SJM Analyzes Matchroom’s New Game Plan

[sjm]

SJM I agree with all of this but there is some hypocrisy with the statement they desire a meritocracy. How to you reconcile that with their insistence that Earl play in as many of their events as possible (e.g. Mosconi Cup). He's good entertainment but undeserving at this point in his career.

That's a fair point and your concern is certainly well-grounded based on what we've seen in the past. Rest assured, I found the Earl pick just as ridiculous as you, given how little he competed in 2021. Obviously, he still plays awfully well, but Mosconi participation should be based on results.

My comment is that the stage is set for pool to become a meritocracy. It will happen because an objective and well-defined ranking system will now be used for the first time in many, many years and, per Matchroom's announcement, those rankings will govern invitations and will also establish seeding in their events.

Will there be exceptions? Definitely, yes. In fact, back in the day, it was customary to give the event sponsor two spots and the sponsor could name any two players they liked for inclusion. Will there still be captain's picks at the Mosconi? I don't know the answer to this, but it remains possible.

There's no hypocrisy here, but until the use and application of the intended ranking system is in full swing, there may be some inequities. Rankings will be established over time, and as long as they are applied to invitations and seeding, they will serve pro pool well.

Stay tuned, for at this point it's just a plan, but if achieved as intended, pool will evolve into a meritocracy.

 

[Vahmurka]

As long as Matchroom can keep the problems with the break at nine ball under control, a switch is very unlikely.

If 'problems with the break' mean sloppy racking by "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" along with ridiculous "forceful break" requirement - then oh yes, MR certainly can keep it up

 

[BasementDweller]

I don’t know why they won’t play in this Predator series (6 events, $775,000 prize money) and I don’t really care. They have their stated reasons: they don’t like the “race to 4” (it’s actually two sets to 4), the shootout, whatever. All I know is that Europeans dominate Americans, both in entries and winnings, in US events in the middle of the country.

Well in fairness, the US players don't really have a home field anymore to compete on and rise through the ranks. To our credit as a nation, we are very welcoming to foreigners for the most part, but it's also to our detriment when it comes to professional pool. Basically, you take a guy like Jeremy Seamen and his only reasonable option is to work full-time and compete occasionally on the weekends. His competition choices are play with us amateurs or play with a field full of world-class, globe-trotting professionals.

I don't know that this tells the whole story but it's at least a part of it.

 

[sjm]

I don’t know why they won’t play in this Predator series (6 events, $775,000 prize money) and I don’t really care.

I don't really get it either. Americans should be supporting these events in droves. Even though I count myself among those who don't like the shootout format, I know that, in the end, if American players don't support the first major new event series in America in years, the producers will eventually walk away from the project, and that would be a shame.

 

[Bob Jewett]

If 'problems with the break' mean sloppy racking by "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" along with ridiculous "forceful break" requirement - then oh yes, MR certainly can keep it up

There are maybe a few little wrinkles to be ironed out. This is about the third decade of that.

 

[Geosnookery]

Once a ranking system is established to qualify for events as in snooker, then players will have to attend events to be eligible. Players can’t pick and choose what events to enter or they will fall too far down the ranking system.

The first couple years will be more flexible as to who is invited. After that it will become like Snooker and a few wildcard openings for a couple of female players, a couple of ‘legend ’ invites and, when appropriate an opening for a player who has missed ranking events because of some personal challenge.

 

[sjm]

Once a ranking system is established to qualify for events as in snooker, then players will have to attend events to be eligible. Players can’t pick and choose what events to enter or they will fall too far down the ranking system.

The first couple years will be more flexible as to who is invited. After that it will become like Snooker and a few wildcard openings for a couple of female players, a couple of ‘legend ’ invites and, when appropriate an opening for a player who has missed ranking events because of some personal challenge.

Pretty much how I see it, too. Those who are diligent about participating in most of the ranking events will be rewarded. Put another way, those who take pool as a career more seriously than others will be set up for success, and that success will feed off of itself.

