Professional pool

[spktur]

Not that long...The Camel Pro Tour lasted three seasons...until RJ Reynolds decided they weren't getting the bang for their buck that they expected, so they pulled the plug. Then Don Mackey, tour commissioner, sued RJ Reynolds for almost $900,000...and WON. He stole all the money, and lives on a golf course in FL.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

R J Reynolds did not pull because they weren't getting enough bang for their buck. They pulled out because the federal government passed a law stating tobacco could no longer sponsor any sporting events. It was the same thing that killed th Winston Cup racing series. The part about Don Mackey is pretty much accurate.

 

[Charles Hartfield]

Yes. Lack of money has everything to do with it. An organized tour costs money. There's really not enough money inside the industry to support a pro tour. Brunswick has taken a huge step back from sponsorship and others have followed. Thus far, pool has been unable to get the attention of a potential major outside sponsor like Nike, for example.

You can't ask players to travel on a tour where they can't make a living. We need a fresh new marketing strategy that can attract outside sponsorship.

That’s what I was thinking. I assume the top players scratch out a living by individual endorsements and not prize money.

 

[hang-the-9]

I am aware of the other tours but don't agree that anything in America touches the Joss Tour for both the number and quality of its annual events. It's my opinion that The Joss Tour is the best regional tour in American history.

Yes but those are still pretty strong events that bring in decent numbers each time. They may not be a Lexus, but a Toyota pool event is still not bad. I was not comparing them, just making sure they were in the same talk.

 

[hang-the-9]

Organizing pool players is like herding cats.

Not just that, if someone tried to do a national tour, all the local events will try to battle it. There is only so much time in the week and money for entry fees for many players. A bit like league play and tournament play. Some players do 2-3 league nights of pool, and when you try to get them to join a tournament you get "I would but I already spend all time I can in league".

Plus travel costs are a pain, unless you can pay almost everyone that enters a living wage, who is going to travel round the country if they know that they need to finish in top 4 to break even playing against guys like Shaw and SVB.

IPT was the last, and really only, real pro event, and that ended up dying at least partly due to laws against online wagering in the US. If our laws matched those of Europe for what is legal to do, I bet we would have a much stronger pro pool scene in the mainstream. You can have online gambling sites that sponsor most sports in Europe, liquor ads, bail bondsmen ads (hehe), whatever pool players would be interested in.

 

[Bob Jewett]

With Barry Hearn's Matchroom now running the Open we may see a US tour in the near future. ...

I think the only way a US tour would be interesting to Matchroom is if there was enough TV money possible to both support the tour and make a profit for Matchroom. Maybe such a thing is possible but it is clear that many things would have to change before it could work.

 

[Ghosst]

Organizing pool players is like herding cats.

Herding cats is easy. Try rattling a bag of treats or starting a can opener. Silly newbs.

IPT was the last, and really only, real pro event, and that ended up dying at least partly due to laws against online wagering in the US.

Bonus Ball baby!

 

[DecentShot]

Some just aren't that kind of girl, and pool just ain't that kinda game. Amateur pool is alive and doing well. I can be happy with that.