1961 called they want their rose tinted melancholy glasses back.
1987 called back and said The Color Of Money was great! We are definitely ready for 2014. In fact we are overdue!
TV crews at the DCC
- Thread starter freddy the beard
- Start date
1987 called back and said The Color Of Money was great! We are definitely ready for 2014. In fact we are overdue!
I wonder how Freddy is making out with the TV crews.
Too bad Jimmy Mataya isn't in his prime.....
At a major tournament, when he was still world 8-ball champion, he walked
in just as his name was going for last call in the calcutta (for $500)
Jimmy said "Five hundred! That's an insult....make it two thousand."
Too bad Jimmy Mataya isn't in his prime.....
At a major tournament, when he was still world 8-ball champion, he walked
in just as his name was going for last call in the calcutta (for $500)
Jimmy said "Five hundred! That's an insult....make it two thousand."
+1
People may watch a reality show or drama with pool as a backdrop but as soon as they go play and figure out how damn hard it is thats that. The landscape has changed from the 60's and 80's when it comes to how people are entertained. Its a lot more watching and a lot less doing.
One of the many problems pool has working against it in the mainstream is that it is way harder than bowling, poker, darts or pick your game. Mix that with the fact there are simply no nice places to play it in many places and its a tough nut to crack.
I am a child of TCOM. Its what set the hook for me as a teenager. All my friends saw the same movie. I'm the only one here now. So commercial success of a project is good but it isnt the end all be all. There has to be an industry and structure in place to take advantage of it so that its not just wasted.
Please only show them the interesting side.
For fuks sake no one wants to see any euro tourney robots on tv.
Nothing is going to change anyhow. Poolplayers are always going to stay broke. Except the 5 or so elite ones each decade. The rest of them play this game because they are too lazy to work a real job. And they treat life the same way, like its a game.
Then they wake up realize they are 40 years old and can't do anything else. And basically have 10 good years left to try and save off of pool. And now there's not any tourneys for them and this place with all the pool detectives and picture phones ruined all their gambling spots. And they say remember we won 20k, 30k, 200k, we had fun in those strip clubs and casinos.
This is how it's always been and always will be. They have had big sponsors before, it don't matter.
For fuks sake no one wants to see any euro tourney robots on tv.
Nothing is going to change anyhow. Poolplayers are always going to stay broke. Except the 5 or so elite ones each decade. The rest of them play this game because they are too lazy to work a real job. And they treat life the same way, like its a game.
Then they wake up realize they are 40 years old and can't do anything else. And basically have 10 good years left to try and save off of pool. And now there's not any tourneys for them and this place with all the pool detectives and picture phones ruined all their gambling spots. And they say remember we won 20k, 30k, 200k, we had fun in those strip clubs and casinos.
This is how it's always been and always will be. They have had big sponsors before, it don't matter.
I agree to an extent...
I was the same way.. COM hit and pool was big. Myself and others all went tot he pool rooms and tried it but we are all different and the same pleasure I got they did not.
So if we look at it from that perspective we don't have to turn everyone we have to expose it as much as possible and keep infecting the ones that cant turn away.
There were a lot of pool places that sprang from COM and thrived off of it and the times. Wish lease prices were what they were in 1987
Have you ever spent time in the ghetto or barrio? If you have, then you know that most have the ability to do almost anything. Most have the ability but will never make it out to improve their lot in life. It has nothing to do with opportunity but instead it has everything to do with the paradigms held by those in that situation.
The Duck Dynasty lifestyle is desirable and honorable to certain demographics but it is a complete joke to most "others". It's all about paradigms. Middle America (The people that have money) view us as the hillbilly's. We are nothing more than a curiosity and an example of what not to be. Without a middle America paradigm shift, pools destiny will never change. We are talking about the tale of two images.
1) Phil Mickelson hitting the 200 yard fader across water, two feet from the pin, under great pressure for the win.
2) A pool player, jacked up on his drug of choice, yelling obscenities at an opponent in an attempt to make a game. Then, when the dog gets the game he takes a dump.
I honestly like option 2 better but, I came up from the bottom like most people drawn to the game today. I do know that this image has to die for pools destiny to change.
I'm not sure that I really want it to change. The crap going down at the pool hall is very entertaining to someone that is thick skinned like myself.
The Duck Dynasty lifestyle is desirable and honorable to certain demographics but it is a complete joke to most "others". It's all about paradigms. Middle America (The people that have money) view us as the hillbilly's. We are nothing more than a curiosity and an example of what not to be. Without a middle America paradigm shift, pools destiny will never change. We are talking about the tale of two images.
