olympic pool

markjames

markjames

———
Silver Member
when and if the great sport of pool makes it to the olympics, i am wondering if it will be a summer sport or a winter?
 
markjames said:
when and if the great sport of pool makes it to the olympics, i am wondering if it will be a summer sport or a winter?
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If you think pool is political, the Olympics are 10 times worse. Imagine spending your whole life training for them and they put someone less skilled than you in because they're a better media draw or someone got paid off. Yes, the U.S does it also. Johnnyt
 
markjames said:
when and if the great sport of pool makes it to the olympics, i am wondering if it will be a summer sport or a winter?
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That is a very good question. I'd say winter. Simply because that seems to be the time that people head to pool rooms more often (at least the casual players, some of us don't say "nice day for the beach" but rather say "time to check the tournament schedules").
 
Nope, all involve ice or snow.
Only 4 sports are played indoors, and they are all played on ice: speed skating, figure skating, curling, and ice hockey.
 
Why the desire for pool to be in the Olympics? I cannot remember a time when the Games ever propelled a second-tier sport into popularity. It did not create a mass of synchronized swimmers or biathletes. It did not cause archery to sweep the country, although the movie Hunger Games did.

I just do not see the Olympics solving any of the problems of the game.
 
Jerry Forsyth said:
Why the desire for pool to be in the Olympics? I cannot remember a time when the Games ever propelled a second-tier sport into popularity. It did not create a mass of synchronized swimmers or biathletes. It did not cause archery to sweep the country, although the movie Hunger Games did.

I just do not see the Olympics solving any of the problems of the game.
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Even if cue sports were just in the Panamerican Games, the USOC would provide support. I think recognition also is a positive for attracting sponsors.
 
Recognition as a sport of this nature improving the game is a given. How anyone cannot see the benefits is beyond me completely..
 
Bob Jewett said:
Even if cue sports were just in the Panamerican Games, the USOC would provide support. I think recognition also is a positive for attracting sponsors.
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Bob,

Just who is the USOC going to choose to organize Olympic pool in the US? After the 2004 decision, all the major US sanctioning bodies started to talk about being the Olympic representative. As APA does not affiliate itself with professional pool anymore, there're probably out. Actually if the Olympics are really an amateur sport, they represent the greatest number of players in the US and should be in. VNEA and ACS are amateur only. BCAPL / USAPL / CSI "support" some professional pool but are basically amateur oriented. TAP? Close your eyes and see another APA. ABP? Yaaah suuuure. Who does the WPA recognize in the US? BCA? There's an organization the US pool world can trust with its future. There in a nut shell is why American pool will never (OK, never say never) be an Olympic billiards sport participant.

If there ever is a discussion by the USOC with the various sanctioning bodies, I'd love to be invisible and sit in on those discussions :wink: .Should be a beauty!!!!

Lyn
 
voiceofreason said:
Recognition as a sport of this nature improving the game is a given. How anyone cannot see the benefits is beyond me completely..
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I am just looking at history. I find history to be a much more accurate teacher than conjecture. All of the following have been in the Olympics. Where are they now?

1) Croquet
2) Jeu de Paume
3) Pelote Basque
4) Polo
5) Rackets
6) Rink Hockey
7) Roque
8) Tug of War
9) Synchronized Swimming

Now, some of those sports you can't even recognize or describe. So I just do not see how the Olympics is the answer to our dreams. And Bob, why do you say that American pool would gain financial support if it were in the Pan-American games? It got no support for the World Games or the Asian Games. I don't mean to be a downer, but I want to be realistic about what will and what will not help the game. I would not want to see efforts wasted in one direction that might be applied to another direction with more promise.
 
Non-profits and philanthropic groups seem to be able to raise money for a variety of areas. Pool needs this expertise to reach out to non-pool-related industry resources to fund a tour, a tour to be exclusive to pros, with no amateurs allowed.

How to be a pro comes first. Joe Tucker's latest venture seems like a good vehicle to establish this endeavor, as an example.

The pros need an organization and they need someone with expertise in raising funds and public relations.

Of course, it's easy to surmise what might work, but one thing for sure, what's been happening in the past several decades ain't working. :embarrassed2:

A new strategy is needed. Pool is for sale right now -- cheap. :cool:
 
And the more I think about this, the more I think this needs to be an international tour to include pros from around the world and only pros from around the world.

This would be the first step to get the foot in the door of the Olympics. It needs to gain traction first, however.

One tour and one united team. :cool:
 
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