Pool Should Be An Olympic Sport!

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok, I have to say I've heard it from all my non-poolplaying friends, "POOL IS NOT A SPORT AND GAMES SHOULD NOT BE IN THE OLYMPICS!!!"

Well, that's hogwash! If I watch ONE MORE MINUTE OF CURLING I might just kill myself. I don't even think curlers actually exist. I've never met one. NOBODY ON EARTH has ever admitted to me that they've ever done it. The "sport" simply is a myth.

Pool on the otherhand is played EVERYWHERE and is far more involved than scraping ice as you watch a big freakin rock slide along. If they don't make pool an Olympics sport (include baseball on that list), I might just never watch the games again.

By the way, there is no such thing as:

Bob sledding
Luge
Javalin throwing
Discus
Equestrian (C'mon, who's the athlete here? I vote for the horse!)
Archery

Nobody does any of these things EVER! None of my friends ever say, "Hey, lets go discus throwing this weekend!" I'm sick of this. I'm putting on X-Files.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Ok, I have to say I've heard it from all my non-poolplaying friends, "POOL IS NOT A SPORT AND GAMES SHOULD NOT BE IN THE OLYMPICS!!!"

Well, that's hogwash! If I watch ONE MORE MINUTE OF CURLING I might just kill myself. I don't even think curlers actually exist. I've never met one. NOBODY ON EARTH has ever admitted to me that they've ever done it. The "sport" simply is a myth.

Pool on the otherhand is played EVERYWHERE and is far more involved than scraping ice as you watch a big freakin rock slide along. If they don't make pool an Olympics sport (include baseball on that list), I might just never watch the games again.

By the way, there is no such thing as:

Bob sledding
Luge
Javalin throwing
Discus
Equestrian (C'mon, who's the athlete here? I vote for the horse!)
Archery

Nobody does any of these things EVER! None of my friends ever say, "Hey, lets go discus throwing this weekend!" I'm sick of this. I'm putting on X-Files.
I'll Guarenteeeee the male figure skaters play a lot of one hole:eek: :eek:
 
BigRed said:
sounds more like back-hole to me

YEAH--and why do you think those 2man luge dudes always hop of their luge smiling after their THRILLING 90second ride???:eek: :eek:
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Ok, I have to say I've heard it from all my non-poolplaying friends, "POOL IS NOT A SPORT AND GAMES SHOULD NOT BE IN THE OLYMPICS!!!"

Well, that's hogwash! If I watch ONE MORE MINUTE OF CURLING I might just kill myself. I don't even think curlers actually exist. I've never met one. NOBODY ON EARTH has ever admitted to me that they've ever done it. The "sport" simply is a myth.

Pool on the otherhand is played EVERYWHERE and is far more involved than scraping ice as you watch a big freakin rock slide along. If they don't make pool an Olympics sport (include baseball on that list), I might just never watch the games again.

By the way, there is no such thing as:

Bob sledding
Luge
Javalin throwing
Discus
Equestrian (C'mon, who's the athlete here? I vote for the horse!)
Archery

Nobody does any of these things EVER! None of my friends ever say, "Hey, lets go discus throwing this weekend!" I'm sick of this. I'm putting on X-Files.

I agree! My Daughter and I have been fighting over this for a couple years and with the Olympics on right now, its been quite heated. She thinks pool is a joke so I compared it to curling and she took curling!!! She is just out to piss me off... Teenagers lol
 
CaptiveBred said:
I agree! My Daughter and I have been fighting over this for a couple years and with the Olympics on right now, its been quite heated. She thinks pool is a joke so I compared it to curling and she took curling!!! She is just out to piss me off... Teenagers lol


Your daughter should be banished from your home IMMEDIATELY until she comes to her senses. I don't think anyone on this board will argue with me.
 
I agree...even Ping Pong (AKA Table Tennis) is an Olympic sport.....surely it can only be a matter of time
 
Heckler said:
I agree...even Ping Pong (AKA Table Tennis) is an Olympic sport.....surely it can only be a matter of time

But people actually PLAY ping-pong so I'll give them credit. I mean, I have actually been asked to play ping-pong recently. I decline (of course) but it does happen. Also, it's "Ping-Pong". If it were "table-tennis", they'd have table-tennis shoes.
 
I'm pretty convinced that the worst thing that could happen for pool would be for it to become an Olympic sport.

