Sportsmanship

hobokenapa

hobokenapa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was playing in a tournament this past weekend. Players are rated from A+ through D, one rack headstart per difference in skill level. It is an established tour, and I play fairly regulary.

I am a B player, and have been for two years. I had to play an A+ who was the top rated player. A great opportunity for me to learn. He misses an easy 9 in rack 1, I run out rack 2 to lead 2-0. Then I get a tirade of abuse "How long been playing on this tour", "I ain't never seen you before", "you should be a f*cking A". After I won the match, he whinges, complains and was a downright idiot. This was my first experience of someone like this. I was shocked at how a player that everyone would look up to, and try and be as good as had not a single sporting bone in his body. Not a single 'well played', 'you shot great'. Do these people actually get enjoyment from doing this? When I lose to a lower ranked player, I do what most people would do, congratulate them, and offer to buy them a drink. I was appalled with this behaviour. Please tell me that babies like this are not common place.
 
I get this all the time. Their whining will slow down a little after you've beat them a few times. There are a lot of league bar-box players out there who have poor sportsmanship as well. Most of them won't shake hands or concede gimme nine-balls. I think it's the shock from being top dog at the local bar, to average joe on a nine footer. I just wish people would work on their character issues so this sport would be more recognized.
 
hobokenapa said:
I was playing in a tournament this past weekend. Players are rated from A+ through D, one rack headstart per difference in skill level. It is an established tour, and I play fairly regulary.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,most people would do, congratulate them, and offer to buy them a drink. I was appalled with this behaviour. Please tell me that babies like this are not common place.
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i'm surprised this is your first time. it's there a lot,,,,,,just in varying degrees.
 
sad, but true ...

You should have said, "How could I have not beat
you after you dogged the first 9 ball"?

Sometimes a real good player who has an ego to go along
with his skill will get highly pissed when someone that should
only beat him say 1 out of 10 times gets beat.
(Some people keep their egos in tact by running other
people down instead of looking at their own mistakes)

Some are just assholes, and a bad sport all the time.
(Played a handicapped 9 ball tournament recently, fought
a hard match, but ran out to win the match, and the guy
would not shake my hand, carried on like crazy, and after
I got myself a Dr. Pepper and walking back to play my
next match, he looked over and said, "I hope you lose
your next match".)

Some people put their expectations 4 levels above their
skill level, and when they are brought 'down to earth',
they get upset, and act badly.

or They think just because you play league, that you
are just a league shooter like one of them, and don't
know who you really are and your true skill level.
Basically they don't know how many times you have
been around the table and for how much and how much
knowledge your really have. You have to teach them .... lol
preferably slowly and for a lot of cash.... lol
 
Yep, there's lots of 'em out there. If you keep playing tournys you'll keep running into them.
 
The better I get, the NASTIER they get!

I can't tell you all the things I have been accused of! But this is only when I am playing well and winning. When I am losing, then they are nice as can be.

-One guy accused me of intentionally flipping the coin (for break) in a manner which would make me win the flip. (I couldn't do that if I tried, plus I don't feel it makes a whole lot of difference who breaks when playing these ball-banger "C" players.)

-Another guy yelled at me all night accusing me of sharking because I wanted one of my teammates to watch another player's hit. He just would not drop it. Then he proceeded to tell me what I was "thinking" when I asked my teammate to watch the hit. He told me that I did not want to lose and was therefore sharking. I said, "how do you know what I am thinking?" He insisted he knew! I guess he is psychic or something, but psychotic is more like it because I was not thinking what he thought I was... Actually I had been teaching my teammates about double hits, and I wanted them to watch what could be a double hit or might not be depending on the amount of follow through. And I had just showed them the same hit where I intentionally followed through long to get a double hit. So I'm thinking about teaching, guy on other team is convinced I'm sharking. Nothing I could say would shut him up. 10 games later he was still going on and on...

