John Barton said:
Whether it's a viable profession or not doesn't change the fact that there are professional pool players who do derive their income from their pool playing skills.
Is Golf a viable profession? Basketball? There isn't any professional sport that is considered a viable profession when compared to the barriers to entry vs. average salaries.
you're right, there are barriers in all professions. a short person can't hope to compete in the nba. a person with down syndrome can't hope to be a surgeon. however, if a person has the requisite skills, they should have a reasonable chance of making a decent living at their profession. making $10,000 or $20,000 a year is hardly a decent living for a professional. if there were more than 10 people cracking the $100,000 earnings bracket, it would be easier to argue that pool is a viable profession. nobody is saying a "c" player should be able to make a living as a professional pool player. but there are lots of 100+ ball runners who depend on alternate sources of income (or support or subsidy of some sort) to survive. i won't even get into how all the earnings of the majority of "professional pool players" can easily be wiped out by expenses traveling to and entering various tournaments needed to earn their income.
John Barton said:
It doesn't matter if you are a professional anything when you try and get an unsecured loan from a bank. You can be a doctor or an attorney and it doesn't matter. If you walk into a bank where you are unknown then your chances of getting an unsecured loan are next to zero.
banks don't base loan decisions on whether they know you or not. they pull down your credit history, check your employment stability, your income, your savings, etc. then they decide if you're worth the risk. if a "professional pool player" goes into a bank and asks for a house loan, the bank will run you through the same process as your average bus driver, school teacher, technician, etc., before making a decision. it would be difficult to imagine a bank risking a house loan on a "professional pool player". perhaps efren would have a higher chance given his earnings record, but i'm sure they'll want a good size down payment to cover the risk of loaning to a "professional pool player" if he's considered at all.
don't get me wrong, i respect people who have a passion for the game of pool. it's a good way to relax and have fun. however, getting to the top of the sport is a huge time/money investment...the payoff simply isn't there, and its reputation of being a delusional waste of time is going to stick for a generation or more.
i remember a "profession pool player" in town for a tournament was bragging about being a pro. i asked him about his tournament earnings. he was so proud to proclaim he made $8,000 in all of 2005. i'm not sure what a welfare recipient gets but i'm sure its in the ballpark if not better.
http://www.azbilliards.com/thepros/2000thepros.cfm?year=2006
poolmouse