Which if any sports that began in the Olympics and later thrived into a broad and popular sport with regular high end competitions, a tour of professionals making money anywhere close to the golf, tennis, baseball, NFL, Nascar, F1 etc.

If pool was in the Olympics now, the IPT may never have got off the ground. The WPA's monopoly role would have been strengthened through government grants worldwide and an international network of bureaucrats overseeing it, far exceeding what is in place today. They could ban players from all rival tours, same as the IAAF has in Track and Field.

Also, if pool was in the olympics, you'd be lucky to get 10 minutes TV coverage during the Summer Olympic games...and once every 4 years and then the players would be forgotten.

The World Confederation of Billiard Sports which oversees the WPA would become greatly empowered. This centralization of a sport, which would greatly reduce open competition for independent promoters, is not a good model for any sport imho.
 
Quite a few track and field athletes might take issue with the discus thing.

I have seen(& bet on :)) quite a few horses jumping over fences.

Guy I graduated high school with was very much into archery. Hunting with a bow is quite popular in some spots as well.
 
Fore Rail said:
Quite a few track and field athletes might take issue with the discus thing.

I have seen(& bet on :)) quite a few horses jumping over fences.

Guy I graduated high school with was very much into archery. Hunting with a bow is quite popular in some spots as well.


Obviously, you live in a place I've never heard of. Regarding your horse reference, you simply proved my point. You bet on the horse, not the rider. NOW WHEN THE HELL DID THEY START ALLOWING HORSES IN THE OLYMPICS??? You put my dog in the 100 meter race and I can assure you, she's winning the men's event or biting the ass of the one that crosses first!
 
Colin Colenso said:
I'm pretty convinced that the worst thing that could happen for pool would be for it to become an Olympic sport.

Which if any sports that began in the Olympics and later thrived into a broad and popular sport with regular high end competitions, a tour of professionals making money anywhere close to the golf, tennis, baseball, NFL, Nascar, F1 etc.

If pool was in the Olympics now, the IPT may never have got off the ground. The WPA's monopoly role would have been strengthened through government grants worldwide and an international network of bureaucrats overseeing it, far exceeding what is in place today. They could ban players from all rival tours, same as the IAAF has in Track and Field.

Also, if pool was in the olympics, you'd be lucky to get 10 minutes TV coverage during the Summer Olympic games...and once every 4 years and then the players would be forgotten.

The World Confederation of Billiard Sports which oversees the WPA would become greatly empowered. This centralization of a sport, which would greatly reduce open competition for independent promoters, is not a good model for any sport imho.

I can understand, respect and appreciate your opinion. However, most in Pool World would rather see it as an Olympic sport and yet we get turned down each time. What you say makes it sound like we keep getting turned down for the prom when we got a hottie right around the corner. You may be right but we're still not going to the prom.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Obviously, you live in a place I've never heard of. Regarding your horse reference, you simply proved my point. You bet on the horse, not the rider. NOW WHEN THE HELL DID THEY START ALLOWING HORSES IN THE OLYMPICS??? You put my dog in the 100 meter race and I can assure you, she's winning the men's event or biting the ass of the one that crosses first!

Not only r people betting on the horse, they are betting on the rider controlling the horse & the trainer (& everyone else) who prepares the horse to do what he/she does.

Come to Wyoming, Colorado, Montana etc & you will find some bow hunting.

You are not really arguing the point of the discus throw?

Equestrian has been an olympic sport since 1900.
 
Fore Rail said:
Not only r people betting on the horse, they are betting on the rider controlling the horse & the trainer (& everyone else) who prepares the horse to do what he/she does.

Come to Wyoming, Colorado, Montana etc & you will find some bow hunting.

You are not really arguing the point of the discus throw?

Equestrian has been an olympic sport since 1900.


THEY'RE BETTING ON THE HORSE! C'mon! I know the whole board can name at least one Triple-Crown winner but can any of them name the winner's trainer, rider or owner? I think not!

No, I will not go to Wyoming or Montana and if I go to Colorado, it'll be for a football game.

I've never even seen a discus.

People thought the world was flat for thousands of years. That didn't make 'em right.
 
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Colin Colenso said:
I'm pretty convinced that the worst thing that could happen for pool would be for it to become an Olympic sport.

Which if any sports that began in the Olympics and later thrived into a broad and popular sport with regular high end competitions, a tour of professionals making money anywhere close to the golf, tennis, baseball, NFL, Nascar, F1 etc.

