Rich Man Poor Man getting to the top

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
It appears to me that pool has become a rich man’s/women’s (family is well off) game like golf, tennis, the Olympics, and many other sports for those that don’t have a full sponsorship. Not too many years ago young men and women could make it on their own talent w/o the help of family. Now with prices for travel, hotels/motels, food, lessons, and everything else, very few of the poor to lower middle-class can make it on their own.

Today up and coming players, both male and female need to work at a good job 40+ hours a week or have their own businesses if they want to pursue pool at the highest levels and play in all the big tournaments around the world. Hell, most young players can’t afford to travel across three or four states w/o financial help. Very few can work 40+ and get to the top of any sport, especially pool, and especially the women. To me it’s very sad to see this. Johnnyt
 
Interesting points...though I really can't put a finger on it. Maybe that's just me:o

Life is so expensive, IMO. In an area like mine you can't get a room in a house for much less than $800. And a crappy house will run you at least 1200.

My wfe and I bout work FT and there is no way I could add tourney expenses to my routine, unlessIcankeepheroutofcostcoandlearnhersomelawnmowerskills
Johnnyt said:
It appears to me that pool has become a rich man’s/women’s (family is well off) game like golf, tennis, the Olympics, and many other sports for those that don’t have a full sponsorship. Not too many years ago young men and women could make it on their own talent w/o the help of family. Now with prices for travel, hotels/motels, food, lessons, and everything else, very few of the poor to lower middle-class can make it on their own.

Today up and coming players, both male and female need to work at a good job 40+ hours a week or have their own businesses if they want to pursue pool at the highest levels and play in all the big tournaments around the world. Hell, most young players can’t afford to travel across three or four states w/o financial help. Very few can work 40+ and get to the top of any sport, especially pool, and especially the women. To me it’s very sad to see this. Johnnyt
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JohnnyT you are pretty spot on. I like to go to some regional tournaments and it's a guarantee that between gas, entry fee, and hotel it will cost about $400 to go. That's before Calcutta and action. If I didn't have the type of job I have and a woman that likes to chip in I would never make it out to events.
 
I'm sure life is hard for the so-called up-and-coming young pool player, but then life has become harder for others as well. Young baseball players eke out a living in the minor leagues. Some make it to the bigs, but many others don't.
Pro golfers sometimes languish on the Nationwide tour, living hand and mouth. When the great Payne Stewart graduated from SMU he borrowed a thousand dollars from his dad and three other people to get him started on the PGA Tour. That was over thirty years ago, and the same can be said of Tennis, Hockey, and others today.
I believe that a young player can still become a professional pool player with the right skill and determination, but that is only half the picture. A complete overhaul at the tournament, and sponsorship level may be needed for our young players to not only have a stable environment in which to play, but one where they may prosper when they are successful.
 
As a young player I always felt the people who run tournaments and billiard events are great people with high levels of enthusiasm. Another part of me believes that these same people lack basic management and planning skills.

I am fortunate in my area because it hosts a variety of world-class billiard events. What is unfortunate is my timing. Being young in America during a recession, greatest ecological disaster, high unemployment, long term welfare (bailouts) and a foreign war are not optimistic signs of the future.

Most days I want to practice but it feels like it won't amount to anything. Most times I believe if I was going to catch a break it would have happened by now. Then I look around and see everyone else struggling and think its best not to hope.
 
Too be played under conditions conducive of a high level of play requires surroundings not to be had in the average pool room. I am not blaming the owners. They have to make a living and that means catering to the booboisie. Sorry if I mis-spelled that H.L. Do golf courses pipe loud "music" to the links? Do tennis players stick those things in their ears so they can listen to that stuff while playing? I don't think so. The only thing that keeps real pool alive is the home table and private clubs. I have asked a few local players what they thought about forming a private club. No one wants too, or is able too, pay the costs. So the status quo is what we have. Accept reality and carry on as best you can.

Dave Nelson
 
It's expensive to travel to tournaments. I like to travel around and play in several tournaments a year. There are ways to cut costs. Travel with other players to split expenses. Also, I play in 2 to 3 weekly tournaments a week in which I have a good chance to make some money. I use that money to fund my other pool endeavors. It takes some discipline but create a "pool fund" and use the money that is won playing pool to fund other tournaments.
 
Its tuff

I was just thinking the same way, Its tuff to travel, My son is a national jr champion and last year we had a ton of sponsors, but this year we are struggling just to make it back to the VNEA jr championships, We have no sponsorship money to help with expenses. He also was just nominated to the BEF jr nationals and also qualified for it but it looks like we will have to give up the Idea of attending as it just took a strain on my health just trying to get him to the Vnea championships.


If our youth are stuggling to attend events where is our future of pool going?


H.P.
 
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