Joe Rogan wanting to help support our sport and TAR

BPG24

Banned
Joe Rogan has been in the TAR live feed with us for a few matches, he seems to be very interested in pool and helping the sport grow. He also mentioned he was looking for a way to make a late night pool TV show, like Poker After Dark.
This is a great idea in my opinion, but coming up with a format that would get viewers to tune in on a regular basis is the problem...

It seems that alot of Pool players also follow the world of MMA, so it got me to thinking. If any of you have seen the TV show Tapout, it is a documentary about a crazy bunch of guys that travel around looking for up and coming fighters, helping them get the best training available and supporting them while they step into the world of MMA...

I was wondering if a TV show could be made about TAR and what they are doing to support the sport of pool. Maybe a similar documentary style show that would show them on the road filming big money matches and Tournaments. Most pool players seem to love the atmosphere just as much as they love watching the best players in the world at their respective games... Several people have mentioned that a huge % of the population of the US plays pool, whether it be recreationally, Leagues, or Tournament/Money players...

Showing the top players/ up and comers while training for competition, then being at the competition, and actually playing for money would be pretty interesting to me. The atmosphere that so many of us love could be a great selling point... Pool, like Poker and MMA has a ton of great personalties. Let's try to take advantage of it

Maybe some of you guys could chime in and give your thoughts, even expand on this idea.

Feel free to mention why this would or wouldn't work. I am just trying to find a way to support our sport and TAR.
 
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While I don't think the above is a bad idea I think there have been a lot of good ideas for a pool show right here on AZ. I myself like a weekly show with two celebtries and two NAME pro players playing partner 8-ball (in Dutch Doubles or Mosconi Cup format) with half the winnings going to some charity. I'm 67 years old so my take on it might be to old for TV land now a days.

If Joe does get involved in this he probably knows better than all of us what could and what could not work on TV. He's been in the business for a long time. He has had top shows on TV, and he loves pool. Thanks Joe. Johnnyt
 
Thanks for your input JohnnyT.... :)

You are right about Joe being the best judge, I asked him through PM to please take a look at this thread after several of us have the chance to chime in...

We need a TV show for Pool IMO, watching reruns of Allison VS Karen has gone way beyond getting old
 
A pool reality show where they played SHORT sets for big DOUGH would be a winner.

Average people aren't going to sit still to wait out a ten ahead set. The only reason poker works at all is because the viewers get to watch "money" changing hands every few minutes.

What would be cool is a tv version of the action room - complete with live chat being shown - BUT it would need to be somehow moderated/censored. Unless it was on HBO.

We would definitely have some STARS and rejuvenate pool in the USA.

Tournaments are boring - action is stimulating!
 
JB Cases said:
A pool reality show where they played SHORT sets for big DOUGH would be a winner.

Average people aren't going to sit still to wait out a ten ahead set. The only reason poker works at all is because the viewers get to watch "money" changing hands every few minutes.

You might be onto something there.

That's one big draw of poker - each hand takes just a few minutes, and there's a payout at the end of that few minutes.

Pool matches, they can go on for hours - and though you may have many games, there's no payout after each game - just the end.

So maybe a TV format would be more like your average bar-bangers throwing down $5 per game - two folks playing games, making bets on that game, EVERY game. Joe Sixpack sitting in front of his TV is after small, rapid bits of feedback - he doesn't want to watch for an hour and then get one bit of feedback (Player X won!) and then it's done.

Now, I know this was sorta done with that AWFUL show that was on a couple of years ago, where they had random people playing each other and the remaining folks betting on the outcome - but that was so artificial and plastic feeling... it could be done better IMHO.
 
Guys,
They can still do a long ahead match for big money. They would just edit it and show go runs or key events...like they do with poker. I bet that on "Poker after Dark" we don't see 5% of the hands (maybe less). They just show the key moments...funny zhit and woofing brawls.

Then after the match airs the hardcore pool fan could watch the whole thing on the net. TV exposure and lots of viewing for the die hard fans.

Nick
 
I was wondering if a TV show could be made about TAR and what they are doing to support the sport of pool. Maybe a similar documentary style show that would show them on the road filming big money matches and Tournaments. Most pool players seem to love the atmosphere just as much as they love watching the best players in the world at their respective games...

I think with some decent marketing,the back story on whos playing who and their history (with some real emphasis on personality),and some quality production this could work....at a reasonably small cost (as compared to other tv productions anyhow).
 
