Please...

[L.S. Dennis]

So much of just about everything already said is true. Another important factors is media generating interest in the different players, and the rivalries between them in upcoming tournaments. How many average Joes have every heard of Earl Strickland, or Efren Reyes. Try walking down any street in mainstream America and asking the average person if they’ve ever heard of them. Then ask them if they’ve every heard it Tiger Woods.

Willie always said this game would interest the public if it were conducted in a clean wholesome setting. He also said “I’d no sooner play pool in my spare time than a head waiter would come in a wait table on his day off”.

 

[Boxcar]

And to compound the agony, all the "major" promoters seem to be advocating for a marketing style that's ten degrees worse than The World Wrestling Federation. With this new age dress code of tie-dyed wife beater t-shirts and frizzy mullets, what could go wrong? Every financially comfortable suburban Mom will surely want their kids to dress like that. Oh, how collegiate!

 

[buckshotshoey]

And to compound the agony, all the "major" promoters seem to be advocating for a marketing style that's ten degrees worse than The World Wrestling Federation. With this new age dress code of tie-dyed wife beater t-shirts and frizzy mullets, what could go wrong? Every financially comfortable suburban Mom will surely want their kids to dress like that. Oh, how collegiate!

All the all that can change on this level though. Pretty much all schools have some form of dress code. Like I said, if you're going to change the image, you got to do it with the young ones. It may take some time, but it will eventually work as long as you promote it properly.

 

[Nostroke]

Maybe that child star Drake Bell we use to hear so much about. He must be loaded!

 

[Boxcar]

We're missing one critical component. Pool is an INDOOR activity. Kids want to be outside in the sun running around playing slap and tickle with their buds. Given the choice, would you want to be a "football hero" or a pool hero?

 

[Nostroke]

We're missing one critical component. Pool is an INDOOR activity. Kids want to be outside in the sun running around playing slap and tickle with their buds. Given the choice, would you want to be a "football hero" or a pool hero?

Nope! They want to be the best Gamer around-Indoor by the way.

 

[middleofnowhere]

snooker is hard.. much harder than pool. It is organized and everyone knows how the game is played, and don't have different flavors of it like pool.
Pool pro's can try playing snooker but they won't go far.

Maybe that child star Drake Bell we use to hear so much about. He must be loaded!

Why is Drake Bell bankrupt?

The vintage, Spanish-style property he purchased came complete with a swimming pool, as well as stunning views of the city and surrounding mountains. The young actor was living it up at the time, but when the work eventually dried up, Bell was forced to file for bankruptcy.Feb 10, 2020
House forclosed on.
Drake Bell Todays news.
.Drake Bell Pleads Guilty to Attempted Child Endangerment, Faces Up to 2 Years in Prison.8 hours ago

 

[buckshotshoey]

We're missing one critical component. Pool is an INDOOR activity. Kids want to be outside in the sun running around playing slap and tickle with their buds. Given the choice, would you want to be a "football hero" or a pool hero?

Now I'm not sure, but you might live in an alternate reality separate from mine. You have to stick a bottle rocket up their ass to get them to go outside. The problem is getting them off their Xboxes and PlayStations.

Here's one more thought... How many people that played football, basketball, or baseball, actually continued playing in their adult lives? Very very very few. Pool is a game you can play until the day you die, as long as you're physically and mentally able to do so.

 

[Boxcar]

Nope! They want to be the best Gamer around-Indoor by the way.

I'm out of the loop when it comes to the electronic game world. Does that include grades 7 through 12?

 

[Boxcar]

Now I'm not sure, but you might live in an alternate reality separate from mine. You have to beat them up to get them to go outside. The problem is getting them off their Xboxes and PlayStations.

Here's one more thought... How many people that played football, basketball, or baseball, actually continued playing in their adult lives? Very very very few. Pool is a game you can play until the day you die, as long as you're physically and mentally able to do so.

You are correct. I am way out of the loop. At what age do electronic gamers start playing seriously? At what age do they quit playing seriously? Are they organized? What is the population, i.e., how many young people world wide are serious, dedicated electronic gamers? Who actually pays for their involvement? Parents?

In your honest estimation, has the electronic game industry already won the hearts and minds of today's young people?

 

[buckshotshoey]

You are correct. I am way out of the loop. At what age do electronic gamers start playing seriously? At what age do they quit playing seriously? Are they organized? What is the population, i.e., how many young people world wide are serious, dedicated electronic gamers? Who actually pays for their involvement? Parents?

In your honest estimation, has the electronic game industry already won the hearts and minds of today's young people?

I would have to say yes. It's fairly organized. There's even gaming tournaments. What I know of is Call of Duty. I think they even had Madden football tournaments.

Not sure who said it, it might have been somebody here on A-Z... "Pool is an analog game in a digital world." That's why it might be kind of a tough sell to some kids.

I was kind of a gamer myself. I grew up with the Advent of video games. I thought Pong was awesome back then. I'm 55 years old, can I still play video games a little. It's just not my thing anymore.

 

[Poolmanis]

I agree with two small corrections. Since he retired it's now his son and/or Emily. And it's not charity as the OP suggests, it's decades of work to make something better.

Yeah. Actually I meant Matchroom.. And yes it will take some time. As it did with Darts and Snooker.

 

[Boxcar]

I would have to say yes. It's fairly organized. There's even gaming tournaments. What I know of is Call of Duty. I think they even had Madden football tournaments.

Not sure who said it, it might have been somebody here on A-Z... Pool is an analog game in a digital world. That's why it might be kind of a tough sell to some kids.