1) Phil Mickelson hitting the 200 yard fader across water, two feet from the pin, under great pressure for the win.
2) A pool player, jacked up on his drug of choice, yelling obscenities at an opponent in an attempt to make a game. Then, when the dog gets the game he takes a dump.
I honestly like option 2 better but, I came up from the bottom like most people drawn to the game today. I do know that this image has to die for pools destiny to change.
I'm not sure that I really want it to change. The crap going down at the pool hall is very entertaining to someone that is thick skinned like myself.
I have pointed this out before, and many have agreed...The first movie, 'the Hustler', was a bit of a perfect storm for pool...
..It was more a movie about life's bitter realities, and pool was just a vehicle to tell the story..It could have been about
horse racing, or boxing, or even poker..It was a huge break for pool, in that it attracted a very diversified audience..It also did not hurt that it starred the most popular actor of his generation, (Newman) in a role he should have won an Oscar for !..George C. Scott was also outstanding in his supporting role.
The next shot in the arm, for pool, 'The Color of Money', was much more 'pool oriented' but Newman was fading a little, so they teamed him up with the hottest young star at the time, Tom Cruise...Newman did win an Oscar for that film, although most critic's agreed, it was nowhere near the performance he gave in 'the Hustler'....Although they were 25 years apart, there is no denying the positive effect they had on the game...After C.O.M., upscale pool rooms shot up all over the country.
The reality is though, it is unlikely that there is any combination of story, or star's, that will ever duplicate those successes !..We live in a much different world today..Just notice, as hot as poker was for a while, it seems to be on a downward spiral, (at least as far as TV coverage).. much like we face in pool...Also, today there are many mid-size cities that cannot even support ONE pool room !..I live in a metro area (Phoenix) of over 3 million, that has gone from a few dozen fairly busy places, very rapidly down to about 2 or 3 rooms, and those owners would trade them in a heartbeat, for a good Dunkin' Donut franchise !
We all know, there is simply way too much 'instant gratification' to occupy todays youth !..NOW, they don't even have a place to play, or become attracted to our game..They have to be old enough to play in a bar, and by that time, they have usually gone on to other interests !...What was once a big part of our American culture, is rapidly disappearing..Us hardcare 'pool degenerates' are a dying breed, and its awful hard to see ANY light at the end of the tunnel..
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they are - if you were smart enough to renegotiate your lease or mortgage @ ten to twenty-five cents on the dollar in the past 5 years.
so what's been filmed? any updates?
I
We all know, there is simply way too much 'instant gratification' to occupy todays youth !..NOW, they don't even have a place to play, or become attracted to our game..They have to be old enough to play in a bar, and by that time, they have usually gone on to other interests !...What was once a big part of American culture, is rapidly disappearing..Us hardcare 'pool degenerates' are a dying breed, and its awful hard to see ANY light at the end of the tunnel..
It is not the "youths" fault. Numerous sports were here way before pool, even for us growing up as kids. How many folks have a pool table in their basement?
But most folks have a baseball, a basketball, a football, a hockey stick, a soccer ball, and a tennis racquet. We can ride a bike and get to any of those fields or courts in a matter of minutes.
You yourself played HS baseball.... it's just you "found" pool along the way, rather than pool finding you.....
Heck, I have a pool table in my basement, and my kid still does NOT want to play. His friends come over and walk right by it, and they do NOT want to play on it.
The grab a baseball or whatever else and go outside and do their thing. Fine by me, and I mean, it was my own mother who told me do whatever you want but do NOT be a pool player, and my dad even owned a Pool Room
So, even a guy like me, stopped playing pool from the age of 21 to 41. And as soon as I thought I was "out", they pull me back in
I have pointed this out before, and many have agreed...The first movie, 'the Hustler', was a bit of a perfect storm for pool...
..It was more a movie about life's bitter realities, and pool was just a vehicle to tell the story..It could have been about
horse racing, or boxing, or even poker..It was a huge break for pool, in that it attracted a very diversified audience..It also did not hurt that it starred the most popular actor of his generation, (Newman) in a role he should have won an Oscar for !..George C. Scott was also outstanding in his supporting role.
The next shot in the arm, for pool, 'The Color of Money', was much more 'pool oriented' but Newman was fading a little, so they teamed him up with the hottest young star at the time, Tom Cruise...Newman did win an Oscar for that film, although most critic's agreed, it was nowhere near the performance he gave in 'the Hustler'....Although they were 25 years apart, there is no denying the positive effect they had on the game...After C.O.M., upscale pool rooms shot up all over the country.
