

Today-I'm guessing most of that profit in mainstream pool is in the bar table leagues. Catering to the recreational pool players works for the league operators, certainly helps the roomowner survive until the weekend arrives-and it works for the majority of casual-interest folks who play pool for sh1ts and giggles, and buy food and drinks while having a good time. That works.

As more serious fans of the game-maybe we can be content with a better appreciation than most of the beauty, difficulty, history, colorful scoundrels and class acts that make this game and it's highest practioners so loved by so few of us. In a way, maybe we are lucky that not everybody knows about it. But neither, do I want to see it die on the vine.

Maybe-'It is what it is' is about right. Not a condemnation of the casual uninformed, or an affirmation of a closed click. Just recognition of a very cool activity that has a relatively small rabid following as obsessed as we are.



So-Did Shane get a game going? Anybody step up? What were the stakes. Did they post up? What was the spot? How many break and runs by Shane? Had he changed clothes yet?

Dippy wasn't there, right?

And all the other pool detective information that we NEED.....

thanks for sharing the Shane sighting....see what I mean
 
More PR! Ya gotta put the work in.

Even some hall of fame players still don't have a good website or an active facebook profile. There's two easy ways to gain exposure and sell some fan gear!

My direct observation, I've been playing league for about 7 years and have never heard a league-player chat about the pros.

I have made some projects for a handful of pros: websites, hot-sauce, dvd artwork, shirts, etc...when I told some of my league friends about it, they didn't have a clue of who Johnny, Earl, Buddy, Nick, Keith, etc were!
 
The NEWS that some top rated Pool Player would show up in some Pool Room, and the recreational Pool Player would say WHO?? Is not a surprise, as people for the most part are not exposed to OBSCURE WORLD CLASS ATHLETES. Mention a name like Mark Spitz to some one of my generation, and almost everyone will know the Olympic 1972 Munich Olympic SEVEN GOLD MEDAL WINNER in Swimming.

Ask that same group in my Generation who won Gold in ARCHERY, SHOOTING FENCING, and maybe the Family Member of the Gold Medal Winner might remember their KIDS gold Medal Win.

Who is Tiger Wood, Who is Joe Montana, Babe Ruth, or Walter Payton, and most Americans would have a Clue as all these people were or in the news, and got lots of press.

Ask who is Earl Strickland, and you will get few replies, but as BAD A BAD BOY EARL IS everyone know the BAD BOY of Tennis John Mcenroe because his antics got PRESS WORLD WIDE!

So just think of those top Pool Player being the like of Viktor Ruban-Gold Medal Archer, Lin Dan-Gold Medal Winner Badminton, Maxim Opalev-Gold Medal Winner Canoeing, and the list goes on and on of World Class Athletes who won OLYMPIC GOLD at the LAST SUMMER GAMES. But because of NO PRESS, get like Rodney Dangerfield NO RESPECT.

BTW A little over a year ago a guy where I live had a TOP POOL PRO who's First Name is Cory, spent a few day with him as his guest in his home. One night Cory came down to the Community Pool Room. played for an hour or so and no one knew who the guy was. But the next day I was asked about "E's" friend, and the kid who played pool real good.

Lesson is if you want RESPECT & RECOGNITION Take Up Gold, Baseball, or a Sport that the NEWS HOUNDS COVER.
 
JB Cases said:
All of the above.

Quick, look around your favorite pool room. How many top player's pictures and profiles are hanging on the walls? Any videos for sale featuring them? Any AccuStats DVDs for rent or sale? Any posters advertising upcoming exhibitions? Any posters advertising upcoming tournaments where the pros will be in attendance? Anything at all in the whole pool room that even suggests that pool is played on a professional level?
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One of the biggest signs at "Hanks" is "Bottled Water $1.00" :thumbup:
There are two large framed photos of Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman from the Hustler movie.
 
Fame

No offense, but I wonder how we got to the point where it is acceptable to make everything someone does a celebri-event. The guy just wanted to get out and shoot some balls. While I would love to be Shane's caliber or a movie star, I'd hate to have every event in my life photographed. Pool needs promotion, and I guess people willing to be promoted.
 
One event that I thought of reading this thread was when a friend of mine was playing in a tournament at my home town. He checked the rack before breaking and a spectator said quite loudly "He must have seen that on ESPN." Later in the game or match, my friend plays a nice carom off a ball in the center of the table, goes three rails and ends up next to another ball, leaving a very tough multi rail kick. He comes up to me and whispers "I saw that on ESPN too."
 
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