Promoting pool: What can WE do?

inside_english

inside_english

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The other day I posted a thread about "New-found respect for 8-ball" and 3andstop posted this reply:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=1267027#post1267027

So I thought, "He's right!"

Give the sheer size of the APA alone suggests that 8-ball is the most popular game in this country at least. There have been times where non-pool-players have asked me about pool and when I describe 9-ball etc. they seem confused. When I describe 8-ball they exclaim, "Oh! You mean regular, normal pool!"

To the non-playing world, aka the "mainstream public", 8-ball is considered pool. Whether it be high-low, solids-stripes, regular pool, normal pool etc., this is what most people know. So I think it would be a great idea, as 3andstop suggested, to have 8-ball tournaments on television. I am sure the pros won't mind. And when laypeople tune in or channel surf and happen across an 8-ball game they would immediately understand what's going on, and can relate to it, as opposed to watching 9-ball, or 7-ball.

I know we already have the massive APA and BCA followings, but having it on ESPN say, would be great for the game of pool as a whole.

So, what can we as pool lovers, aficionados, connoisseurs, fans and hobbysists do to get this rolling? Should we draft a petition, write our congressman (joke), write the station, several stations...you get the idea.

I personally would not mind watching more pool on TV and would enjoy watching the sport grow in popularity (which would mean more money and maybe even corporate sponsorship).

Maybe this has been discussed ad nauseum in older threads. If so...oh well...didn't feel like searching. Actually I did perform a search and came back with too many hits...:)

So, I await your opinions, which I am sure will be fast and furious (and hopefully plentiful and productive). I think with the advent of the Internet and with the many, many contacts a lot of AZB members have we might be able to have some effect.

Let's do this!
 
I think the best chance pool has is a with a womens tour. Dress them very sexy and looking good. People would at least look at the cover of a pool mag then. Put Archer or some other guy and people would walk by all day long. Even women stop to look at good looking women. Next to that. Get someone famous interested in pool. Also if someone could arrange all major sports to go on strike and then play the hell outta pool.
 
1. Have billiards rooms that are family friendly (no smoke, no drinking and yes no gambling)

2. Create high school and college associations.

The only two things at this point that will really get pool going and two things no one wants to do.:deadhorse:
 
I like the high scool and college leauge idea. I spent the early years of my pool life getting run out of the local bars becouse I was underage. Lets find a way to make pool more accesable to younger players like say 12 and up. I think this would be especially good in the norther states because of the long cold winter months. I myself live in Iowa and notice a huge increse in the amount af games played durring the winter. I think if we can get the younger players involved nothing but good things can follow.
 
8 ball is the best game.even the recreational player knows the game.more safes and stradegy yes kinda easy to run open tables but 9 is too for the avid player.one pocket is good to play but many would get bored watching that game 8 and straight 1 and 2 in my book.I would love 8 ball on tv more.I remember watching mosconi and fats play 8 ball on tv as a kid.get mike zuglan to get an 8 ball event at turningstone that would be cool.I vote for more 8 ball.
 
Maybe there was a chance, it has passed.

I would watch it if someone would pull the pool cue out of there @#$@$#$. I think the rated G has done us in. Ask some normal kids why they don't watch pool.

Have you watched NBC or CBS or ABC latlely. Todlers are cussing at 4 nowdays and still, you watch pool and grown adults are saying things like, Golli gee beav did you see that one rail bank shot. A seven year old kid is likely to poke fun at pool on TV.

I think people need to look at style. It is in style to sound and dress like you live in the ghetto. I don't like it at all not one bit! Most everyone I see even in this country sounds like they are from east LA. It sickens me but it is the style. If there was a pool tourney that brought in one guy that had some modern style.

Modern style is being excluded from play that is retarding our chances of getting more fans. But, If it were rated R and people dreesed like people really dress and act like they really act then people might watch. "Keep it Real"

It's like trick shots and making me put a tux on...when is the last time you saw anyone but a wedding party in a tux??? I have never seen it. Even in a church and I am 29 yrs old. What do you think modern kids think about that?

My point is if we keep holding onto the past then our future will pass us up. We must accept that little kids from the suburbs arent going to play pool unless it's cool, and dressing in slacks and talking like you belong on Leave it to Beaver isn't cool anymore.

If you mention golf I am going to puke. Golf can make you dress like that cause they pay well. Cool isn't even a consideration at that point, Tiger Woods has won in three weeks what the entire billiards industry makes in a year. Thats the cool part of golf. "@#$@, for 20 million a month I would do anything." That is a quote from a twelve year old child.

I think we need to get dirty. It is in style.

