They want the mainstream crowds but the hardcore crowd is still their main viewing audience. And the hardcore crowd sometimes cannot come to a conclusion as to what version of the pro game should be presented.
So I ask you, put yourself in the shoes of match room, the predator group or accustats and even the NBL group. What would you focus on to bring pro pool to the masses?
Making the game consistent and recognizable to the wider audience is the key to attracting and keeping them. The hardcore viewer will watch no matter what the details are.
It is a fiction that what the players want and what the fans want are the same thing. The players are always asking for rules changes, equipment changes, prize payout changes, and other things that make almost no difference to the casual fan, who simply wants consistency and continuity so that the game remains recognizable to them. Every time player demands are met by event producers, the casual fan is, ever so slightly, disenfranchised because the pros are no longer playing a game those fans know.
Snooker has it right. Even the most casual of fans knows 99% of the rules in snooker and the game is incredibly simple to follow. The game looks about the same as it did 50 years ago. On the other hand, for years now, it seems that every pool tourney has equipment and rules that are different from the event before it, and it's no longer the game that the casual fans play in the bars or the pool halls but something different.
Matchroom is the first to truly understand how important it is to give the fans the game they know, and they are making great strides in standardizing their pool offering. That said, however, the players are already talking unionizing and have made it clear that they'll push hard for some rule and format changes. This will back Matchroom into a corner, for they cannot relent without modifying their product in a way that makes it less recognizable to casual fans. A return to the times when the game was tweaked time and time again, in my view, must be avoided.
Predator, conversely, has overhauled the game, switching from nine ball to ten ball, playing call shot rules, disallowing golden breaks, giving a player a pass/play option whenever opponent pockets a ball they didn't call, and a spot shot shootout to break ties. They're taking a completely new approach to things, and maybe time will prove them right that this will catch on with casual fans. Fans are still getting used to their pro pool product, but that's OK, as long as that product remains consistent. We shall see.
I think both Matchroom and Predator are focusing more on the entertainment value of their pro pool offering for the fans than the needs of the pros, and that's encouraging for our sport.
What the pros need is the opportunity to make a living, and they've never had it better than they have it now. If they are vigilant in demanding changes to the pro pool offerings of the event producers, they'll reduce the likelihood that casual fans will tune in and stay interested over time. If they are wise, they'll let the event producers manage the pro pool product as they see fit.