 

[skogstokig]

I don’t know if there will be more US events on this tour, but it’s hard to care when the American players don’t even play in the existing tournaments.

There’s currently a long list of top European players at the CSI Arizona tournament: Fedor, Albin, Kazakis, Alcaide, Mario He, Max Lechner, Fortunski, Grabe, Hohmann, Immonen. I listed those because they all have higher fargoratings than the top US player present, Corey Deuel. Good for Tyler and Chris as well as US players like Jeremy Seaman and Justin Martin for showing up, but where are all our other top players? I know, the top Americans think they’re too good for an event with a shootout. World champions Fedor and Albin don’t think they’re too good for it. The top Americans weren’t at Turning Stone either. The Europeans dominate the US players at US events, in places like Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan!

Maybe getting some of these US events on board this Matchroom “nineball” thing will get the top US players to play, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

it's a pity for sure. but it's basically svb and sky you are asking for. billy's out because of the WPA-thing, bergman won't fly to az, mike d is retired, hatch is retired, archer is retired(?), etc. that leaves like just oscar?

 

[buckshotshoey]

it's a pity for sure. but it's basically svb and sky you are asking for. billy's out because of the WPA-thing, bergman won't fly to az, mike d is retired, hatch is retired, archer is retired(?), etc. that leaves like just oscar?

I've given the answer to that question 20 times... A very few take it seriously. Matchroom, if you're listening, take this to Heart...

You need to have high school kids involved in Billiards. Inter-school competitions just like we do with basketball, football, and baseball, and even track.

And unlike all these other activities, Billiards can be enjoyed for a lifetime. Billiards can be all inclusive... Boys, girls, tall, short, skinny, fat... all can participate in Billiards together.

This will be the idea that saves pool in the United States.
The question that remains is can we get them off of their phones, tablets, and computers long enough to get interested?

 

[justadub]

I've given the answer to that question 20 times... A very few take it seriously. Matchroom, if you're listening, take this to Heart...

You need to have high school kids involved in Billiards. Inter-school competitions just like we do with basketball, football, and baseball, and even track.

And unlike all these other activities, Billiards can be enjoyed for a lifetime. Billiards can be all inclusive... Boys, girls, tall, short, skinny, fat... all can participate in Billiards together.

This will be the idea that saves pool in the United States.
The question is that remains is can we get them off of their phones, tablets, and computers long enough to get interested?

Chicken or the egg? There has to be places with tables for these kids to play on before you can worry about getting them off their phones

I agree with you, tho...getting younger people involved is the only real way to growth of the sport here.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Chicken or the egg? There has to be places with tables for these kids to play on before you can worry about getting them off their phones

I agree with you, tho...getting younger people involved is the only real way to growth of the sport here.

I agree. But with a little bit of cash it's a simple fix. A large classroom could easily fit for tables if necessary four weekly play. Set them up in a gymnasium for inter-school tournaments. Of course it depends on the population of the school, but two to four tables for school would be all you would need.

Having the tables in the schools themselves would have another benefit... The athletic director can control the environment. Creating an environment where a lot of the bad aspects of Billiards, either real or imagined, can't be managed.

For an initial investment of 15000 dollars per School, you could have four brand new Valley tables. And probably less if you work out a bulk deal. And that is just a one-time purchase price. The cost to maintain those four tables is dirt cheap compared to maintaining a football field for example. Or a baseball diamond that gets used 3 months out of the year. And cool wouldn't be a seasonal sport.

If 1 in 50000 kids turned Pro, it would be one thousand percent better than what we have now. Of course I pulled that figure out of my ass, but I find it hard to believe we even have one in five hundred thousand kids turning pro now. It's probably closer to 1 in 5 million.

 

[sjm]

I've given the answer to that question 20 times... A very few take it seriously. Matchroom, if you're listening, take this to Heart...

You need to have high school kids involved in Billiards. Inter-school competitions just like we do with basketball, football, and baseball, and even track.

