Marketing pool for tv

Good grief. That was a lotta words. I did read the end though:wink:

I won't watch the movie and I certainly won't devote an hour a month to bowling...or ping pong, or guitar playing, or chess, or auto repair or dog breeding or fishing or gardening...

There are too many recreational options to think 'the masses' will get pulled into pool.

What does the fox say?
 
itsfroze said:
You need the Earl’s and the Landon’s
Some toned down a bit, others amped-up a little, emotion sells! Some people will fall between the cracks and some will prosper.
That’s what happens when there’s change, some adjust, some don’t.

Watch this film about the Professional Bowlers Tour, not only do I think you will enjoy it. But I think you will find a different perspective from the people promoting and running that tour. They were/are in a rebuilding process and there are many similarities between bowling and pool.

Here is the movie: " A League of Ordinary Gentlemen" / SnagFilms Just google it and the movie comes up, it runs one hour and
thirty three mins. This was released in movie theaters in 2005. They must be doing something right , that was nine years ago
and there still on TV Sundays.

Both sports have image problems, bowling has always had a little bit of a dorky image, and pool sort of the bad boy gambling image. In fact that's how the film starts out talking about the image, bowling has. I think done right, pool is more saleable image wise. For dorky isn't easily romanticized.

Where as gambling and a glimpse of pools underbelly, can be. It is evident that people are interested in this aspect, just look at the movies Hollywood has decided to come out with, that did well.

People are interested in hearing about, and seeing things they will never experience in their normal day to day existence. I think this has been proven.

The trick to market pool I think is not to try to sweep it's shady past under the rug and hide it. Use the gambling and a glimpse at pools underbelly as the hook.

Always remember when speaking of pools colorful times, make sure to refer to them in the past tense, as in pools history, times gone by.

Then speak of pools bright new young players coming up in a time and age where with camera phones and the internet hustling no longer exits.

I guess that would be a good time to point out that the prior mentioned things that brought down the hustling are also helping to build even stronger and more knowledgeableup and coming young players in the sport today.

Today with the abundance of video and instructional material available for purchase, not to mention free material on the internet. There are also many fine instructors available across the country at reasonable rates.

It’s a new age for pool (a rebirth so to speak) where it's easier than ever to obtain knowledge, learn, and improve no matter what level you are trying to obtain.

I’ve been shooting pool on and off for most of my life and it’s not only a sport, it’s an art form. Life is pool and pool is life, as there’s do’s and don’ts, wills and wont’s, and if you think before you act things usually turn out better! The more of a hurry you’re in the slower you progress,
sounds just like life to me. There’s never anything exactly the same day to day, or rack to rack, but if you stick with either long enough it can be beautiful.

There is nothing like it, no better feeling than when you’re firing on all cylinders, just looking at the lay of the balls, taking a mental snap shot and the object balls are falling one after another in their assigned pockets as the cue ball is rolling to a stop just where you wanted it to be, life is good!

I guess after this overly long rant I don't really have to say I love this sport, but I love it, there you go! I’d really like to see the players who
put their heart and soul into this sport. The players who've dedicate their lives to pool, get their just rewards as far as fame and fortune go.

The amazing levels of competence these players possess bogles the mind, in a sport that’s so beautiful that no matter how long you play the game there’s always more to learn.

The history of this sport can not be changed, the sometimes shady road it has traveled from past to present can not be hidden or sterilized away nor should we try to in my opinion.

It was what it was, a lot of the hustling and scuffling was brought on by the depression. Not to forget that at one time prior to the depression pocket billiards tournament results were reported on the front page of the New York Times.

In pool as in life everything changes just as I’ve watched pool change, I’vewatched the world change, some for the better, some…

Today is a new day for pool, I believe! The world has / is waking up to this great sport. It’s the United States that needs a wake up call!
This sport, these players deserve to be shared with the rest of the world on TV Peoples LOVE for the BEAUTY of this GAME is what will save it and once again let it take it’s rightful place.

Well that and the right marketing, of coarse, this is 2014 !

This is of coarse my opinion.
If you got this far thanks for reading, if not oh well.
Click to expand...

Before it flourish on TV it has to flourish on location, pool halls has to stay in business and get filled up with patrons, and arenas filled up with people; then and only then TV will consider it. This is not going to happen until pool industry becomes part of Vegas industry, just like snooker is. Gambling population is continually growing and want to gamble and do not care what sport it is..Sorry.
 
