Pool is becoming a rich man's sport

P

Pool artist

Member
Pool is becoming a rich man's sport.The only people on the mosconi cup seem to have a lot of money and travel alot.The days of playing and travel cheap are over most pro players aren't traveling lack of money .Only the rich seem to be able to travel on the derby city classic the rich with fancy cues playing.The good players aren't traveling because of the lack of money. let's talk
 
There is some truth to it because even if you don't have a table or cue you can easily go to your local pool room which provides the equipment to play. To actually travel you will need equipment and a bag of pool equipment is equal to a bag of golf equipment.

I'm being conservative here and I know my equipment so everything is based on your decent setup.

$350 cuetec case
$800 cue cuetec/predator/mezz any one of these
$400 shaft
$400 break cue
$200 jump cue
$200 misc/tip shaper/tip tool/glove/ extra tip
$100 chalk , you need a few of those in the bag and TAOM is the go-to
$30 claw to hold your cue
$5 towel

=$2,485 to get your traveling setup

Then you have to factor travel expense and everyone is different so I won't go into it.
 
Pool artist said:
Pool is becoming a rich man's sport.The only people on the mosconi cup seem to have a lot of money and travel alot.The days of playing and travel cheap are over most pro players aren't traveling lack of money .Only the rich seem to be able to travel on the derby city classic the rich with fancy cues playing.The good players aren't traveling because of the lack of money. let's talk
Click to expand...
Define “rich.” What sort of annual salary or net worth are you talking about?

Inflation has raised the costs of just about everything, for everyone. And for the most part, wages have trended up to keep pace for all but the lowest paid workers. Is there some aspect of pool costs that is outpacing inflation?

Now if you had said Golf is a rich man’s sport, I would agree without hesitation.
 
DeadStick said:
Define “rich.” What sort of annual salary or net worth are you talking about?

Inflation has raised the costs of just about everything, for everyone. And for the most part, wages have trended up to keep pace for all but the lowest paid workers. Is there some aspect of pool costs that is outpacing inflation?

Now if you had said Golf is a rich man’s sport, I would agree without hesitation.
Click to expand...
Pool equipment cost just as much as golf clubs.

Golf green fees?

My pool hall charges $20 hour.
 
Pool artist said:
Pool is becoming a rich man's sport.The only people on the mosconi cup seem to have a lot of money and travel alot.The days of playing and travel cheap are over most pro players aren't traveling lack of money .Only the rich seem to be able to travel on the derby city classic the rich with fancy cues playing.The good players aren't traveling because of the lack of money. let's talk
Click to expand...

Other than Bergman and Dechaine, what elite players aren’t traveling?
 
skogstokig said:
that's insane table rent lol. play elsewhere or get 4-5 people together, buy a table, start a private club. some people have done it around here. can't do that with golf or tennis without being very rich
Click to expand...
10k table
2k arena lights
10k for furnishing a room in your house
 
Let remember Hotel doesn't cost 50.00 a night ... now you're paying close to $200.00 a night. What happen to staying at friend or other pool player house? Didn"t Efren Reyes.. play original with a 19.00 cue stick, today you might pay 33.00 dollars.
 
DeadStick said:
Not even close. I can play just as well with a $200 cue and a $20 case.


Average around $50-60 for “ok” courses, $175-250 for really good courses, up to $1,000 for some world class courses.
Click to expand...
You're not traveling to play with $200 cue and $20 case and you know it.

If you're actually traveling to play then you would be investing in something that last. It's not just a cue and a case.

Pool players today all have a bag full of stuff. Personally I don't think you need it if you're going to play at the local pool hall but if you're traveling then you better have all that stuff. Oh yea I forgot to mention glue just in case your tip fails and falls off unsuspectingly.
 
Normally I’d push back on this with the idea that “just play with a house cue on a quarter tables”….but then you are spending a dozen dollars a night trying to get better. So let’s just buy a table and put it in the house. But hold up!


I will admit that in some styles of homes or apartments, it really is hard to find a place that can fit a 9 foot table. Let’s say you have a 14x18 ft room so 252 sqft. In Tennessee, you may be looking at $225 a sqft when buying a place.

That winds up being an EXTRA $56,700 on your house cost simply to accommodate a table. Then add the $5k or so to get a gold crown and light moved in and installed. When I bought my first house, I remember thinking I had to have space for a future table but then I realized this cost along with the higher property taxes for a higher appraised house. I don’t have a garage and I don’t really have a yard to build an external space.

So I’ll be playing out of the pool hall occasionally instead of every night.


Here’s the other side of the financial coin… on a bar table: $12 in quarters * 2 days a week * 52 weeks a year * 50 years = $62,400.

While at the pool hall on a 9 foot: $10 an hour * 3 hours a day * 2 days a week * 52 weeks a year * 20 years = $62,400

Just some of the costs that need to be considered in trying to advance your skill.
 
Last edited:
Pool artist said:
Pool is becoming a rich man's sport.The only people on the mosconi cup seem to have a lot of money and travel alot.The days of playing and travel cheap are over most pro players aren't traveling lack of money .Only the rich seem to be able to travel on the derby city classic the rich with fancy cues playing.The good players aren't traveling because of the lack of money. let's talk
Click to expand...

Quite the contrary, we are a poor man's sport.

For the average player our equipment costs nothing compared to other sports. Depending on your location going to the DCC can cost a bit but fancy cues are not required.

Lou Figueroa
 
Last edited:
Its best to compare sports based on the difference in price of electronics.
The rise of electronics started in the 90s but it didn't compete with pro sports until recently.
Video games are generating more money than sports ticket sales.

Video games have lower maintenance costs.

Pool is more like owning power tools. People have them, but they need projects and activities to keep them engaged.

When I told kids at school I go to a bar, they are like that looks like my boss at work.

I was like I gave him a beating and have no idea who he is.

Pool is a exhibitionist sport that its affordable, but its not cheap to play well.

Educators don't always have time to stay current on public people. I get hundreds of names and interactions a day, its not easy to remember details after that.

Pool is for adults, most of the kids were afraid of the pool room because all the old people. I invited people to a pool room for decades. The older I get the creepier it feels to invite people to a pool room. I just go when I want to now.

Invite people and pay for them to play but show them some fun trickshots, this way they don't look clueless. I should've shown them the best posts for selfies and the best locations for light at the table.
 
shooter_Hans said:
You're not traveling to play with $200 cue and $20 case and you know it.

If you're actually traveling to play then you would be investing in something that last. It's not just a cue and a case.

Pool players today all have a bag full of stuff. Personally I don't think you need it if you're going to play at the local pool hall but if you're traveling then you better have all that stuff. Oh yea I forgot to mention glue just in case your tip fails and falls off unsuspectingly.
Click to expand...
A typical amateur does spend money on their hobby, pool included.

I'm watching the Turning Stone tournament right now and you rarely see a fancy cue in the top player's hands. There is a lot of carbon shafts but the butts are not fancy.

If your hypothetical poor person can enter a tournament near them and play strong enough to be Mosconi Cup level, they will be found and likely helped.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
 
lfigueroa said:
Quite the contrary, we are a poor man's sport.

For the average player our equipment costs nothing compared to other sports. Depending on your location going to the DCC can cost a bit but fancy cues are not required.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
I will agree with that. I was on Fedor Gorsts' Facebook page and it implied that he brought along a Viking cue to the MC. Fancy Bling not needed; a good straight cue will do just fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top