THE IMAGE AROUND OUR SPORT, STINKS,
After many years of doing my best to help our image, I still try. Pool-players, there are good ones and bad ones. [not ability, just image].One rotten apple!
The points that Troy has made are true. I have been on both sides of the fence.
Satman, I had a friend who owned 2 rooms, and he wouldn't let the guy bring in food and or drinks, and the leader of the so called pack, said, if you don't, we will go to another room. He said bye bye, and 3 month's later he closed both rooms and lost about 1/2 million dollars, along with his family..
Yep, because of one pool player who didn't believe in paying his own way........
I go to a tournament and buy a booth for displaying cues and doing cue-repair. I also donate a cue at "EVERY" one I attend.
One that I attended last year, the room-owner [promotor] told me I could not set up, but we will accept your cue. I was told that they didn't have room for me to set up.[there was room].I went ahead and honored my word and gave the cue anyway.
They took my cue, rasied the [retail],price from, $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 and made the remark, that this should make us extra money.
They were already being sponsered in whole by another group.[ sponsered in full with plenty to spare].........
Then was told not to sell any cues out of my trunk. [I don't sell cues as some carpet-baggers do, out of my trunk]. When ask about cues, we went to my motel room, and did my business there. Never told anyone to go to my room, they ask me about my cues.
This shows that they too[room-owners] are greedy sometimes.
The first event I was helping to promote was 20 some odd years ago in Tampa. Me and Grady help the "world all around championships". Price tag to get in was only $3.00 bucks. Had people complaining that it was high-way robery. Sneaking in, getting caught and then want to fight over 3 bucks.
We lost over 20 thousand bucks. We paid off, without a hitch.
No one complained then. However if we would of not been able to pay off, world war 3 would of been on.....
If our IMAGE can change, maybe, just maybe, we will get noticed..
Thanks to all who try to mprove pool's "IMAGE".
blud