Rule against ear plugs

nb92

nb92

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
...on the TAR stream last night Ken said that "justification" for no ear plugs or head sets is so that communication between players is not impaired BUT then stated the really "reason" is the look. It does not look professional. The example is an NBA player and free throws or something....

others will say something about golf.... blah, blah...

This rule (along with some others) are in place because the people righting the rules were born long ago in a place far, far away ... and are chasing the wrong demographic... I would submit the X-Games is the place to take a hard look. They are call "pro"... no real uniform code... ipods playing their favorite tunes... and competing at the sports they love... PLUS they LOOK like their fans....

Take a hard look in the stands at a pool event.. in a few years the only thing you will see is Tombstones given the average age of attendees...

Let the players use the ear plugs or ipods .. the technology is getting smaller everyday and really is it THAT big of a deal? Let them dress a little more in the style of the day... let them LOOK like the fans and the NEW blood we want in the sport...

(and I will be over the big 50 soon so... it is not youth that is clouding my mind on this LOL)
 
nb92 said:
...on the TAR stream last night Ken said that "justification" for no ear plugs or head sets is so that communication between players is not impaired BUT then stated the really "reason" is the look. It does not look professional.

Let the players use the ear plugs or ipods .. the technology is getting smaller everyday and really is it THAT big of a deal? Let them dress a little more in the style of the day... let them LOOK like the fans and the NEW blood we want in the sport...
Click to expand...

When he says the "look" of it I picture Earl's giant earmuffs. That just looks ridiculous.

Headphones could be plugged into a phone would be reason #2. I have read and heard the argument of, "he's still gotta make the shot", and that's true. But we're not always at our best and sometimes we miss the obvious. Getting a pep talk from a coach is an unfair advantage while I'm politely jamming to Hasslehoff.

Case in point would be TAR20. If someone could have quietly told Shane to stay positive and remember a previous victory he could have turned that around instead of letting Earl shark him.
 
Ghosst said:
When he says the "look" of it I picture Earl's giant earmuffs. That just looks ridiculous.

Headphones could be plugged into a phone would be reason #2. I have read and heard the argument of, "he's still gotta make the shot", and that's true. But we're not always at our best and sometimes we miss the obvious. Getting a pep talk from a coach is an unfair advantage while I'm politely jamming to Hasslehoff.

Case in point would be TAR20. If someone could have quietly told Shane to stay positive and remember a previous victory he could have turned that around instead of letting Earl shark him.
Click to expand...

Yea, Shane just turns off his hearing aid.
 
I'd like to wear earbuds while playing straight pool.

I don't understand the 14.1 "patterns" so having a coach tell me which shot to make next would be a match-saver. The earbuds are a courtesy to the other players so they're not distracted by my coach.

Can you think of another sport/game where a coach isn't allowed to instruct his player? Heck, in baseball the coach tells the batter whether to swing at the next pitch or not. A golf caddie advises his player all the time. A football coach calls the darn plays! And so on.

Don't we want pool to be as big as baseball, golf and football? :D
 
I don't think headphones should be allowed but I got used to wearing ear plugs whenever I gambled to mostly drown out the loudest noises and the whining of my opponents after they missed or did something stupid.
I could still hear if they told me the ball was frozen,or if I was on 2 in fact I always made it my job to ask if they thought the ball was frozen or not because I had one slick tell me he called frozen after a shot when the ball was neither frozen nor did he call it, he just saw an opportunity.
As far as I am concerned the incoming player should be given ball in hand if their opponent says anything to themselves or the crowd when they go back to their chair.
No matter how innocuous it seems it can cause someone to be talking in the crowd that would not otherwise be or may make you a bit angry and if it happens at the perfect time {which most good players know} it can change the outcome.
If they already fouled and it is ball in hand and they want to comment , it should be loss of game.
I love to watch great pool , I hate to watch some punk trying to win from the chair.
What people said never bothered me , it was the fact that they were so disrespectful of me , the game and themselves that they thought it was a good move.
Pool needs more class , less ass
 
Wearing headphones is unprofessional, and if we're using X-Games as a beacon, god help us all. A bunch of thirteen year old kids kicking around on skateboards is hardly professional competition (other than by the strictest definition of the word).

They can have their fun but I have no interest in it. Pool should be a man's game, and wearing headphones is douchey, immature, and unprofessional. I find it disrespectful to the opponent.

Then again, a lot of things in society that I consider disrespectful and discourteous are becoming the norm; I cite people having their phones three inches from their faces at all times while people are trying to speak with them an example.
 
Wow, did somebody actually do that? Point a finger to the X-games and say "we should be like that"? (Yikes!)

Further proof that our sport (and this website) is participated in by folks from all walks of life.

I can see it now -- a world infested by people who have completely lost their social skills. Completely in their own little world, twiddling some electronic device with their thumbs during *all* activities (including eating with the family at the dinner table).

