I bet there will be a dog or 3!
Let's Bring The Discussion Of Pool Player As Job Over Here
- Thread starter watchez
- Start date
I bet there will be a dog or 3!
If you followed the post, he said the proposal from the player was worse than that of a coin flip...point Being the 50/50 bet made more sense.
.the "end times" are going to be awesome!
.....the "end times" are going to be awesome!
the pool players will take over the world...
.....the "end times" are going to be awesome!
the pool players will take over the world...
As far as golf goes, look up how much the golf digest top 100 instructors charge per hour for lessons. The thing is, in golf you don't have to ever make the tour to make a living.
Traveling and trying to make the big tour is one thing, there are a lot of other jobs in the golf industry that can support people. Local golf instructors charge up to 125 per hour.
Forget golf though...the recent world darts championship just paid over 400k to the winner with a huge crowd watching live. This is what pool needs to learn from.
Traveling and trying to make the big tour is one thing, there are a lot of other jobs in the golf industry that can support people. Local golf instructors charge up to 125 per hour.
Forget golf though...the recent world darts championship just paid over 400k to the winner with a huge crowd watching live. This is what pool needs to learn from.
when you said travel/lodging/entry, you also forget splitting up any "winnings" (earnings?) with their stakehorse or "corporation"
Here's my pipe dream for professional pool...
A. 32 player tour
B. 10 events each year
C. Mandatory qualifiers before each stop.
D. Major sponsors put up all the money (players may have to pay travel expenses)
E. Every player gets paid. Payouts to be as follows
32-16 $5,000
15-8 $10,000
7-3 $15,000
2 $20,000
1 $50,000
A player could simply qualify for each event, and come in last place every time, and still make 50k a year.
The lack of a pro tour is a big reason pool isn't on TV. There needs to be some consistency in order for them to be interested. Pool has no chance of being a major sport on TV without a tour, and without TV, pool has no chance of getting big name sponsors. It all ties together.
A. 32 player tour
B. 10 events each year
C. Mandatory qualifiers before each stop.
D. Major sponsors put up all the money (players may have to pay travel expenses)
E. Every player gets paid. Payouts to be as follows
32-16 $5,000
15-8 $10,000
7-3 $15,000
2 $20,000
1 $50,000
A player could simply qualify for each event, and come in last place every time, and still make 50k a year.
The lack of a pro tour is a big reason pool isn't on TV. There needs to be some consistency in order for them to be interested. Pool has no chance of being a major sport on TV without a tour, and without TV, pool has no chance of getting big name sponsors. It all ties together.
The reason pool isn't on tv is because there is little to no demand from viewers and/or advertisers for it to be there.
Professional Pool Players ARE NOT SELF-EMPLOYED. Self Employed means you EARN a wage or commission. They are professional gamblers or as we know it "Road Players". You cannot compare pool players to Professional Golfers because their is no Professional Tour and no sponsorships in the USA for pool.
The fact is most Road Players will not work 40 hours a week because they want to play a game and enjoy the rush gambling brings. They play on their own terms and play when they want to. Doing this to them is playing and not a job at all from their point of view. The sad fact is a person on the street corner at a busy intersection asking for money probably makes more money than a Road Player in the long run. Are these people on the street corner "Self Employed"?
I went on the road with a veteran pool player for a few months and had the most fun in my life. There is no better rush than beating somebody out of their money in a strange place and getting out of there with your head still attached. Please understand I am not knocking what road players do to earn a living and if I could live life single and on the road I just might do it. We all make choices in life.
Bill Cress said it best:
Pool was once my Passion
Then it was my job
Now its my sentence.
Please Note: Bill Cress has cancer and is very near the end of his life. He is a wonderful man and a very kind heart. He has helped a lot of people with their game and even help my wife when she first started playing pool. My wife and I will be forever grateful for his loving and kindness.
You dream small. $3,100,000.00/year That's Kevin Trudummy type money. Go Big or Go Home. We need a Big Sugar Daddy.
Nick
Red: Professional?... Well, now, let me see. You know, I don't have any idea what that means.
Rehabilitation Officer: Well, it means that you're not on the same level as the rest of society, to—
Red: [Interrupting] I know what you think it means, sonny. To me it's just a made-up word. A politician's word, so that young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie and have a job.....
Rehabilitation Officer: Well, it means that you're not on the same level as the rest of society, to—
Red: [Interrupting] I know what you think it means, sonny. To me it's just a made-up word. A politician's word, so that young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie and have a job.....
dream
Pool players everywhere dream of being the best, winning tournaments, winning money etc. They aren't willing to put in the practice. They flat out tell us that at most TAR match interviews.
