Talk about golf vs pool. No comparison. Look at the beautiful course at Augusta and how well it's managed and played, you can see why it's so far ahead of pool. For instance, I ventured to a little tournament in our area last night and I shouldn't have opened the door. Same old stuff, dingy, smoke-filled joint, good turn-out for such a small community but no place I would want my kids to go and I believe most only come there to win or wager a buck, the wrong reasons. If pool is going to have any chance to survive and gain more popularity, there has to be some nice places to play. Put some nice places out there and people will patronize them and pool might have a chance. Places where any one can come and have fun, kinda like a golf course. I've never heard any parents complain about their kids going to a golf course. Of course they are deathly afraid for them to go to a pool room and for good reason. This is why pool is at rock bottom and nobody's doing anything to change it!
Masters
- Thread starter steveharn
- Start date
I don't get the whole pool vs golf comparison. Why does pool have to be presentable? It is what it is supposed to be. Pool does not have to be like golf. Pool does not discriminate itself only people do.
If pool doesn't "make it" then maybe it's not supposed to. There will always be people who love pool for what it is.
If pool doesn't "make it" then maybe it's not supposed to. There will always be people who love pool for what it is.
Dead?
Are you saying pool is dead as far as being recognized as a popular sport? I would agree with you on that, but my hopes are that somehow it will be revived. However, I get the feeling that you accept it for what is is now and are satisfied with what we have now. I'm sure not! I'm certainly not a golf nut, I don't even play but I do play pool and I don't have a decent place to play, that's what I would like to see change.
JCIN said:
Are you saying pool is dead as far as being recognized as a popular sport? I would agree with you on that, but my hopes are that somehow it will be revived. However, I get the feeling that you accept it for what is is now and are satisfied with what we have now. I'm sure not! I'm certainly not a golf nut, I don't even play but I do play pool and I don't have a decent place to play, that's what I would like to see change.
IMO billiards needs to be marketed like poker. Both share similiar qualities (gambling, smokey rooms, table game). If poker can be big like it is I will continue to have hope pool can reach that level sometime.
JohnPT said:
What pool is is a game. Pool is not the hustling, gambling etc that is assoicated with it, that image is the product of some of the people who play it. Tables have always been in bars, so drinkers, gamblers and the likes are who play it a lot. I agree that the atmosphere turns many people off. States going smoke free may eventually help the image, as more people may go to pool rooms that do not smoke, get drunk etc now that they do not have to endure the smoky atmosphere. It will interesting to see if it affects things or not.
TheNewSharkster said:
Any pro poker event is smoke free. Poker simply has more draw to it from a tv standpoint. There is drama and personality in every hand. Big money is always at stake, and as history has shown, anyone can win it, so everyone tries, creating bigger and bigger cash outs all the time.
Pool is a slower moving game, and unless you understand it somewhat, it may not make a ton of sense. Also, anyone can play poker easily. To be even decent enough at pool to make basic shots takes some level of practice. I can easily be like a poker star at a home game bluffing my neighboor, but I certainly will have to play a ton to be like a pool pro and run a rack even 1 in 10 or 20 tries.
I think there is very little similarity between pool and poker from a tv standpoint, or for the reaons that have made poker so popular.
Pool will need some drama and suspense added, as well as learning some about the players to give fans reasons to root for them. I still like the idea of a reality based show about pool. Add a little teaching that people can go out and try, and popularity may increase some.
mantis99 said:
I think pool has as much drama if not more than poker. How many times can you watch a bunch of pros folding every hand until they get something good?!? (they usually cut that part out of the TV broadcast). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing poker and watching it but I think with the right marketing the "chess" aspect of pool mixed with the required hand eye coordination would make a good combo.