-Sean <-- helped build the technological world we live in, and sees the error of his ways -- is now regretting it
 
It's much ado about nothing. Forget these wild conspiracies.
Nobody's getting on a secret phone call from a coach telling them how to run a rack of 10 ball.

It's just what it looks like: they wanna be free of distractions and just hear their favorite tunes.
I would too, since I usually hate whatever's on the jukebox and for some reason
nobody can handle the idea of a quiet room without music.

As for being able to get someone's attention, just wave your stick in their line of sight.
Or, a simple fix - earbuds in ONE ear are allowed. Not both.
Then they can always hear a ref or opponent if needed.

We can compare to basketball and football but that's not really valid.
Those sports are so wildly different, your fans are screaming as loud as possible
instead of trying to be completely quiet, your ipod can get destroyed,
you have to listen to coaches call plays constantly, etc.

Are they arguing an earbud "looks" unprofessional?
Compared to what... a bunch of guys in jerseys and tights running around in mud
while grunting and yelling? Does an earbud look more unprofessional on a player than
the mic's they have players wear on TAR? Or the headsets refs use? It's just a tiny
device that's about as noticeable as the player's shoelaces.
 
conspiracy theories ... now that is a joke (if Billy and Freddy were coaching me 1 pocket through an ear piece I would rip it out because of the fighting LOL)

YES I said XGames.. 13 year old kids on skate boards PLEASE...

The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes and consistent fan attendance. As the Journal of Sport Management (2006) explains, Generation X and Generation Y are the two demographics most highly valued by marketers. This creates a broad approach on marketing towards that certain demographic, which is why the X Games marketing and economic outlook is so “out of the box.” According to ESPN (2008); The Winter X Games inaugural year, 1997, was televised to 198 countries and 38,000 spectators attended the four day event. In 1998, the attendance dropped to 25,000 spectators. But just two years later, a record attendance of 83,500 people attended the Winter X Games' East Coast debut. The X Games and Winter X Games continue to grow with the popularity of action sports and the athletes who compete in them.

In May 2011, ESPN held a bid to select three host cities in addition to Los Angeles, Aspen and Tignes (France) to form a six-event calendar for the next three years beginning in 2013.[1] In May 2012, the selected cities were announced: Barcelona, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.[2] The two European cities have hosted Summer Olympics in the past, whereas Brazil has provided several X Games competitors. The other six bid finalists were Lisbon, Portugal; Quintana Roo, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Whistler, Canada.[3] The order of the X Games competitions in 2013: Aspen, January 24–27; Tignes, March 20–22; Foz do Iguaçu, April 18–21; Barcelona, May 16–19; Munich, June 27–30; Los Angeles, August 1–4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Games

HOW SOON will we see a write up like this one above about pool! (NEVER)

So.. for the 14.1 crowd (which will NEVER come back)... make them put on a tux.. and make room for the walkers and oxygen tanks for the fans

and for the rotation games ... lets get a little bit more into the 21st century...
 
nb92 said:
...on the TAR stream last night Ken said that "justification" for no ear plugs or head sets is so that communication between players is not impaired BUT then stated the really "reason" is the look. It does not look professional. The example is an NBA player and free throws or something....

others will say something about golf.... blah, blah...

This rule (along with some others) are in place because the people righting the rules were born long ago in a place far, far away ... and are chasing the wrong demographic... I would submit the X-Games is the place to take a hard look. They are call "pro"... no real uniform code... ipods playing their favorite tunes... and competing at the sports they love... PLUS they LOOK like their fans....

Take a hard look in the stands at a pool event.. in a few years the only thing you will see is Tombstones given the average age of attendees...

Let the players use the ear plugs or ipods .. the technology is getting smaller everyday and really is it THAT big of a deal? Let them dress a little more in the style of the day... let them LOOK like the fans and the NEW blood we want in the sport...

(and I will be over the big 50 soon so... it is not youth that is clouding my mind on this LOL)
Click to expand...


i agree add 20 years to the rail birds and your gonna see a empty rail.:(
 
sfleinen said:
Wow, did somebody actually do that? Point a finger to the X-games and say "we should be like that"? (Yikes!)

Further proof that our sport (and this website) is participated in by folks from all walks of life.

[/I]
Click to expand...

Not quite sure how to take that but just some general demographic info on me

45 to 50 years old, male, $250K + income, business owner, married, 2 kids, Home table, small cue / case collection. Travel to local events to play in them. and large events as a fan ... A- player.

And YES I said the x-games... I watch a generation having fun... wanting to go out and practice what they see... I see ESPN owning, sponsoring and promoting.

Go to the us open 9 ball, DCC , Tunica .. if the average fan age is under 55 I will eat a cue ball....
 
nb92 said:
Not quite sure how to take that but just some general demographic info on me

45 to 50 years old, male, $250K + income, business owner, married, 2 kids, Home table, small cue / case collection. Travel to local events to play in them. and large events as a fan ... A- player.