Jamison
 
Hey Jamison. I don't know if kids are the right target. I mean, they're full of energy and want to run around (most of them, anyways). Pool is more of a mental game and pro pool on TV can look boring if you don't realize the skill it takes. Also, other sports have positions with different roles. In pool, the kid has to get good at everything by themselves. You can't sub in to have a specialist play a good safety.

Having said that though, I think kids are more attracted to trick shots because it stretches their imagination and creativity. And if you can do it in style, all the better. But then you also run in to the fact that there are limited places to play. A bunch of places have been closing down recently from everything I've heard, so accessibility also becomes an issue.
 
1hit1der said:
Hey Jamison. I don't know if kids are the right target. I mean, they're full of energy and want to run around (most of them, anyways). Pool is more of a mental game and pro pool on TV can look boring if you don't realize the skill it takes. Also, other sports have positions with different roles. In pool, the kid has to get good at everything by themselves. You can't sub in to have a specialist play a good safety.

Having said that though, I think kids are more attracted to trick shots because it stretches their imagination and creativity. And if you can do it in style, all the better. But then you also run in to the fact that there are limited places to play. A bunch of places have been closing down recently from everything I've heard, so accessibility also becomes an issue.
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In that case, would it be smarter to stop trying to promote pool as a "sport" and start to promote it more like Chess? A battle of the minds, so to speak.
 
To this day, Pool and pool halls have neg rep. It is folklore, backed up by some truth, but mostly fear and fantasy.

I take it upon myself to dress nice for matches and tell as many people as possible what they are missing by NOT playing. I treat it a a classy night out.
The barefooters and asscrack pants, personally make me wince.

I am also looking for a hall to buy, and in the area I just looked, you won't believe the resistance their is - by the city council - to put one up.

Heck, in the movie "The Music Man", what sets the town off on a purifcation slant is the presence of a NEW POOL TABLE in town.

My advice, everyone should be a good ambassador of the game. Opinions differ about what that is.
 
the best way to answere this question of What can we do? is to go to markets where cus sports are booming and steal their ideas and implement them here instead of re inventing the wheel, Snooker has deep roots in the UK, pool in the PI, and billiards in some areas. Go over to those spots and see not whats going on-but what made it get to where it is today. Then when it is determined how it got to where its at then take that back home. Just like casion executives come to Vegas to learn the legalized gaming biz, why? because Vegas leads the world in that market.


if you look on here there is a thread of "Alex redifining the Kick Shot" posted in the last couple days look at it there are 100's of young people in the room going crazy, Alex is just goofing around, but look at the gender breakdown and enthusiam of the people there, somewhere there is the answere to "What can we do?" the Derby is meant for players but dosent bring new meat to the table, I love the derby but its not the solution its just fun
 
The 8 Ball/9 Ball debate is a tough one. The argument for 8 Ball is that everyone knows the game and understands how its played. The issue with 8 Ball is pacing. 9 Ball is a much faster game, which is why its always on the tube. Even now with a televised race to 7, typically they're slicing out at least half of the match. Imagine how much they'd have to cut down with 8 Ball.

Jamison has a good point about making pool "cool". There are a lot of people who like to bang balls around, but no one wants to sit down and watch an hour of pool on TV. Hell, if a televised match pulls better than a 0.6, people are poppin' the Cristal and makin' it rain Javon Walker style.

What the industry really needs are outside sponsors. Booze is the most obvious, but it could be the Extra Chewing Gum Tour for all I care. You get someone outside of the industry to put together a tour, they'll shoot it better, give it more flash and make it entertaining to watch.

The other thing... Mitch and Ewa are nice people, but there's got to be a better way to call matches. I heard some people say that Joe Rogan did a nice job in the booth at the KT thing... maybe pitch him to the WPBA since that's the only game in town when it comes to TV.

Wow... that was quite a bit more than I planned on jawing on about.
 
JamisonNeu said:
Maybe there was a chance, it has passed.

I would watch it if someone would pull the pool cue out of there @#$@$#$. I think the rated G has done us in. Ask some normal kids why they don't watch pool.

Have you watched NBC or CBS or ABC latlely. Todlers are cussing at 4 nowdays and still, you watch pool and grown adults are saying things like, Golli gee beav did you see that one rail bank shot. A seven year old kid is likely to poke fun at pool on TV.

I think people need to look at style. It is in style to sound and dress like you live in the ghetto. I don't like it at all not one bit! Most everyone I see even in this country sounds like they are from east LA. It sickens me but it is the style. If there was a pool tourney that brought in one guy that had some modern style.

Modern style is being excluded from play that is retarding our chances of getting more fans. But, If it were rated R and people dreesed like people really dress and act like they really act then people might watch. "Keep it Real"

It's like trick shots and making me put a tux on...when is the last time you saw anyone but a wedding party in a tux??? I have never seen it. Even in a church and I am 29 yrs old. What do you think modern kids think about that?