Just here in St.Louis and the surrounding areas I can tell you a pool player could earn a living. They can work at a pool hall for a small wage, teach some cheap lessons, promote the bar / hall / leagues / tournaments. I make decent money doing some of these things and I am NOBODY. The fact is they just won't do it. Period.
Models, writers, singers etc are closer to a comparison for a successful pool player. People go chase their dream and work other jobs in the industry till they make it or give up and quit. Most pool players just refuse, stay broke, beg, borrow and steal instead of working hard.
Pool players everywhere dream of being the best, winning tournaments, winning money etc. They aren't willing to put in the practice. They flat out tell us that at most TAR match interviews.
Just here in St.Louis and the surrounding areas I can tell you a pool player could earn a living. They can work at a pool hall for a small wage, teach some cheap lessons, promote the bar / hall / leagues / tournaments. I make decent money doing some of these things and I am NOBODY. The fact is they just won't do it. Period.
Models, writers, singers etc are closer to a comparison for a successful pool player. People go chase their dream and work other jobs in the industry till they make it or give up and quit. Most pool players just refuse, stay broke, beg, borrow and steal instead of working hard.
Wrong.
I am self employed. Some times when I work and hire people (some of them pool players) everyone makes money BUT me. People will say "Thats just business" and I agree 100%.
I read an interesting article awhile ago aimed at twentysomethings. Basically it said that they need to understand that you are only as good as what you can do for other people. What do you produce that other people desire? If you are the sixth best car salesman, plumber, chef, or nurse then you are probably going to make a lot of money. If you are the sixth best one handed fooseball player in the world you are probably going to starve. No matter how talented and special you are.
People have to want to pay for what you produce. Pro pool players sell themselves and their ability to play the game. For the last twenty years at least it seems there are less and less people willing to pay for that product yet more and more people trying to sell it. Whats happened now is they are basically giving it away so they cut their own throat by playing for $1000 here or $500 there.
TAR just paid $5000 for two guys for three days. Other people are paying no guaranteed money just a promised cut of a stream or advertising thousands while actually paying hundreds and the pro's go for it. So I ask you....why would I as someone who pays for a pro players services keep paying $5000 when they play for $1000? Pro photographers all understand a huge rule is that if you give away your work no one will ever pay for it.
What is a pro player anyway? I consider a professional someone who people will pay to exercise their skill or talent. There are maybe ten players on the earth that can draw even the smallest amount of money from people to watch them play. But there are hundreds of players who can play good enough on any given day to beat those guys and they are in the mix eating up money and opportunities. As Watchez stated there is no bar to entry. Being a pro player means nothing because anyone can be one.
End of the day you get paid what people are willing to pay for what you produce or provide for them.
This is a phenomenal post and the one-armed foosball player analogy is absolutely perfect.
You have already won your tournament. You did what it took to learn a skill that someone will pay you for and you do it professionally enough to get paid for it. You could go bid on freelance work every week not knowing if you will get paid or not. I know you have done that in the past but you choose to work a more steady job realizing that you give up the freedom to do what you want every day. What about all the kids out there that want the job you have now? You start showing up late for work, putting out bad work or pissing off your boss you will be out on your ass. There is plenty of risk. To mitigate it you do your best to provide the service you are being paid for.
You are confusing being a professional with playing pool tournaments. There are professional pistol shooters. The top guys win all the events. They make wayyyy less than a pool player doing that. They make may more than pro pool players doing endorsements, teaching and doing exhibitions. There are about ten of those guys. In the entire firearms industry that does BILLIONS of dollars a year. All winning tournaments or being a great player does is get you a seat at the table. What you do with it is up to you.
Darn, you have complaint after complaint. EVERY pool player, professional or other wise knows the off set to playing pool is that's not a lot of money in it. Now if you're good at gambling and matching up there's a lot more to be made. Just my opinion though.
Maybe Earl can manage money. It's not what you make but what you do with it. Make sense?
I need to learn to put the quote I'm replying to, how do I do that? Anyone?
How often would you say you were WITH Earl?
Did you stay in his room to hear radio interviews?
Were you at his house where he sent out emails to people?
How many of the tournaments were you at where you followed him around the entire time to see what he did.
Earl busted butt for Cuetec Cues, he probably didn't do much work for Cuetek cues though come to think about it.
Your comment is once again without merit.
Did you stay in his room to hear radio interviews?
Were you at his house where he sent out emails to people?
How many of the tournaments were you at where you followed him around the entire time to see what he did.
Earl busted butt for Cuetec Cues, he probably didn't do much work for Cuetek cues though come to think about it.
Your comment is once again without merit.
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