-One time a lady was sharking me big time. I called her on it, then "I" was the person with the problem. I was in the wrong for even thinking of mentioning such a thing! Then she went on and on all night about *me* being in the wrong... (I can't win for losing!)

-One guy accused me of deliberately scratching because I did not break up the last cluster of balls on the table. He got quite upset and yelled at me for quite awhile. Well 1. So what if I was deliberately scratching? And 2. I actually missed my shot.

-A player accused me of being "rude" because I was comparing my teams scores with the other teams scores. This is typically done in APA matches so there will be agreement on both team's score sheets. But this was BCA 9-ball and I guess she had never played APA. So I stopped comparing scores, then sure enough, the sheets differed at the end of the tournament. I said "YOU find the errors!" (We need to keep track of who shoots in "each ball", so it is difficult to remember who shot in which ball 27 games ago if the score sheets don't agree. Best to compare scores frequently and catch errors as soon as they happen. All the other teams on this league prefer to check scores after each game or every few games.)

-Then lord help me if I see someone shooting a foul, then call them on it. I am then in the wrong and they will insist there is no such rule because they "have never heard of it"! (They obviously have never even opened the rule book.)

-And some people will become visibly delighted when I lose (when playing someone else). If I win, they have a long and sad face.

So basically if I am winning and playing well, then I am cheating, sharking, wrong about the rules, and just an all around no good person who should be banned from every tournament on the planet! But if I am playing lousy and losing, then I guess I'm a pretty nice guy and a swell person to play pool with.

Now all of the above is when playing lesser skilled "C" player "ball-banger" tournaments. I also play in better skilled "B" and "A" player tournaments. These players are ladies and gentlemen - excellent sports. Rarely any problems. They will congratulate me if I play well (as I do for them and the "C" players as well.)

Lately I have been considering not playing in the lesser skilled tournaments anymore. It is not much fun when people pull this stuff. And having fun is important to me.

Read the last sections of "The Black Widows Guide to Killer Pool" by Jeanette Lee. At one point the other players were so nasty to her, she ran to the bathroom and cried her eyes out...
 
hobokenapa said:
congratulate them, and offer to buy them a drink. I was appalled with this behaviour. Please tell me that babies like this are not common place.
Click to expand...

people get upset when they lose. I'm not proud of it, but I'll be the first to admit that I've been a bad sport before - and I'm sure you have too at one time or another.
 
hobokenapa said:
I was playing in a tournament this past weekend. Players are rated from A+ through D, one rack headstart per difference in skill level. It is an established tour, and I play fairly regulary.

I am a B player, and have been for two years. I had to play an A+ who was the top rated player. A great opportunity for me to learn. He misses an easy 9 in rack 1, I run out rack 2 to lead 2-0. Then I get a tirade of abuse "How long been playing on this tour", "I ain't never seen you before", "you should be a f*cking A". After I won the match, he whinges, complains and was a downright idiot. This was my first experience of someone like this. I was shocked at how a player that everyone would look up to, and try and be as good as had not a single sporting bone in his body. Not a single 'well played', 'you shot great'. Do these people actually get enjoyment from doing this? When I lose to a lower ranked player, I do what most people would do, congratulate them, and offer to buy them a drink. I was appalled with this behaviour. Please tell me that babies like this are not common place.
Click to expand...

Yup. We have Muttage! That's exactly why I don't play in leagues any more. For a lot of those guys it's more of an excuse to get out of the house and get tanked than to play competitive pool. The more "stupid lube" goes in, the more muttage comes out.
 
Splinterhands said:
Most of them won't shake hands or concede gimme nine-balls.
Click to expand...

How many times you have a seen a pro to concede "gimme nine-balls" ? So should an A or B/C/D player start conceding game balls if the pros aren't conceding those ? I find it unsportmanship conduct if I'm interrupted on my turn to shoot the game ball, no matter how easy it is.
 
mjantti said:
How many times you have a seen a pro to concede "gimme nine-balls" ? So should an A or B/C/D player start conceding game balls if the pros aren't conceding those ? I find it unsportmanship conduct if I'm interrupted on my turn to shoot the game ball, no matter how easy it is.
Click to expand...

