The only thing wrong with "Pool," is it needs watching.

336Robin

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
I wasn't the first to say they didn't favor the 2 races to 4 and shootout format, but the shorter races does make suspense especially when
two good players like these are doing the battle.

It highlights the importance of each shot in Pool. Safeties are important and getting out when you're in control is important.

Shorter matches are needed so that people will have time to watch complete matches. I watch a few racks at a time and I'm
enjoying the back and forth between these two players. Instead of this match being at 38k views it should be 138k views.
Pool has the people, sponsorship needs their viewership. It's a "zero" investment for pool fans and is the cheapest way to
promote the professional sport.

What would happen if pool fans started sharing these matches on social media? Would it be possible to bring the millions of other fans
of the game into the viewership fold? Many pool leaguers couldn't name a single professional player. Shouldn't we share?

Do we have the power from the platform of Social Media to increase the viewership of Pool?

Share this and let's see! I just shared to Facebook. I'm over one thousand friends mostly pool people.

If my 1000 friends were to share how many people turn into viewers?

 
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336Robin said:
I wasn't the first to say they didn't favor the 2 races to 4 and shootout format, but the shorter races does make suspense especially when
two good players like these are doing the battle.

It highlights the importance of each shot in Pool. Safeties are important and getting out when you're in control is important.

Shorter matches are needed so that people will have time to watch complete matches. I watch a few racks at a time and I'm
enjoying the back and forth between these two players. Instead of this match being at 38k views it should be 138k views.
Pool has the people, sponsorship needs their viewership. It's a "zero" investment for pool fans and is the cheapest way to
promote the professional sport.

What would happen if pool fans started sharing these matches on social media? Would it be possible to bring the millions of other fans
of the game into the viewership fold? Many pool leaguers couldn't name a single professional player. Shouldn't we share?

Do we have the power from the platform of Social Media to increase the viewership of Pool?

Share this and let's see! I just shared to Facebook. I'm over one thousand friends mostly pool people.

If my 1000 friends were to share how many people turn into viewers?

Click to expand...
People like to play pool but not watch it. That is a proven fact over many years.
 
middleofnowhere said:
People like to play pool but not watch it. That is a proven fact over many years.
Click to expand...

I posted this in the wrong forum. Up early, I guess. I will ask that it's moved to the Main.

I don't disagree with your statement, but the pandemic has changed the viewership habits of a lot of people and
I think its possible that people who a one time might not know who the pro players are might enjoy seeing what
professional pool looks like. Older players like us might also find a little entertainment out of it.
 
I like to play even though I'm not very good. I like to watch too, but safety battle turns me off.

And Cuedup has it right, these pastel balls have got to go. The five ball is orange.
 
The commentary for most matches also give the impression that pocket billiards is very complex and takes years just to play it at an average level (at least by American commentators). I would prefer European commentators or the option of no commentary at all. If they can play Cornhole on espn, get sponsorships and viewers, professional pool in the US should be able too. But that does take an organized organization with money to garner interest.
 
I think the live broadcast format costs us new fans. Even with a shot clock, matches drag on and commentary and replays are hit or miss.
Take the footage and produce the broadcast on TV with edited, made for tv commentary by the players about what they were thinking (think confessional on reality tv).
 
If you don’t know how to play pool-watching it sucks.

Watch pool sometime and pretend you don’t know how to draw or follow your CB. Though that lense it’s a horrible thing to watch.

Pool players see a different thing than non players see. We as players can appreciate the difficulty of a shot. Where the untrained eye just sees a ball pocketed.

Assume 99.5% of people know zero about pool. My proof: give BiH to 99.5% of people and they set up a straight in shot with no idea which direction the cb should be going. How can they appreciate watching shape for the next shot WHEN THEY DONT KNOW WTF IT IS?? They can’t.

Nobody who plays plays pool remembers 99.5% of the potential audience knows ZERO.

If they knew how to play pool , there would be an audience.

Go watch grand master chess players for a hour and get back to me-unless you play high level chess. Idk wtf I’m watching when they play. Chess players see things I as an uneducated chess player can’t see. I suck at chess I’m in that 99.5% thing.

Backgammon is another example. Go watch backgammon and see how interesting that is. Same idea.

Stupid simple retard shit that is understandable sells. Cornhole, darts, soccer, golf. And good for them. I like stupid shit, I’m a retard and not PC today-just being honest. Brain dead stuff sells the best.

Bring an expert to enjoy something is a big ask for a wide market. I chose to become an expert at pool, and I can watch a 3 hour rack of 1P because I know what I’m watching. A league player can’t-in most cases. I couldn’t stand 1P for the first year or 2 I was learning about pool. That’s cool you grow into it.

Boxing is great, I know loads about it. But it’s watchable at a primal level because it’s just a fight. It’s also very technical like pool should you learn about it. Pool isn’t primal, it’s cerebral and requires knowledge to appreciate

It’s not changing

Fatboy

Bonus Ball was the plan to fix/save pool, Christ it was so complicated. Sure. Lol
 
SlateMan said:
I think the live broadcast format costs us new fans. Even with a shot clock, matches drag on and commentary and replays are hit or miss.
Take the footage and produce the broadcast on TV with edited, made for tv commentary by the players about what they were thinking (think confessional on reality tv).
Click to expand...

There may be something to this. I would just as soon not watch the racking, break time etc. The high cost is when you miss out
on some of the racks but you get the most of it.

It's hard to make Pool exciting unless you start cutting down the time to reply and if you shorten that time too much how good is the reply?
At a point is it fair to the player? and would it really produce more interest?
 