My point is if we keep holding onto the past then our future will pass us up. We must accept that little kids from the suburbs arent going to play pool unless it's cool, and dressing in slacks and talking like you belong on Leave it to Beaver isn't cool anymore.

If you mention golf I am going to puke. Golf can make you dress like that cause they pay well. Cool isn't even a consideration at that point, Tiger Woods has won in three weeks what the entire billiards industry makes in a year. Thats the cool part of golf. "@#$@, for 20 million a month I would do anything." That is a quote from a twelve year old child.

I think we need to get dirty. It is in style.

Jamison
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Well I disagree. I can see your point but you are essentially saying we should remove any form of decency, class and respect from the game and target the young kids who have no decency, are classless and disrespectful, just because it is "in". We have enough reality TV and utter nonsense out there without adding to it by demeaning our game. Pool has enough stigma attached with the "poolroom, hustler, gambling" associations. We don't need to have Jeannette Lee walking around the table in oversized tees and baggy jeans with a red bandana wrap and jailhouse tats looking like she walked off the set of Grand Theft Auto, just because the kids of today can "relate" to that. If we catered to that demographic the world would be run by MTV, which has its place I suppose but there are limits. Just because something is popular does not make it good (a la pro-wrestling).
 
poolsnark said:
The 8 Ball/9 Ball debate is a tough one. The argument for 8 Ball is that everyone knows the game and understands how its played. The issue with 8 Ball is pacing. 9 Ball is a much faster game, which is why its always on the tube. Even now with a televised race to 7, typically they're slicing out at least half of the match. Imagine how much they'd have to cut down with 8 Ball.

Jamison has a good point about making pool "cool". There are a lot of people who like to bang balls around, but no one wants to sit down and watch an hour of pool on TV. Hell, if a televised match pulls better than a 0.6, people are poppin' the Cristal and makin' it rain Javon Walker style.

What the industry really needs are outside sponsors. Booze is the most obvious, but it could be the Extra Chewing Gum Tour for all I care. You get someone outside of the industry to put together a tour, they'll shoot it better, give it more flash and make it entertaining to watch.

The other thing... Mitch and Ewa are nice people, but there's got to be a better way to call matches. I heard some people say that Joe Rogan did a nice job in the booth at the KT thing... maybe pitch him to the WPBA since that's the only game in town when it comes to TV.

Wow... that was quite a bit more than I planned on jawing on about.
Click to expand...
Mitch sucks...the end.
As far as not wanting to watch an hour of pool on TV...why not? Last week I saw Women's Frisbee Ultimate being televised...are you #$@! kidding me??!?
Bad enough they have bass fishing. Anyway, I think popularizing 8-ball even more is the way to go. "How" is the key.
 
It's just one at a time. Be respectful, be someone who deserves respect and when you leave the table....be the one that they all want to emulate. Give someone some help any time you're asked and make sure they agree to "pay it forward" with someone else when their time comes.

Quit looking at all the newbies as a cash cow to milk. JMNSHO

td
 
inside_english said:
Well I disagree. I can see your point but you are essentially saying we should remove any form of decency, class and respect from the game and target the young kids who have no decency, are classless and disrespectful, just because it is "in". We have enough reality TV and utter nonsense out there without adding to it by demeaning our game. Pool has enough stigma attached with the "poolroom, hustler, gambling" associations. We don't need to have Jeannette Lee walking around the table in oversized tees and baggy jeans with a red bandana wrap and jailhouse tats looking like she walked off the set of Grand Theft Auto, just because the kids of today can "relate" to that. If we catered to that demographic the world would be run by MTV, which has its place I suppose but there are limits. Just because something is popular does not make it good (a la pro-wrestling).
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Not really, what I am saying is if someone has the talent to play pool at the highest level why must pro pool change them to their image. Their image is not working at all, is this a good idea? I think they need to focus less on how to make it "seem" like everyone is clean cut.

I am not saying Jeanette has to change her style, but why should Shawn Wilkie?

My point is, it is bias in a way that hurts the amount of viewers. The difference in pool and other sports is the amount of people that care to attend and/or watch it. To restrict any people is not helping cue sports...

I think that players should be able to wear and while it is their turn at the table say anything we want. I got fined half of my winnings one tourney for saying the word "suck." The phrase was "I suck" I was at the table. I couldnt help but get angry. I mean my seven year old daughter was able to say that word in school in the same context... Not one of my fans would be offended by what I said, yet they still stole my rent money.

We need diversity not the same guy reapeted 75 times. We need some to be humble, and some to be cocky, we need some to get mad, and some to be religous, we need some to be vulgar, and we need some to be themselves.

I hope this is a better post. I mean for clarity purposes.
 
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