If pool was in the Olympics now, the IPT may never have got off the ground. The WPA's monopoly role would have been strengthened through government grants worldwide and an international network of bureaucrats overseeing it, far exceeding what is in place today. They could ban players from all rival tours, same as the IAAF has in Track and Field.

Also, if pool was in the olympics, you'd be lucky to get 10 minutes TV coverage during the Summer Olympic games...and once every 4 years and then the players would be forgotten.

The World Confederation of Billiard Sports which oversees the WPA would become greatly empowered. This centralization of a sport, which would greatly reduce open competition for independent promoters, is not a good model for any sport imho.

Now that the IPT is running with more money and funding than any other organization, would it damage the WPA's claim to be the governing body of pool? Since they can't effect the people who play the game in any real way does that diminish their power? From where I stand, it almost seems as though they have as much of a claim to be the governing body of pool that I do.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Now that the IPT is running with more money and funding than any other organization, would it damage the WPA's claim to be the governing body of pool? Since they can't effect the people who play the game in any real way does that diminish their power? From where I stand, it almost seems as though they have as much of a claim to be the governing body of pool that I do.


I dunno. Let's give it a shot! Make up a new rule and let's see how many of us adhere to it.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
THEY'RE BETTING ON THE HORSE! C'mon! I know the whole board can name at least one Triple-Crown winner but can any of them name the winner's trainer, rider or owner? I think not!

No, I will not go to Wyoming or Montana and if I go to Colorado, it'll be for a football game.

I've never even seen a discus.

People thought the world was flat for thousands of years. That didn't make 'em right.

The fact that u have never set eyes on a discus doesn't mean that it isn't worthy of being a Olympic, High School or Collegiate Sport.

Same goes for those that know a little about horse racing & the use of bow & arrow.

Ignorance truly is bliss.
 
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Fore Rail said:
The fact that u have never set eyes on a discus doesn't mean that it isn't worthy of being a Olympic, High School or Collegiate Sport.

Same goes for those that know a little about horse racing & the use of bow & arrow.

Ignorance truly is bliss.

Ok, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm laughing as I post each and every time. Seriously, I think I may have seen a discus back in 1987 but I was embarrassed to tell anyone. Regardless, it is far from a popular sport in ANY part of the world and is hardly considered a bonafide test of athleticism by most competitors. Yes, it's a sport but nobody does it. Nobody can relate to it.

What's really pleasant about the Olympics this year has got to be the snowboarding. It's popular. It's been popular and young people LOVE IT. Why not consider sports that are more widely played?

Equestrian sports rarely draw attention to the rider. To think otherwise is "ignorant bliss". When the Kentucky Derby arrives, look at ANY sports page and it will have the name of the horse and nothing more. I actually knew an equestrian competitor (she was hot) and although much does go into their trianing, most of their hopes rest on the horse. Is it the rider? Training? Or maybe breeding? If it's breeding, who's competing? Some guy with money? Is that what the Olympics is about?

Bow & arrow? If you can name one bow & arrow champion off the top of your head, you will have refuted my point. If you can even name one who has competed in the Olympics, I'd kowtow right now! NOBODY (except for a few proud mothers) follows archery.


My point, beyond anything else, is: Wouldn't it be better if the Olympics were about sports that we actually play?
 
Jude,

With each and every post on the subject u r narrowing your focus. From the original post that states there is not such thing as:

Bob sledding
Luge
Javalin throwing
Discus
Equestrian (C'mon, who's the athlete here? I vote for the horse!)
Archery

To now talking about Archery champions & naming one that competed in the Olympics. Talking Kentucky Derby & I'll add The Breeders Cup is a very narrow focus as well.

Both of these horse racing events bring people to the track just like Easter & Christmas do for some Catholics. They are there for the social event & to blow a few bucks. They really have no idea what is going on like those that play the game day in, day. Yes I am one of those people.

Like I said I have formerly known & currently know someone that uses a bow.

Your last sentence really sums it up,

"My point, beyond anything else, is: Wouldn't it be better if the Olympics were about sports that we actually play?"

There r those that participate in those sports in which u refute that would say the Olympics are currently about sports that "we" actually play.
 
Fore Rail said:
There r those that participate in those sports in which u refute that would say the Olympics are currently about sports that "we" actually play.


I'm going to bed. Will follow-up with this tomorrow. I have more (serious stuff, too).
 
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