landon shuffet vs earl strickland ...unwatchable

trob

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tried to watch this today..just terrible. Don't get wrong Landon is one hell of a player but watching this match reminded why pool will never get any where. The money is in a television contract like all sports.I'm a hard core player..I've been in love with this game for 25 years. I love to play it and watch it and if I'm bored to tears watching his slow emotionless play how the hell are you going to get the average person to tune in? I know Earl gets out of control and goes over the line but without some guys playing who are loud and confident and wear there heart on there sleeve like earl this game doesn't have a chance on tv which we need to pull this game out of the hole it's in so our best can get the recognition and pay day's I think we all believe they deserve.

Edit to add. I misspoke .. It wasn't unwatchable for me as I love pool. My comments are more based for the average person who likes pool but needs more then watching two people roll balls in pockets to keep them interested.
 
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I don't know, I enjoyed Landon's approach to the game. He played fantastic against Earl and I appreciated his cool demeanor under the pressure of playing Earl. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I want to watch the pool itself, not the actors.
 
Im confused.

Landon handles himself like a true champion. If you want to watch Jerry Springer, watch Jerry Springer.

Earl Strickland was once a real champion. A credit to the sport and to himself. Watch the battles between Earl and Efren and you can see what I real champion he really was. He dominated the US Open.

Earl, now, does nothing but make a distraction and embarrasses the sport and himself. THAT is truly sad.

If you think that the Landon/Strickland match is unwatchable, you must not understand pool.

To me, watching Earl's obvious mental illness is sad and unwatchable.

I wish you the best of rolls,

Ken
 
Ken_4fun said:
Im confused.

Landon handles himself like a true champion. If you want to watch Jerry Springer, watch Jerry Springer.

Earl Strickland was once a real champion. A credit to the sport and to himself. Watch the battles between Earl and Efren and you can see what I real champion he really was. He dominated the US Open.

Earl, now, does nothing but make a distraction and embarrasses the sport and himself. THAT is truly sad.

If you think that the Landon/Strickland match is unwatchable, you must not understand pool.

To me, watching Earl's obvious mental illness is sad and unwatchable.

I wish you the best of rolls,

Ken
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Everything Ken just said. :wink:
 
Your absolutely right. He was calm and cool the entire time. Amazing for a kid his age. My point is you need more then hard core pool nuts like us to watch it if it's going to get the ratings that an espn is shooting for so it's profitable and it can pay the players. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the players are currently getting nothing when it's on espn. Watching guys quietly walk around the table pocketing balls isn't going to get it done. Yes. Unfortunately in today's world of a million things to watch you need a little jerry springer to make the average person want to watch it and make no mistake that's what you need ... The average person who doesn't play pool every day like us is gonna need something to grab there attention. Every time I'm at the expo as soon as earl walks in the place fills up and everyone is around earls table. I wish it was just because he was a great player but common sense tells me different.


Ken_4fun said:
Im confused.

Landon handles himself like a true champion. If you want to watch Jerry Springer, watch Jerry Springer.

Earl Strickland was once a real champion. A credit to the sport and to himself. Watch the battles between Earl and Efren and you can see what I real champion he really was. He dominated the US Open.

Earl, now, does nothing but make a distraction and embarrasses the sport and himself. THAT is truly sad.

If you think that the Landon/Strickland match is unwatchable, you must not understand pool.

To me, watching Earl's obvious mental illness is sad and unwatchable.

I wish you the best of rolls,

Ken
Click to expand...
 
Like shuffet, Steve Davis played with a machine like demeanor. He was one of the most popular snooker players ever. It also helps that he had someone like Barry Hearn to create a persona for the public's interest. I think it's a balance of appealing to the audience in terms of watchable personalities, and having great players who can represent the sport

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Landon is a impressive talent and will turn into a great player. Earl is obviously one of the best to ever play the game. I like Earl, but I much prefer his matches that have to do more with whats going on on the table, and not between his ears. I like his pool, not his poor behavior.

For me, it's very watchable.
 
galipeau said:
Like shuffet, Steve Davis played with a machine like demeanor. He was one of the most popular snooker players ever. It also helps that he had someone like Barry Hearn to create a persona for the public's interest. I think it's a balance of appealing to the audience in terms of watchable personalities, and having great players who can represent the sport

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
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Exactly. I don't everyone to be like earl lol but you got to have some personality to drive the average person to want to cheer you on or root against you lol

Example. I'm a cowboys fan. I watch every game. I HATE the eagles but I watch every game lol because I enjoy watching them lose as much as I enjoy watching Dallas win!

The Olympics are coming up. Why do you think they have stories telling you about all the athletes back grounds. Where they came from ...hardships etc. because if you can make that emotional connection with a viewer they are going to watch.
 
Earl strickland is one of my all time favorite players, along with Francisco Bustamante, John Schmidt (spell that right? sorry John), SVB, and Rodney Morris. Love or hate Earl he is truly one of the greatest to ever play the game. Amongst my favs above he obviously sticks out not because his playing, but his antics. I guess its the same reason why Phil Helmuth is my favorite poker player along with Phil Ivey. What reason that is I cant narrow down, but they are just enjoyable to watch. Francisco was one of the coolest cats I had ever met, he and Earl are in my top ten list of people I would love to play with in my Pool room. Barack Obama too. For some reason I want to run out on our nations leader. Haha!
 
