There are other sports just as disjointed, just as corrupt, even with their customer base, and yet still pull big dollars for their events. Why? Because millions of people actually want to watch it and pay to watch it. It's not that's there's none for pool, but too few. Even pool players get bored watching pool. Then you have environments where people have to be quiet and still for hours on end. Sleepy Time!
But, instead of begging and pleading with outside sponsors, why isn't there more pressures on the ones that actually profit from the sport right now?
Approx 250,000 tables a year, every year, for decades. Those tables get serviced on average of every 8-10 years. For every pool table sold, there's probably a dozen cues sold, about 4-6 are custom. Tips, chalk, balls, racks, scuffers, shapers....etc.
There's plenty of money being made in pool. Just not in playing it. LOL