And YES I said the x-games... I watch a generation having fun... wanting to go out and practice what they see... I see ESPN owning, sponsoring and promoting.

Go to the us open 9 ball, DCC , Tunica .. if the average fan age is under 55 I will eat a cue ball....
Click to expand...


you eat a cueball and i'll eat my Szamboti, we can do it side by side like the nathons hotdog eating contest. the over 55 is a lock, my cue is safe and so is your CB:thumbup:
 
i might get a booth in a few years and sell walkers, tennis balls and Geritol at these events, forget selling cues, sell Cains.
 
Fatboy said:
i might get a booth in a few years and sell walkers, tennis balls and Geritol at these events, forget selling cues, sell Cains.
Click to expand...

You guys are brutal. Well the fans might be older but going by the SBE there are plenty of folks between 20-40 playing and buying.
 
JB Cases said:
You guys are brutal. Well the fans might be older but going by the SBE there are plenty of folks between 20-40 playing and buying.
Click to expand...

i have never been to SBE:( Every year I plan to go and for what ever reason something comes up and I cant go, its a jinx. I know its one hell of a event. Someday I will go, i promise.:):)
 
Ear plugs

book collector said:
I don't think headphones should be allowed but I got used to wearing ear plugs whenever I gambled to mostly drown out the loudest noises and the whining of my opponents after they missed or did something stupid.
I could still hear if they told me the ball was frozen,or if I was on 2 in fact I always made it my job to ask if they thought the ball was frozen or not because I had one slick tell me he called frozen after a shot when the ball was neither frozen nor did he call it, he just saw an opportunity.
As far as I am concerned the incoming player should be given ball in hand if their opponent says anything to themselves or the crowd when they go back to their chair.
No matter how innocuous it seems it can cause someone to be talking in the crowd that would not otherwise be or may make you a bit angry and if it happens at the perfect time {which most good players know} it can change the outcome.
If they already fouled and it is ball in hand and they want to comment , it should be loss of game.
I love to watch great pool , I hate to watch some punk trying to win from the chair.
What people said never bothered me , it was the fact that they were so disrespectful of me , the game and themselves that they thought it was a good move.
Pool needs more class , less ass
Click to expand...

I always carry cotton balls in my case, to save my ears and brain from excessively loud music. I know several owners who instruct their bartenders to keep the music as loud as possible, because somehow they think that will attract people passing by on the street.

Loud music also makes it difficult for us instructors to teach.
 
Great thread

This is a great thread... So where do I start.. Well I just turned 50 and came from an era that during the 80's pool was huge, actually bars and pubs were huge too, basically the entire way to socialize was 20 times bigger. What i mean is that if you look at allot of people now days old and young but especially young they socialize on there damn phones.... Person to person conversation is very much a thing of the past.

Golf and pool are similar but golf is considerd prestigious while pool has the smokey after taste of hustling and pool halls filled with gamblers and rif raff. In Europe and Asia pool has grown tremendously and we have to ask ouselves why.

I personnaly think that pool in the US needs to rebuild itself to a sport that you can talk about in a positive manner around the dinner table, you dont know how many times I've been out to dinner and am asked "am i a hustler" by just inquisitive friends. grrrrrrrr

Rebuild it to a positive and prestigeous sport.

So to answer the question about head phones and wear whatever you want ........ NO NO NO.... I am not saying tuxedos but atleast have your pants on with a belt and no more freakin hats turned around. if we dress like the ghetto than the sport will live in the ghetto. simple casual dress with gentleman, gentlewoman like manners and enjoy the purity of this beautiful game.

If you need headphones to prevent distractions your in the wrong sport. When your in the "zone" you dont notice anything around you and its a great feeling......
 
calibration said:
Rebuild it to a positive and prestigeous sport.

So to answer the question about head phones and wear whatever you want ........ NO NO NO.... I am not saying tuxedos but atleast have your pants on with a belt and no more freakin hats turned around. if we dress like the ghetto than the sport will live in the ghetto. simple casual dress with gentleman, gentlewoman like manners and enjoy the purity of this beautiful game.
Click to expand...

That would require too much work for a generation that is too lazy to learn to read, show manners, use complete sentences or even words, fo sho. They demand everything be given to them, and that they never need to earn anything themselves.

Peace out brutha. Dwizzle. (Wow, I was actually concerned I spell that properly with two Z's. Firefox laughed at me.)
 
JB Cases said:
You guys are brutal. Well the fans might be older but going by the SBE there are plenty of folks between 20-40 playing and buying.
Click to expand...

I am one of them. To be honest, none of my friends are in to Pool as I am. Is hard to compete with the big stadiums and homes teams like in baseball, foot ball, etc... Me personally I like all of those too but for some reason I like Pool, Chess, and Poker A LOT!

Also skate boarding is tough as sht! Any one can get on a skate board and ride it, but to really ride a skate board is tough! Like skateboarding anyone can bang balls around in pool that doesnt mean pool is easy, both are far from it! But I do understang your point.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top