How does pool compare to snooker?
How does snooker compare to golf?
How does golf compare to NBA basketball?
How does NBA basketball compare to NFL football?
The "attention to every detail" is directly related to how much money is in the sport. There's very little money in pool, so it can't afford all the nicities that other sports can.
I honestly can't think of another sport with pro-level competition that has less money than pool. Can you? (I guess there are some Olympic sports that don't pay -- and therefore aren't pro-level -- like luge, bobsled, etc. where the sport could never exist without the Olympic imprimatur), but what other "paying sport" actually pays less than pool?
I think the shooting sports are even less of a paying sport than pool. Male and female shooters at the top of their sport can enjoy the prestige of winning an Olympic medal, in some of the shooting disciplines at least, so that is something no pool player can aspire to in this era.
In shooting sports there are few if any national tournaments that offer cash prizes, added money, or even any significant prizes of any sort.
The shooting sports are also divided into very many disciplines - handguns and rifles and shotguns, rimfire and centerfire and black powder, single shot and semi-auto, standing, sitting, kneeling, and prone positions, with or without supports like a sling, one-piece base, or two-piece base - variations seem endless, even before selecting sights and optics and shooting distance.
At best shooters have the support of non-profits like the Civilian Marksmanship Program and USA Shooting (mission
repare American athletes to win Olympic and Paralympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S., and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country). At lower levels, there are the Scouts, 4H clubs, some ROTC, sometimes with discount ammunition provided by Federal/CCI, plus an occasional college scholarship program.
A young lady I coached in 3-Position Rifle in a county 4H Shooting Sports Program went into her first year of college supported by a $1500 national CMP and $1000 local gun club scholarship, funds paid directly toward her college tuition, which is nothing to sneeze at, but really just a few bucks for one person and not so much money if one is looking at the big picture
It costs upwards of five grand to outfit a rifle or pistol shooter (whether rimfire, centerfire, CO2, or compressed air) with the necessary gear to compete at the national level in just one event. Add another event which requires a different firearm (or change from powder to air power) and the price for the required equipment doubles.
In pool, one can take a cue off the wall and start winning money that same day. Not likely, but it can happen. However, I would never suggest to a young person that pool has a future as far as making money or supporting a family. Maybe a few people have made a living playing pool, but compared to the number of first-rate players in the world there is a very low percentage who are making a good middle-class income, especially after counting their expenses.
I would say the chances of making money in shooting sports is even less than in cue sports. But both sports are great fun, as long as the shooter makes sure to protect their hearing 100% of the time. Both sports can be enjoyed well beyond retirement age, unlike track and field or pro football or pro basketball or pro baseball, all sports which tear up the body and leave the player hurting and stiff at an early age, not to mention the effects of concussions.