I was kind of a gamer myself. I grew up with the Advent of video games. I thought Pong was awesome back then. I'm 55 years old, can I still play video games a little. It's just not my thing anymore.

How would you typify the competition between youth athletics, youth pool, and youth electronic gaming? Who is winning? By how much?

How much does it cost to become a serious electronic gamer? 7th graders surely can't pay their own way. Is Soccer Mom paying for a career in electronic gaming? PeeWee football is as analog as you can get. Is it still as big as it once was? Is soccer still a big deal or has it faded?

 

[Boxcar]

Another issue just crossed my mind. Is pool, as an extracurricular activity, inclined to be regional. I don't know how to dig out the current data, but I know as recently as 15 years ago, Pop Warner football was still very active. In Texas, JV and Varsity football are part of an ageless tradition. Included would be booster clubs, and large cheerleading squads. College football is one of the biggest stand alone sporting activities in existence. Can electronic gaming compete with college football, the participants of which are aged 18-22? In my memory, youth football is part of a grand National tradition.

Would you say that active electronic gamers are members of a "set" or a "subset" of competitive activities? Are there as many electronic gamers as there are youth football players? Are there as many electonic gamers as there are college football players, cheerleading squads, and booster/Alumni organizations which support football?

 

[buckshotshoey]

Another issue just crossed my mind. Is pool, as an extracurricular activity, inclined to be regional. I don't know how to dig out the current data, but I know as recently as 15 years ago, Pop Warner football was still very active. In Texas, JV and Varsity football are part of an ageless tradition. Included would be booster clubs, and large cheerleading squads. College football is one of the biggest stand alone sporting activities in existence. Can electronic gaming compete with college football, the participants of which are aged 18-22? In my memory, youth football is part of a grand National tradition.

Would you say that active electronic gamers are members of a "set" or a "subset" of competitive activities? Are there as many electronic gamers as there are youth football players? Are there as many electonic gamers as there are college football players, cheerleading squads, and booster/Alumni organizations which support football?

I don't have the exact numbers. I don't think anybody could. But there are millions upon millions of gamers in this country alone. Competitive Gamers? No. But that's where a lot of people spend their time.

 

[Boxcar]

I don't have the exact numbers. I don't think anybody could. But there are millions upon millions of gamers in this country alone. Competitive Gamers? No. But that's where a lot of people spend their time.

It's starting to look like a very small portion of the youth population would be interested in pool. I know if I was a 36 year old parent with a 10 year old, I would never direct him toward pool. Realistically, do you think many parents today would feel the same way?

 

[middleofnowhere]

I don't have the exact numbers. I don't think anybody could. But there are millions upon millions of gamers in this country alone. Competitive Gamers? No. But that's where a lot of people spend their time.

Compaired to gaming, pool is all but non existent.

The video games market was worth over $90 billion in 2020.
Reports show that the video game industry revenue was $78.61 billion in 2017. According to stats on the video game industry revenue by year, the market is forecast to grow at a rate of 2.29% annually from 2020 to 2024.Jun 9, 2021
https://techjury.net › Blog

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[Boxcar]

At my age, reading a good book is about the most excitement I get. "The video games market was worth over $90 billion in 2020." Holy Shit! Double Holy shit! That's amazing! Please, somebody please tell me just Who In The Phuque is paying for all this. Is the Parents? Say it ain't so.

 

[buckshotshoey]

It's starting to look like a very small portion of the youth population would be interested in pool. I know if I was a 36 year old parent with a 10 year old, I would never direct him toward pool. Realistically, do you think many parents today would feel the same way?

It's not just the kids buying and playing these games. Yes parents buy games for their kids, but as a gamer myself, (not so much anymore), half that number are adults that play the games.

As a parent, I think I would push them to do something... Something other than sitting on their ass in front of a TV console.

Now, you say if you had a 10-year old, you would not encourage them to play pool. Why is that? Because of the reputation pool players have? Well, starting them out young with your guidance, that can be changed.

And then here comes another discussion... Why does pool and pool players have such a bad reputation? It's because of money. I know some of you out there think gambling and pool go hand-in-hand. Well this gambling thing is what gave it a bad reputation. Gambling leads to cheating. Gambling leads to sharking. Gambling has led to murder. And I think it's really the sharking/hustler part that turns some people off. The only reason sharking exists is because of the money.... the gambling.

If none of what I said is true, then why would you discourage your children or grandchildren from playing pool?

If you guys want to gamble, go ahead. It's no skin off my ass. But we can raise the younger generation a little better than that. After they become young adults, you can teach him how to gamble properly. Not how to take somebody elses money, but how to responsibly Gamble. Only bet what you can afford to lose. How to be a Sportsman about it. And your ethics and reputation go hand in hand. I taught this to my stepson in his late teen years. And it had nothing to do with pool. And I really don't even Gamble. I just thought it was A Life Lesson.

 

[Cameron Smith]

At my age, reading a good book is about the most excitement I get. "The video games market was worth over $90 billion in 2020." Holy Shit! Double Holy shit! That's amazing! Please, somebody please tell me just Who In The Phuque is paying for all this. Is the Parents? Say it ain't so.

Kids are not the biggest part of the market. Around 38% are 18-34 and 26% and 34 to 54. In total 79% of people who play video games regularly are 18+. People keep playing as they age so in the next several years we will see the percentage of 55+ gamers increase.

U.S. video gamers generation 2023| Statista

Video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young.

www.statista.com