Great news. Joe would be a valuable asset to this sport and what better organization then TAR to bring to the front lines.

Hopefully something happens.
 
Give 4 or more players $1000 and follow them across the country. If you go broke, you hitch a ride home. At the end of the season or the end of the country, the player with the most money wins the grand prize.

This is the premise of the majority of competition shows on television nowadays. I also think the public would love watching the matching up.

This could even be interactive like American Idol/Dancing with the Stars and allow the public to vote which of the lowest 2 money holders goes home each week or vote to give the highest vote winner another $1000.
 
iba7467 said:
Give 4 or more players $1000 and follow them across the country. If you go broke, you hitch a ride home. At the end of the season or the end of the country, the player with the most money wins the grand prize.

What happens when they lose it all the first night? :P
 
You have to cut down on the chance of business. Say I'm the pro starting in NY going to CA. I have a friends that will dump to me in ten or so rooms across the counrty and bingo I'm the big winner when I get to CA. Collect your prize money and send out payment to the dumpers. He would probably need a banker involved too. Sorry to bring this up but if the prise money is high enough (and it would have to be to make it on TV), then someone will set it up. I know I would in my younger days and they use to call me honest John...wanna buy a used car? Johnnyt
 
Some of these ideas sound pretty good. I'd like to see something come to fruition.

Joe's a pretty enthusiastic pool player. I bumped into him a couple weeks ago when I was back in LA for the holidays. I stopped by Hollywood Billiards to see old friends, and Joe was playing with Max Eberle. I greeted Max without even recognizing Joe Rogan because he had a beard hiding his face. Max was getting out every rack from nowhere, so Joe and I ended up playing a half dozen games and talking shop; cues, pool players, legends. He knows a lot, even about custom cues.

If Joe can make something happen, that'd be great. Not only does he appeal to a lot of the younger crowds, he really does have a lot of billiard knowledge. He shoots a pretty decent stick, too.
 
I like the idea of a reality show where several players are given the $1000 or whatever, and the winner is the person who ends up with the highest amount of "tournament" money, not necessarily action money. It would make players like Mike Davis, who travels all along the east coast, a chance to shine. Start them all off in New York, and have the end of the competition be in California, and tape portions of each players "Road to California".

I would also like to see somewhat of a mix between pool and Fear Factor with Joe as host. Pit various unknown players who are willing to go up against each other, with losers required to complete a "dare". Winners of each show win $XXX, with a season ending "tournament of champions".

This would also be great men vs. women, etc. I'm still thinking about whether or not some handicapping system might make it interesting as well. APA, BCA, etc.
 
iba7467 said:
Give 4 or more players $1000 and follow them across the country. If you go broke, you hitch a ride home. At the end of the season or the end of the country, the player with the most money wins the grand prize.

This is the premise of the majority of competition shows on television nowadays. I also think the public would love watching the matching up.

This could even be interactive like American Idol/Dancing with the Stars and allow the public to vote which of the lowest 2 money holders goes home each week or vote to give the highest vote winner another $1000.


IBA, that is interesting.......

I didn't think of that format. You could even take 4 different kinds of players, someone like Shane who is on top of the 10 ball world, someone like Bartrum who is an unreal gambler... Etc etc

I like it.
 
I saw a show once....that had a few very good players, and they would go to bars/pool halls and bust the local champ. I really liked it.

One local champ was really belligerent and talking smack. The undercover player beat him. I think the idea was to bring in these undercovers to bust him up until he stopped coming to the bar and scaring away customers. That, and seeing himself on TV getting beat by a woman, was probably a big blow to his ego.

I really like the idea of a reality show.
Like pro's looking for unknown talent, then mentoring them, and giving them a shot at a title.
Or maybe a reality show of a stakehorse taking an unknown out on the road.

I'll tell ya what...I have only seen a small glimpse of the dark side of pool. I know there are cliques of players that hustle pool, smoke dope, party hard, and scheme for cash. It would make for an interesting show to have someone go undercover and join a clique, and show everyone how exciting pool life can be.
 
I have gotten 2 PM's saying to have Joe Rogan call them for ideas... LOL

I don't know Joe other than from TV and chatting with him. You guys need to put the ideas out here for him to see.
 
You know, I really enjoyed watching that video WOOF! on YouTube. What really got me with that video was watching two top players negotiating out a match.

Think Pinks, except in a pool room. Show players negotiating the game, disagreeing and working it out.
 
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