Maniac said:
I personally wouldn't care if there wasn't even the existence of professional pool. I feel the same way about professional football, baseball, basketball, etc. There are many others in this country who feel like I do.
That's fine, but there are many others who do not feel like you do, at least about football, baseball. etc. The point being that, a large part of the population does gain from the existence of professional sports. It's quite enjoyable to watch highly skilled athletes at the top of their game. And, when it's well organized, there's a lot of drama, a lot of prestige, a sense that something important is at stake, "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat"...
Now, you may not personally enjoy this. But understand that you're not everyone, so if you don't see the appeal in professional sports in general, that doesn't mean there's no appeal. Man does not like by bread alone, as they say, and you could just as easily write off other forms of entertainment, movies, literature, music, arts, etc.
Also, the case for a pro pool tour is not based on some moral principle that anyone who is good at anything deserves huge sums of money. I personally would like to see pool pros make a lot, but that's besides the point. A pro pool tour would be rewarding for people who are not pros or even good players. Why should there be an NBA? Because fans like it; that's it. Pool could be another great professional sport, and it would be beneficial for fans and pro players alike.
The real question is why pool and not something else like say hot-dog eating or tiddlywinks. And the answer is that pool is a great sport (game, whatever, names don't matter). It's sophisticated, requires a lot of precision and knowledge, and can be very exciting to watch. The general public doesn't understand this, but the people on this board do. But, the general public COULD appreciate pool in this way, after all, a LOT of people like playing pool, and not just a little, even bangers and social players REALLY like playing.
However, as you point out, a lot of casual or even somewhat serious players don't like to watch pool though, and that's the problem. Of course, some people just don't like pro sports period, and that's fine. But the people that need to be reached are people who like playing pool and also like pro sports, but don't like watching pool as a pro sport. That's the target audience, and it's a big group (probably the majority of casual players).
Who can blame them for not watching pro pool? They've never been given the chance, really. I mean, you wouldn't get too many football fans if the games were broadcast two months after they occurred, with amateurish production and Mitch Laurance commentating, and with parts of the game cut out to fit into a one hour time slot. Some people claim pool can never be a big pro televised sport, but what is this based on? Bad ratings for the ESPN2 junk? The failure of the IPT? That means nothing. The only instances I'm aware of of cue sports being broadcast live and well commentated are snooker in the UK and 9-ball in Asia. And, guess what, it goes over pretty well in both places.
And, contrary to what seems to be the consensus, pool is not inherently bad for TV. Look at golf, hugely popular, but perhaps the worst TV sport imaginable: most of the time nothing happens, and then you get to see a guy swing a club, followed by cheers, a flash of the sky, and a tiny white ball dropping onto a sea of green. The short game is better for TV, but it's still mostly the suspense rather than the visual appeal of a rolling ball that makes it enjoyable (and BTW I like watching golf).
In contrast, with pool, first of all, the physics involved are more arguably more interesting since there are collisions, angles, more precise control of spin, etc. But more important, you can actually appreciate everything that's going on on TV, because there's no wind or slope of the green that you need the commentator to tell you about. And on power shots, like the break, you can see what happens, rather than thinking wow, that looks like a good drive let's see how long until they switch camera angles so I can find out how far the ball went. Given a real chance, pool will flourish.
