Jay,
Pool is unpopular in the respect that it isn't something people want to watch on TV or pay to go see live. If it were, all these millions of players, and league members and everyone you listed above would be doing just that. And pool would be a major televised sport as it is in a few countries. Because of the massive number of viewers and attendees, huge sponsors would step in to take advantage of the exposure.
Also, in other posts I've made on this subject (in older threads, I don't expect anyone to know what I said back then) I discussed many reasons why and one of the biggest reasons is because pool is more of a participant sport, rather than a spectator sport.
Why watch pool when you can play it instead? That's the prevailing attitude of American players.
Pool is simply one of the most if not the most accessible sports in the world. Maybe only darts is more accessible, but it has no where near the depth that pool does. One of the key factors in why some sports are watched is because the fans cannot participate. They like what they see, but cannot participate. Some things are better watched than played. A lot of people like to watch hockey. But I bet few would actually like playing it and getting hit all the time. Lot of people watch mixed martial arts, but barely any of them actually go out and participate in mixed martial arts. Most people don't like getting punched in the face.
Pool isn't like that. Don't have to be an athlete. It requires a minimum of hand eye coordination and skill to get started. Some sports are just unplayable even at the basic levels unless you have a decent amount of skill and coordination to begin. A good cue sports example would be 3-cushion. That's why 3-cushion isn't popular in America. For the game to have any flow and quality to it, you need a certain level of skill. Otherwise it's a bunch of ball banging for hours to make a couple points. Imagine a couple of APA SL2's trying to play 3 cushion. These are people that cannot make a simple short rail kick on a ball even 30% of the time. I think you get my point. I've shown a microcosm of this effect within the cuesports world. But this is even more so when compared to some other sports.
People, if they have the accessibility, the chance, the basic ability to at least be able to play with basic game flow will most often choose to play instead of relegate themselves to the status of spectators.
I talk to league players all the time I go into the pool room. Whenever I mention a tournament that is going on at the time, most are clueless. Even fewer know any major players. I mention SVB often, hardly anyone (of the league players) knows who he is. I mention Mika. Blank stares.
Yet, these people play league 2-3 times per week. Own lots of cues. Shoot a lot and all that good stuff.
Almost NONE have ever been to a single pro-tour stop of any kind when there are pro-tour stops around here locally. And I mean close, literally 6 miles away at most. Most don't even know such tour stops exist. Let alone who's in them.
I feel like I am speaking an alien language talking about that sort of thing to the vast, vast majority of league players. Here and there though, there is an enthusiast who knows because they follow it. Maybe 1 in 100 from my experience. It's that bad.
And my estimate is not far off. Because you know, and I know that if that percentage were higher, that tournament attendance, viewers of televised pool and all that would be greater. It's not. Because only a tiny fraction of the pool playing world in the USA cares about professional pool. They are busy using their precious leisure time playing instead of watching.
That's my thesis on why pro pool isn't popular in America.