Pro pool needs

One spokesperson or Org.
A good tour
Then a major sponsor
Until this happens all talk is like pissing in the wind. Johnnyt
 
Women get on TV easily!!

Simply put ...Pros to stop listening to promoters that do not have their best interests in heart. Don't mistake my opinion…I don't necessarily blame the pros… Maybe more like challenge their reality that instant fame and fortune are not going to drop in their laps overnight. For instance, in the last minute they have refused to play for cameras until they get a deal for royalties from re-runs. You cannot hold networks hostage for reasoning no viable reason and expect them to welcome you back with open arms. So the women are able to get on tv, who would you rather watch (no disrespect for the women--they play awesome)? I would bet that the everyone would rather watch the best playing. The women are just more business savvy (with reasonable expectations).

This is just one example of players taking advice from promoters that want to be the Bill France of Pool. There are many others to draw from.
 
itsfroze said:
Some people will fall between the cracks and some will prosper. That’s what happens when there’s change, some adjust, some don’t.
Then speak of pools bright new young players coming up in a time and age where with camera phones and the internet hustling no longer exits.
It’s a new age for pool (a rebirth so to speak) where it's easier than ever to obtain knowledge, learn, and improve no matter what level you are trying to obtain.
The more of a hurry you’re in, the slower you progress,sounds just like life to me. There’s never anything exactly the same day to day, or rack to rack, but if you stick with either long enough it can be beautiful.
The amazing levels of competence these players possess bogles the mind, in a sport that’s so beautiful that no matter how long you play the game there’s always more to learn.
The history of this sport can not be changed, the sometimes shady road it has traveled from past to present can not be hidden or sterilized away nor should we try to in my opinion.
In pool as in life everything changes just as I’ve watched pool change, I’vewatched the world change, some for the better, some…
Today is a new day for pool, I believe! The world has / is waking up to this great sport. It’s the United States that needs a wake up call!
This sport, these players deserve to be shared with the rest of the world on TV Peoples LOVE for the BEAUTY of this GAME is what will save it and once again let it take it’s rightful place.
______________________________________________
Great insight, itsFroze.
The great thing about our sport right now is that attrition and technology along will both create automatic change(s).
It's happening. The "hotspots" for pool, the approach to the game (as a sport), the equipment, and the player are all becoming optimized.

Personally, we don't need to "force" pool down anyone's throats.
As long as we continue the above optimization, others will notice.

I have said it before, it's just a matter of years before the pool industry changes and the money comes to pool (including the U.S.).
Click to expand...
 
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Johnnyt said:
Pro pool needs

One spokesperson or Org.
A good tour
Then a major sponsor
Until this happens all talk is like pissing in the wind. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Man is this ever the truth !!!

Let's start with #1 - One Spokesperson or Org.

Well, we can most likely end with this point as well. In fact, a comprehensive review of the facts, when pool had it's last big chance -- and what a great chance it was -- Will reveal that this, Not Earl, is what killed pool, and made the whole game look immature and silly to the general public.

At the first sign of real money entering pool, the organizers and pool promoters turned against each other and launched a battle of alphabet soup.

The xyz folks would do their best to discredit the abc folks who hated the lmn people. 'Our players will not attend you events' one would say to the other .. it was horrible, like a food fight in a junior high school.

The gaming watching public will never accept or tolerate this ridiculous behavior.

For crying out loud, at the height of pools popularity, right when it was about to make a major break through, Earl Strickland was not allowed to play in the US Open for like 5 years.

He was pools biggest drawing card. An established Champion and the best know player in America, if not the world. The best part about Earl, people would tune in and watch him that didn't know the difference between a push or a safety.

Earl won the heart and imaginations of many viewers that were not pool players. That is magic, and something only achievable by few in any endeavor.

Soon after Earl disappeared from the US Open, Pool disappeared from TV.

I'm not trying to make this about Earl, he is just the best example of how poorly pool was managed, or I should say fought over by greedy folks who were only worried about lining their pockets and honestly could not care less about the future of pool.

This whole series of events still pisses me off. So sorry about going on and on...

Enough of this I'm off to practice.
 
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