It's best to say nothing and show no emotion against the cheat that is Earl Strickland. It's hard to beat a sharker at his own game, so better off just focusing on the game.
 
The OP has an excellent point about the match. As a fan, I love the match & how the young gun was cooler than the other side of the pillow.

However the fact remains that a match like that will NEVER sell to a majority audience. Regardless of the numbers the community has, if the sport is to grow again (personally I think it won't & people are delusional that it will), it needs personalities to survive. Whether it is right or not is irrelevant as society dictates what sells & train wrecks do unfortunately.
 
Ken_4fun said:
If you think that the Landon/Strickland match is unwatchable, you must not understand pool.
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Posts like this are just silly. Not enjoying a relatively slow paced match means someone doesn't understand the game now? Nonsense.

More to the point, with professional pool's current popularity, who would want to understand it?

galipeau said:
Like shuffet, Steve Davis played with a machine like demeanor. He was one of the most popular snooker players ever.
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The game of snooker was popular, Davis himself less so. He was just the absolute best player of an immensely popular sport.
 
If I remember correctly Davis was the one that people didn't like because he was a snooker playing robot and showed no emotion winning or losing and just seemed uncomfortable with the press. That makes it tough for the best player in the world to promote the game.


SakuJack said:
Posts like this are just silly. Not enjoying a relatively slow paced match means someone doesn't understand the game now? Nonsense.

More to the point, with professional pool's current popularity, who would want to understand it?



The game of snooker was popular, Davis himself less so. He was just the absolute best player of an immensely popular sport.
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TheLoneSilencer said:
The OP has an excellent point about the match. As a fan, I love the match & how the young gun was cooler than the other side of the pillow.

However the fact remains that a match like that will NEVER sell to a majority audience. Regardless of the numbers the community has, if the sport is to grow again (personally I think it won't & people are delusional that it will), it needs personalities to survive. Whether it is right or not is irrelevant as society dictates what sells & train wrecks do unfortunately.
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Thanks. You understand the point I'm trying to make.
 
Pool needs more guys like Alex P. he's very entertaining to watch.
Landon & Earl are at opposite ends of the spectrum, pool players need to find some middle ground to showcase great pool with an entertaining personality. :thumbup:
 
trob said:
If I remember correctly Davis was the one that people didn't like because he was a snooker playing robot and showed no emotion winning or losing and just seemed uncomfortable with the press. That makes it tough for the best player in the world to promote the game.
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Great insight.
If only our current best player (SVB) were better able to connect with fans and were more egregious, there could be some better pool-promoting opportunities there.
Don't get me wrong, SVB is a great individual, it's just that he is not "marketable" enough.

Just remember, not EVERY PRO has to have a big personality while they do their sport in order to garner attention for the sport itself.
Only those in a high-profile position, e.g. No 1 top-tier player for one, need to.

Look what Magic Johnson did for the NBA in the early 80s.....
 
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As with any pro sport or any product, the people that make the product or play the sport make money if it can be sold. A little bit of a leap skipping details...it sells if people want to advertise...and people want to advertise if a large portion of the general* population want to watch/read/telepathically observe.

When I watch pool, I see sponsors like kamui, viking, mcdermott, simonis, scorpion, predator....all pool stuff.

Watch golf and you see golf supplies ads, but I also see chevy, applebees, canon....i dunno what those have to do with golf, but people watch golf so those advertisers (which generate funds for those that produce televised/magazine/whatever golf which pay to cover golf which generates prize money for the tour) pay money to get those that watch golf to buy their products.

Why does the general population want golf but not pool? Lots of reasons I suspect. There isn't one magical reason. The example of an unexciting (general population view, not pool player view) match in the OP (nothing at all against the players. Ever see some pro golfers? BORING!) is one reason. Lack of 'common person' color commentary, lack of juiced up video production (take with a grain of salt, i was a broadcast tv director for 11 years), lack of of public heroes from the pool community (think mizerak ads in mainstream tv wayback when). Pros sponsoring items....like buick using tiger woods to promote buicks. Maybe if Ford started making ads with Jeanette Lee, it would peak public interest. Lack of real media coverage. Partner this with undertones of gambling and shady practices at pool halls. I am not saying that they are everywhere or the norm (or the opposite), but the general public perceives it that way (speculation on my part, I have not data to support that hypothosis). Real or not, perception is what matters. What else...cost of venues for events. How much does it cost to get all the equipment and set up at a casino in vegas (or where ever) for a big televised tourney? I dunno, but I know slates are heavy and tables are bulky and manpower is needed to move them. And that occurs every time. Why are there not established venues for tournaments? Like a golf courses for golf or football stadiums for football. There are reasons I'm sure. I should stop rambling as these are all just little points that are easy to nit pick over and prove/disprove. That is not what I was trying to do. Just trying to promote thought.

I do feel that the facet in the OP of why pro pool is so difficult and struggle for real and sustained money is important. Need to step away from ones own pool interest to see it.
 
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