So I would consider pool a fringe sport in the US. To a lesser degree, so is soccer and Tennis. With the latest disappointment of the US men's team World Cup qualifying, the consinued absence of US men's grand slams, and the latest Mosconi Cup defeat, I think there are some parallels.
The USMNT can't compete with the Euros or Latin teams on the pitch on a consistent basis. An american male has not won a tennis grand slam since Andy Roddick in 2003. We all know the futility of the last decade of Mosconi Cups. So what is the answer?
I don't know, but I would be surprised if any other country has their young talent diluted like we have here. In my small Tennessee town, most little league aged kids play a combination of baseball, football, basketball, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and hockey. And with many parents seeing their child as the next big thing, they are starting to specialize at an early age, playing one sport year round. Throw in the kids stuck in their room playing video games, and that is a lot of activities kids can choose between.
I believe most sports are cyclical, and we could very well have another era of agassi/sampras, Mcenroe/Connor or a golden age of pool where Archer, Strickland, Hall, Seigal were winning every tourney under the sun. But I don't see how with the current culture.
Can you imagine if Steph Curry grew up playing Soccer, Tom Brady chose pool from an early age, or Lebron took his physical tools to the tennis court?
The USMNT can't compete with the Euros or Latin teams on the pitch on a consistent basis. An american male has not won a tennis grand slam since Andy Roddick in 2003. We all know the futility of the last decade of Mosconi Cups. So what is the answer?
I don't know, but I would be surprised if any other country has their young talent diluted like we have here. In my small Tennessee town, most little league aged kids play a combination of baseball, football, basketball, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and hockey. And with many parents seeing their child as the next big thing, they are starting to specialize at an early age, playing one sport year round. Throw in the kids stuck in their room playing video games, and that is a lot of activities kids can choose between.
I believe most sports are cyclical, and we could very well have another era of agassi/sampras, Mcenroe/Connor or a golden age of pool where Archer, Strickland, Hall, Seigal were winning every tourney under the sun. But I don't see how with the current culture.
Can you imagine if Steph Curry grew up playing Soccer, Tom Brady chose pool from an early age, or Lebron took his physical tools to the tennis court?