Agree with the spirit of this post, but it is not the pool event producers who are responsible for building pool participation at the grass roots level. It is, on the other hand, Matchroom's burden to produce and present pro pool in a way that attracts a variety of demographic groups.

 

[iusedtoberich]

UK Open sold out in 1 hour.

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[spartan]

I've given the answer to that question 20 times... A very few take it seriously. Matchroom, if you're listening, take this to Heart...

You need to have high school kids involved in Billiards. Inter-school competitions just like we do with basketball, football, and baseball, and even track.

And unlike all these other activities, Billiards can be enjoyed for a lifetime. Billiards can be all inclusive... Boys, girls, tall, short, skinny, fat... all can participate in Billiards together.

This will be the idea that saves pool in the United States.
The question that remains is can we get them off of their phones, tablets, and computers long enough to get interested?

You got it other way round. Problem is not supply (as in supply of players). There are more than enough players, heck they are $100 a dozen
Most sports don’t actually die so there will always be players. After all, sports was invented by mankind for recreation, as a hobby.
To rephrase James Carville, “It’s the demand”.
Where is the demand? Most sports like chess, darts, snooker before they turned “professional” operated in same way as pool i.e.
-Players rob each other playing money games. Demand comes from players, maybe some bookies
-Run amateur leagues where players pay to play and prizes comes from their own money. Demand comes from players themselves.

Quality and quantity of players depends on demand. Ramp up the demand and the supply will come. Obviously, not demand from players cos that does not amount to much. You are only going to attract advertisers/sponsors like pool suppliers which is really chicken feed money.
In modern “professional sports”, the type of demand that matures a sports from fringe amateur to “professional” is mainstream audience i.e. mainstream broadcast (where delivery can be in form of network TV, cable TV, OTT etc.). Sure the spectators packing the venue is a good revenue stream but will be dwarfed by broadcast revenue/ sponsorships
Matchroom gets it that demand needed is mainstream consumers not just players, geeks, azb members. They get it that mainstream is hungry for live sports content. They get It that you have to build a quality “TV” product that mainstream will watch, not some wonky shabby single camera PPV stream (where it is always viewers fault if stream freeze).
Only then can you attract mainstream advertisers/ sponsors with megabucks. Last Matchroom event (Mosconi Cup) I checked, title sponsor/ advertiser was a car company called Cazoo, not cuezoo or poolzoo.

 

[sjm]

You got it other way round. Problem is not supply (as in supply of players). There are more than enough players, heck they are $100 a dozen
Most sports don’t actually die so there will always be players. After all, sports was invented by mankind for recreation, as a hobby.
To rephrase James Carville, “It’s the demand”.
Where is the demand? Most sports like chess, darts, snooker before they turned “professional” operated in same way as pool i.e.
-Players rob each other playing money games. Demand comes from players, maybe some bookies
-Run amateur leagues where players pay to play and prizes comes from their own money. Demand comes from players themselves.

Quality and quantity of players depends on demand. Ramp up the demand and the supply will come. Obviously, not demand from players cos that does not amount to much. You are only going to attract advertisers/sponsors like pool suppliers which is really chicken feed money.
In modern “professional sports”, the type of demand that matures a sports from fringe amateur to “professional” is mainstream audience i.e. mainstream broadcast (where delivery can be in form of network TV, cable TV, OTT etc.). Sure the spectators packing the venue is a good revenue stream but will be dwarfed by broadcast revenue/ sponsorships
Matchroom gets it that demand needed is mainstream consumers not just players, geeks, azb members. They get it that mainstream is hungry for live sports content. They get It that you have to build a quality “TV” product that mainstream will watch, not some wonky shabby single camera PPV stream (where it is always viewers fault if stream freeze).
Only then can you attract mainstream advertisers/ sponsors with megabucks. Last Matchroom event (Mosconi Cup) I checked, title sponsor/ advertiser was a car company called Cazoo, not cuezoo or poolzoo.

A well-reasoned, thoughtful, post for sure.