Past and Present

[D C 6 Pocket]

What percentage of the american public do you think can name the top 10 pool players in the USA? Of that same public how many can name the top 10 Golfers?
In todays world I believe the reason the billiards industry is where it is because there is baggage attached, for example, a professional pool player applying for a mortage and listing their profession as a professional pool player is surly not the same as a pro golfer asking for the same loan. The difference is a professional pool player today is still associated with the baggage of the past "A Hustler"
I believe it will take a grass roots movement to change how we think about and play billiards to move it from the past and into the future. I would like to hear your comments!

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I dont think it has anything to do with baggage. I think it has to do with pool isn't popular, no one wants to watch it because it's boring (in the way that events are currently produced, so there's no sponsors, hence no one gets paid).

Every sport has baggage--- baggage doesn't ruin a sport. Marketability makes/breaks a sport.

Ask the other sports if they have baggage....

John Daly getting shit-faced and getting into drunken public stupors.....Plaxico Burress basically stealing a car a car lot loaned him and gave it to a friend to commit a crime....uh....Michael Vick......steroids and coke in baseball, steroids and coke in football, steroids in bike racing, match-fixing in tennis, crooked referees in the NBA, cheating in NASCAR w/ car specs, cheating in NFL with headset taps....

... I could go on and on for an hour with sports baggage.

The bottom line is..... nobody cares about baggage. Baggage is actually entertaining to the audience. The problem pool has is....uh... there's no audience. It's a dead sport until someone makes it exciting to watch for the average joe. Joe The Sports Watcher.

We love pool, but that's only "us." The IPT was close - making controversial videos of Earl going off, back-stage interviews like prefight interviews, etc.

Pool needs MORE baggage... MORE shit talking.... MORE gambling....MORE cons.... more of something to make Joe The Sportswater watch and not think it's another televised checkers match (which might get higher ratings than pool). AS they say..."IMO"

Just to add-on...TCOM made pool popular because of Tom Cruise and Paul Newman. We need more shit talking, cue swinging, up-your-ass-with-the-spot producing instead of televised cricket matches with subtle soft-talking commentators. WE NEED JOE ROGAN TO SAY "IT LOOKS LIKE EARL GOT HIT IN THE FACE WITH AN AXE!!!" I love Earl, that's why I used his name in that example. You get the idea.

 

[tigerseye]

I believe that if someone doesn't understand the rules then they will probably change the channel.... I know this because when football is on, my wife hates to watch it because she has no clue to what is going on... I told her if she put a little money on one of the teams playing then it would be more interesting to watch...=))
Don't you agree??
So lets open up a bookie booth and get people to watch!! I mean it is already known as the Gamblers game so why not make a few bets and get people interested=))

 

[jasonlaus]

So lets open up a bookie booth and get people to watch!! I mean it is already known as the Gamblers game so why not make a few bets and get people interested=))

Uhh...Nevermind

 

[GMAC]

Your right

I believe that if someone doesn't understand the rules then they will probably change the channel.... I know this because when football is on, my wife hates to watch it because she has no clue to what is going on... I told her if she put a little money on one of the teams playing then it would be more interesting to watch...=))
Don't you agree??
So lets open up a bookie booth and get people to watch!! I mean it is already known as the Gamblers game so why not make a few bets and get people interested=))

Your right betting on a sport brings great interest. The only problem is the players of the sport which you are betting on have to be making enough money so the lines dont affect the outcome.

For example, when Vince Mc Mahon started the XFL he asked vegas to book it. In order for vegas to book it he had to raise the starting QB's salary. Vegas was afraid the OB's made so little money it was too easy to fix a game. Obviously, the other major sports don't have this problem 99% of the time.

 

[Big Perm]

I love pool and golf....and I can't name either of the complete top 10

Average person:

Pool players "Minnesota Fats, Fast Eddie, and Tom Cruise"

Golf "Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Jack Nicholson"

 

[metallicane]

1% would be overstating it. Even pool league players would have a low percentage knowing who the top players were.

 

[JCIN]

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse
An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down
I'd like to think that our love's
worth a tad more
It may sound funny but you'd think by now
I'd be smilin'
I guess some things never change
Never change

~Axl Rose~

 

[CrownCityCorey]

What percentage of the american public do you think can name the top 10 pool players in the USA?

less than 1%

Honestly, most members of this forum can not tell you either - unless they look it up, and from what singular source.

Edit:

I can not name the top 10 in any sport. But I can tell you who #1 is (and perhaps #2) in virtually every sport. All anyone cares about really, is who the winner is!

 

[D C 6 Pocket]

Thanks for the comments, they are very helpful in launching my new venture in billiards. I have been working on and ready to present a new idea that could do for billiards what TX Hold'en did for poker.

If all goes well in the next couple days and I can complete the arrangements, I will introduce it (6 Pocket) at the Derby City with the John Schmidt Invitational. This new idea will satisfy most all of the shortcomings we are fimiliar with in todays billiards enviroment.

More to come............soon

 

[JCIN]

Thanks for the comments, they are very helpful in launching my new venture in billiards. I have been working on and ready to present a new idea that could do for billiards what TX Hold'en did for poker.

If all goes well in the next couple days and I can complete the arrangements, I will introduce it (6 Pocket) at the Derby City with the John Schmidt Invitational. This new idea will satisfy most all of the shortcomings we are fimiliar with in todays billiards enviroment.

More to come............soon

Kudos to you for giving it a shot. I look forward to seeing what you have in mind. I assume John is involved somehow ? If so he is a good guy to have on the team.

 

[D C 6 Pocket]

Think about this, when someone refers to a player as being realy good, how do you interprut what realy good is? How do you measure what realy good is? Here's an example, how much better is a John Schmidt, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer that the best player in your town, pool room?

By todays standards and games its comments like, he's the 7 better or he,s 2 games better. If you are going to play in an amateur only tournament, where is the line drawn in the sand that seperates a pro and an amateur? Is it the tournament director who makes this decision?
If your a PGA pro there is absolutely no question, if your an amateur in golf there is an association that sets the guidelins as to what an amateur is.

There are a lot of references in billiards to Golf so using that reference, how about this, do you know how good Tiger Woods game is compared to your golf game? Is it easier to make this comparison than it is to make the comparison as to how good your pool game is compared to our Pro. players?

I would love to hear your thoughts........thanks.

 

[Scott Lee]

Almost none in either catagory, can name the top 10 in either sport. Percentage? Perhaps 5% in golf...zero in pool (that's because there is no 'top 10', nor any way to do anything other than arbitrarily calculate it...perhaps tournament winnings, but that has little to do with overall skill).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

What percentage of the american public do you think can name the top 10 pool players in the USA? Of that same public how many can name the top 10 Golfers?

 

[philw]

I love pool and golf....and I can't name either of the complete top 10

Average person:

Pool players "Minnesota Fats, Fast Eddie, and Tom Cruise"

Golf "Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Jack Nicholson"

Jack Nicholson?

 

[Black-Balled]

What percentage of the american public do you think can name the top 10 pool players in the USA? Of that same public how many can name the top 10 Golfers?...

I think more people ride bikes than play pool. How many of you can name the top 10 pro cyclists for 2008? (FTR: I cannot + no googling )

 

[Island Drive]

Jack Nicholson?

Red Room right................. How about Good Old St. Nicklaus :smile: Maybe a good old lemonade and ice tea..............