If you want people to watch pool you need to establish a tour where tournament results mean something. Give people a reason to tune in next week and the week after.

Players should be jockying for position on a ranking list that determine invitations for invitationals, seedlings and direct entry into tournaments.

You need to distinguish the difference between a proper pro tour event and a run of the mill pro-am so we can definitively say who has won the most tour events.

We need stats so that players can set and break records. And we need consistency so those records can be compared properly.

We need to promote players as much or more than the game. Sport is about the experience of rooting for your favourite player/team and less about actually watching the sport. Only diehards watch for the beauty of the game.

What pool is missing is all of that context above which is necessary for developing narratives not only at one tournament, but across tournaments. When Ronnie O’Sullivan was chasing 1000 centuries, people tuned in each tournament so they could see his progress. Pool doesn’t have any of that and the narratives at tournaments tend to be developed by fans rather than driven by broadcasters.

Until the foundational stuff is firmly established we will have limited success through presenting loosely associated tournaments.
 
justnum said:
If we stop complaining about pool and start inviting people to the pool room then problems will solve themselves.

I have invited and brought many non pool players to the pool room. Most of the reactions: why bother doing this again.
Click to expand...
I’ve done the same and seen the same thing

People take up something that’s interesting to them.

Pool just isn’t interesting to most people.
 
Fatboy said:
I’ve done the same and seen the same thing

People take up something that’s interesting to them.

Pool just isn’t interesting to most people.
Click to expand...

We are it Fatboy, me and you the only pool fans for the next 10 years.

This is like when people sign up for a cruise and realize the crowd is not what they hoped.

Some make the best of it, some run far away.
 
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Fatboy said:
If you don’t know how to play pool-watching it sucks.

Watch pool sometime and pretend you don’t know how to draw or follow your CB. Though that lense it’s a horrible thing to watch.

Pool players see a different thing than non players see. We as players can appreciate the difficulty of a shot. Where the untrained eye just sees a ball pocketed.

Assume 99.5% of people know zero about pool. My proof: give BiH to 99.5% of people and they set up a straight in shot with no idea which direction the cb should be going. How can they appreciate watching shape for the next shot WHEN THEY DONT KNOW WTF IT IS?? They can’t.

Nobody who plays plays pool remembers 99.5% of the potential audience knows ZERO.

If they knew how to play pool , there would be an audience.

Go watch grand master chess players for a hour and get back to me-unless you play high level chess. Idk wtf I’m watching when they play. Chess players see things I as an uneducated chess player can’t see. I suck at chess I’m in that 99.5% thing.

Backgammon is another example. Go watch backgammon and see how interesting that is. Same idea.

Stupid simple retard shit that is understandable sells. Cornhole, darts, soccer, golf. And good for them. I like stupid shit, I’m a retard and not PC today-just being honest. Brain dead stuff sells the best.

Bring an expert to enjoy something is a big ask for a wide market. I chose to become an expert at pool, and I can watch a 3 hour rack of 1P because I know what I’m watching. A league player can’t-in most cases. I couldn’t stand 1P for the first year or 2 I was learning about pool. That’s cool you grow into it.

Boxing is great, I know loads about it. But it’s watchable at a primal level because it’s just a fight. It’s also very technical like pool should you learn about it. Pool isn’t primal, it’s cerebral and requires knowledge to appreciate

It’s not changing

Fatboy

Bonus Ball was the plan to fix/save pool, Christ it was so complicated. Sure. Lol
Click to expand...
A generally well-reasoned post. Sports that people don't know much about have a calculated disadvantage in drawing the interest of fans.

There are exceptions, often when something watched is deemed graceful. I'll offer gymnastics as an example, which 99.9% of us have never tried. I don't always know which moves are harder than the others, but like many, I tend to watch gymnastics only during the summer Olympics, but I'm always taken in by it for the simple reason that it is so graceful. I feel the same about figure skating, another graceful sport that's hard to understand but enjoyable to watch.

I don't think that pool is difficult to understand. Hundreds of millions play it worldwide and every one of them knows that the objective is to run out the rack. In eight ball, they know this means making all the stripes (or solids) and then making the eight ball. In rotation games, they know the objective is to make the balls in numerical order and then win by making the nine-ball. They also know that a player than runs out many racks is to be admired.
 
It has always been pretty straightforward to me.
For cuesports, compare how these two present themselves, which one is more professional.
Same table, balls, ruleset.... stability.

Snooker
Vs
Pool

Why do you think Snooker has more coverage... take all the time you need.
 
justnum said:
If we stop complaining about pool and start inviting people to the pool room then problems will solve themselves.

I have invited and brought many non pool players to the pool room. Most of the reactions: why bother doing this again.
Click to expand...
Fatboy said:
I’ve done the same and seen the same thing

People take up something that’s interesting to them.

Pool just isn’t interesting to most people.
Click to expand...

There is a moral to story here in those two posts and stu's below them.

You have to get people involved who are in the pool room to get them interested in watching your pool videos
if you want to go after that part of the market, if you care to go after it that way.

What is easier is just put the content out and see what happens. Let the viewership market be what its going to be.
So far that market doesn't look all that great. It's growing slowly but everything takes time. It's clear here that its
going to take right much time.
 
telinoz said:
It has always been pretty straightforward to me.
For cuesports, compare how these two present themselves, which one is more professional.
Same table, balls, ruleset.... stability.

Snooker
Vs
Pool

Why do you think Snooker has more coverage... take all the time you need.
Click to expand...

I don't want to go into supreme detail here too many things actually so let's go the one.

Matchroom was there a long time ago and snooker has been big a long time ago in places
american style pool has not been. It's had a long time to build its following.
 
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