Both.
.............................................just to burn up enough space for the filter to pass ....................
Pool almost dead?
- Thread starter Kevin3824
- Start date
Both.
.............................................just to burn up enough space for the filter to pass ....................
I think a good, fairly objective barometer is espn. If it's on espn, people care, because if people care, espn is good about listening to their viewers and giving them what they want.
With that much understood, pool is nowhere to be found on espn for the most part. The sport is essentially dead unless you consider hobbyists as not being dead. Nobody cares, if they did, you'd see it on sports channels. Of course we get some action and some very esoteric matches (which can be quite amazing as we've seen recently), that help the sport sort of hobble along. But, the sport is already dead, or maybe walking dead would be a better term.
With that much understood, pool is nowhere to be found on espn for the most part. The sport is essentially dead unless you consider hobbyists as not being dead. Nobody cares, if they did, you'd see it on sports channels. Of course we get some action and some very esoteric matches (which can be quite amazing as we've seen recently), that help the sport sort of hobble along. But, the sport is already dead, or maybe walking dead would be a better term.
I posted this on another thread on a closely related topic (why no major sponsors), but I think it applies to this discussion as well:
Only two things keeping cue sports from being a major sport like football, golf, basketball, baseball, etc.
1) Booze
2) Gambling
In what other professional sport do the players drink alcohol while playing?
In what other professional sport is gambling by the players allowed?
Since most pool players like to drink and gamble, and that is the image the sport evokes, cue sports will remain a fringe sport. Cue sports will never become a big-time activity until it becomes a family sport that has parents cheering on their kids in competitions. And this can never happen as long as bars and pubs are the locations of the sport.
Only two things keeping cue sports from being a major sport like football, golf, basketball, baseball, etc.
1) Booze
2) Gambling
In what other professional sport do the players drink alcohol while playing?
In what other professional sport is gambling by the players allowed?
Since most pool players like to drink and gamble, and that is the image the sport evokes, cue sports will remain a fringe sport. Cue sports will never become a big-time activity until it becomes a family sport that has parents cheering on their kids in competitions. And this can never happen as long as bars and pubs are the locations of the sport.
what does 'dead' mean here?
As a long time lurker, I saw the term 'dead' being used to describe the current or looming state of pool many times already. But what does 'dead' mean here? To me, it sounds like the game of pool is on the verge of being extinct - meaning there will be no more poolrooms in the world, no one is playing it anymore, nobody owns a pool cue anymore... now come on, that will never happen. You gotta agree with me on that one.
So what does 'dead' mean? Dead on television, dead as a spectator sport? I doubt even that will actually happen. Okay, so it's not on any cable network, but internet streaming is an upcoming medium as well. World Pool Series shows us that it is possible to provide a free broadcast using Facebook.
And personally (but that's just me) I kinda like the 'exclusiveness' of the game. I mean, I'm not sure if I would enjoy watching a pool match with a rowdy crowd around the table. We already have one tournament that's like that, that's plenty enough I think.
As a long time lurker, I saw the term 'dead' being used to describe the current or looming state of pool many times already. But what does 'dead' mean here? To me, it sounds like the game of pool is on the verge of being extinct - meaning there will be no more poolrooms in the world, no one is playing it anymore, nobody owns a pool cue anymore... now come on, that will never happen. You gotta agree with me on that one.
So what does 'dead' mean? Dead on television, dead as a spectator sport? I doubt even that will actually happen. Okay, so it's not on any cable network, but internet streaming is an upcoming medium as well. World Pool Series shows us that it is possible to provide a free broadcast using Facebook.
And personally (but that's just me) I kinda like the 'exclusiveness' of the game. I mean, I'm not sure if I would enjoy watching a pool match with a rowdy crowd around the table. We already have one tournament that's like that, that's plenty enough I think.
i actually have been thinking to take up whittlin,
been trying my hand at sculpting for fun on and off for the last 5 yrs
Well to the latter, horse racing, in the sense that owners do both. And it is an interesting comparison since somehow despite tons of money bet, having basically its own drink (Mint Julep), lots of scandals and frauds over the years, somehow it manages to have a reputation that appears more aspirational than embarrassing. Maybe just because [m]illionaires that own race horses have better publicists. :grin:
Besides, sponsors know if they are writing big checks they just say "no more drinking while visible" and it would dry up like magic. It's not player behavior per se that keeps sponsors out, big money sponsors know how to pull player strings.
Ever watch professional snooker? There is BIG-TIME gambling involved, a lot by players themselves. Gambling and alcohol are NOT why cue-sports(in the U.S. anyway) have not "taken-off". Look at the NFL. Got any idea how much is bet yearly? In 2015 roughly 95BILLION was bet on NFL&college football. Lots of reasons why pool isn't bigger but these two aren't it.
Last edited:
In snooker the players aren't allowed to gamble on any matches they are involved in (possibly not even tournaments...not sure on that).
Stephen Lee is the most famous case of receiving a lengthy ban, but admittedly that was for supposedly match fixing which is a bit different!
But yes everyone else can bet on snooker over here and I hear its massive in Asia!
Haven't followed it real close the last few yrs. I guess they banned it(by players) in 2010. Probably a good idea. Pro golfers used to do it also but i think that stopped in '14 or so.
This seems a little historically blind. The fact is that there was a very similar game, that was bigger than pool back in the day, that has completely disappeared (balkline) and another that was also bigger than pool that has almost disappeared - 3C. What has happened in the past can happen in the future. And that is the trend pool is following.
And the kid taking those piano lessons is far more likely to make a living and a career out of music than the folks taking pool lessons are of doing the same out of pool. By at least a factor of 100, and probably by a factor of thousands.
All I know is that pool is going to outlive me.
After that, Oh Well .
After that, Oh Well .
All I know is that pool is going to outlive me.
After that, Oh Well .
After that, Oh Well .