First off, this thread is not addressed to anyone in particular. I have been thinking about our great sport of pool and the idea of it becoming a major sport that we can be proud of. The thing that got me thinking about it is all the threads with the “I’ll flip a coin for your net worth threads”. Hell I have it as a quote in my signature, (that will be changing very soon). I hear people talking about how much the gambling brings to the game. That will be one of my first points, but before I get to that. I also hear fans talking about pool players dumping matches. We have all heard the rumors. I know, and have played around quite a few pros, and unfortunately it is real. I think it is one of the worst things you can do and very well might be one big reason our sport has such a bad rep. But, there are top level pros out there struggling to live day to day. They are doing what they feel they must. We as fans and players are not doing anything to help. We are one of the causes of it. In pool the thing everyone is gunning for is money. Hell I don’t go into a pool room with the intention of anything else. In all sports the money is the driving factor, it is the trophy we all want. But something all pool players and fans need to remember, young people are what make a sport what it is. Do you think basketball would be what it is if most of them didn’t start until 18. Or football, golf, baseball. Bottom line, the majority of people playing the big sports are under 20. As a father of a nearly one year old son, I couldn’t imagine my son being a part of the dark underbelly of pool. Imagine what parents must think when they see the comment, ( I’ll flip you a coin for your gd net worth) on the biggest pool forum on the internet!!! Would you want your kids involved in that?? I want to teach my son about pool and raise him with honor and integrity. I want him to have the drive to be as good at something as he can and to give 110%. But I don’t want him involved in anything that would affect that honor and integrity. I don’t want him walking into someplace you have to watch your back for risk of death, or plotting to steal someone’s money on a pool game by way of trickery. Now All the things I have mentioned I have either done or been around. I wont dump by the way. So I am no better, But I do want better for him.
Now pool has always had gambling. But stop and think about the view people have about pool. An example: two years ago during the tar derby stream, someone stumbled in the stream and asked, “what channel is this, the redneck channel”……..that should some it up. When I tell my in-laws I am going to a big tournament, they give me this look of distain as if to say how low class. That is the general view of the pool from the world. No mater how much you think its not. Until we get pool out of the smoke filled bars and get the railbirds muzzled, pool will not change. I enjoy a good beer while playing a 100 dollar set as much as anyone, but its not helping pool. An alcoholic can’t imagine his world without booze. Same goes for gambling and pool players, but some of the most successful players in pool don’t gamble. But they are there at the top. Now challenge matches set up with backers is fun…fun to watch and fun to bet on, like a horse race. But sitting around the pool room hustling to make a living is not what our sport should be about. Bottom line, to be successful pool must be something young kids at the age of ten can pick up and learn like one would with golf , football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and so on a so forth. No sane parent would get there kid into pool in its current state. And that in my humble opinion is one of the biggest keys to improving pool as a sport. Now all of this is just my opinion and I mean no disrespect to anyone.
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Now pool has always had gambling. But stop and think about the view people have about pool. An example: two years ago during the tar derby stream, someone stumbled in the stream and asked, “what channel is this, the redneck channel”……..that should some it up. When I tell my in-laws I am going to a big tournament, they give me this look of distain as if to say how low class. That is the general view of the pool from the world. No mater how much you think its not. Until we get pool out of the smoke filled bars and get the railbirds muzzled, pool will not change. I enjoy a good beer while playing a 100 dollar set as much as anyone, but its not helping pool. An alcoholic can’t imagine his world without booze. Same goes for gambling and pool players, but some of the most successful players in pool don’t gamble. But they are there at the top. Now challenge matches set up with backers is fun…fun to watch and fun to bet on, like a horse race. But sitting around the pool room hustling to make a living is not what our sport should be about. Bottom line, to be successful pool must be something young kids at the age of ten can pick up and learn like one would with golf , football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and so on a so forth. No sane parent would get there kid into pool in its current state. And that in my humble opinion is one of the biggest keys to improving pool as a sport. Now all of this is just my opinion and I mean no disrespect to anyone.
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