I hate it when people give me game balls or the last 2 or 3 because of an easy out. I'm not yet to the point where my concentration is solid enough to never screw up and I like to keep in the habit of making the "pressure" balls.

I generally try to tell the person ahead of time that I would prefer to shoot all the balls, although it sometimes still doesn't work.
 
Billy_Bob said:
The better I get, the NASTIER they get!

I can't tell you all the things I have been accused of! But this is only when I am playing well and winning. When I am losing, then they are nice as can be.

-One guy accused me of (snip)...
Click to expand...

All of that means that you're getting good, Billy Bob. Enjoy it.

See i #35.

Jeff Livingston
 
hobokenapa said:
I've obviously seen it in lower ranked players, but coming from an A+ really surprised me.
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I see it at all levels and it always surprises me. No matter who the player or how it goes sometimes its happens. I hate to see it and I have had to call matches and kick players out of events because of it. Its sad to me. I had always been told it is a gentleman's game. Now at my tournaments in my players meetings I tell them that we are there to have fun and for them to be nice.
Kay
 
hobokenapa said:
I was playing in a tournament this past weekend. Players are rated from A+ through D, one rack headstart per difference in skill level. It is an established tour, and I play fairly regulary.

I am a B player, and have been for two years. I had to play an A+ who was the top rated player. A great opportunity for me to learn. He misses an easy 9 in rack 1, I run out rack 2 to lead 2-0. Then I get a tirade of abuse "How long been playing on this tour", "I ain't never seen you before", "you should be a f*cking A". After I won the match, he whinges, complains and was a downright idiot. This was my first experience of someone like this. I was shocked at how a player that everyone would look up to, and try and be as good as had not a single sporting bone in his body. Not a single 'well played', 'you shot great'. Do these people actually get enjoyment from doing this? When I lose to a lower ranked player, I do what most people would do, congratulate them, and offer to buy them a drink. I was appalled with this behaviour. Please tell me that babies like this are not common place.
Click to expand...

OK, so who was it? Are you talking about Carmen?


Eric
 
chefjeff said:
All of that means that you're getting good, Billy Bob. Enjoy it.

See i #35.

Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...

Very good idea! I think I'll bring books on "anger management", "how to win friends and influence people", etc.

Actually they were nice to me last night. They got mad at the table, cushions, league, score sheet, etc. instead of me when they lost. ("I hate this table", "This table has dead cushions", etc.)
 
Billy_Bob said:
Very good idea! I think I'll bring books on "anger management", "how to win friends and influence people", etc.

Actually they were nice to me last night. They got mad at the table, cushions, league, score sheet, etc. instead of me when they lost. ("I hate this table", "This table has dead cushions", etc.)
Click to expand...

It never stops, does it?....lol....That, too, is just another demonstration of their real problem. As long as they're looking outside of themselves for the answer (unlike you), they're doomed to stay behind you. Keep kicking their asses! :)

Jeff Livingston
 
Eric. said:
OK, so who was it? Are you talking about Carmen?


Eric
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HAHA! That's funny. I was there last Saturday (didn't play though). I've never talked to the guy, but he was a total dick when he played my friend.
 
Your always going to have this problem when a weaker player beats a stronger player in a handicap system. I once played a C player that broke and ran the first rack, made an INCREDIBLE 2 rail kick then ran out in the second game, and COMBO'D in the 3rd game. I think i got to the table twice. I was pissed as hell as i had to spot him the 8, and he played about as good as i have ever played. He had not played in the tourny before, so he had no established handicap. My POINT: I was pretty pissed at the time, but weak players gotta have good days too, and maybe it was his lucky day. If you don't realize this, don't play handicap tourny's
 
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