The reality is though, it is unlikely that there is any combination of story, or star's, that will ever duplicate those successes !..We live in a much different world today..Just notice, as hot as poker was for a while, it seems to be on a downward spiral, (at least as far as TV coverage).. much like we face in pool...Also, today there are many mid-size cities that cannot even support ONE pool room !..I live in a metro area (Phoenix) of over 3 million, that has gone from a few dozen fairly busy places, very rapidly down to about 2 or 3 rooms, and those owners would trade them in a heartbeat, for a good Dunkin' Donut franchise !
We all know, there is simply way too much 'instant gratification' to occupy todays youth !..NOW, they don't even have a place to play, or become attracted to our game..They have to be old enough to play in a bar, and by that time, they have usually gone on to other interests !...What was once a big part of our American culture, is rapidly disappearing..Us hardcare 'pool degenerates' are a dying breed, and its awful hard to see ANY light at the end of the tunnel..
The reality is that movies spark trends even now. So while it's possible that we will never see another pool movie spark another boom it's also a fact that IF a movie is very popular then it does motivate people to do whatever activity is being portrayed.
I am next to Jeanette's booth. The way people talk about her and their POSITIVE experiences, their reverence for her skill and showmanship and the good times they have had playing her in exhibitions is actually refreshing and uplifting. Makes me wonder what it would be like if MORE pros would study and copy Jeanette's way of doing things.
I am all for ANYTHING that sparks people's interest and motivates them to play pool. I
I think the TV crew for History may be at next year's DCC.
They are definitely interested in the good times *and* difficulties encountered with shooting pool in America if they are to do a documentary on it.
Does pool need a Tanya Harding to whack a Nancy Kerrigan's knee to bring pool into the mainstream?
Think a player breaking the other's arm in a pre-match fight.
Will a modern-day TCOM featuring a tournament soldier traveling the globe give American pool the boom it needs? Kid Delicious' movie was put on the shelf. Can it be revived?
The problem with American pool is this American generation is not interested in pool. They'd prefer to text with their smartphones and play video games at home.
I have recently been searching for data on the 2014 demographics of league players -- their age, what part of the country they reside in, what pocket billiard game they play, gender, et cetera. I can't find data on this topic that's current. :frown:
My thought is that the demographics of league players, which is where pool shines the brightest in America, is middle-aged and not young. In order for pool to flourish, it needs to attract a younger generation to get bit by the pool bug, as most of us did at some point in our lives.
In this regard, the History Channel or any other producer interested in pool will need a strong foundation to build on for a reality show. Gone are the road warrior days of pool's golden years when players would travel from coast to coast willing to play the best man in the house, often not knowing how strong that house pro *really* played. Today, the barkfest pre-action matches, trying to get a lock or a ridiculous handicap or hoping somebody drops their wallet is quite different than in pool's golden years of the road warrior days. In fact, it's not even gambling, IMO; it's more of a hustle.
As a railbird today, I will always have pool in my heart. I think the leagues need to be brought into the picture. Professional pool in America just ain't cutting the mustard. A reality show featuring the league players may be something to think about. :smile:
They are definitely interested in the good times *and* difficulties encountered with shooting pool in America if they are to do a documentary on it.
Does pool need a Tanya Harding to whack a Nancy Kerrigan's knee to bring pool into the mainstream?
Think a player breaking the other's arm in a pre-match fight. Will a modern-day TCOM featuring a tournament soldier traveling the globe give American pool the boom it needs? Kid Delicious' movie was put on the shelf. Can it be revived?
The problem with American pool is this American generation is not interested in pool. They'd prefer to text with their smartphones and play video games at home.
I have recently been searching for data on the 2014 demographics of league players -- their age, what part of the country they reside in, what pocket billiard game they play, gender, et cetera. I can't find data on this topic that's current. :frown:
My thought is that the demographics of league players, which is where pool shines the brightest in America, is middle-aged and not young. In order for pool to flourish, it needs to attract a younger generation to get bit by the pool bug, as most of us did at some point in our lives.
In this regard, the History Channel or any other producer interested in pool will need a strong foundation to build on for a reality show. Gone are the road warrior days of pool's golden years when players would travel from coast to coast willing to play the best man in the house, often not knowing how strong that house pro *really* played. Today, the barkfest pre-action matches, trying to get a lock or a ridiculous handicap or hoping somebody drops their wallet is quite different than in pool's golden years of the road warrior days. In fact, it's not even gambling, IMO; it's more of a hustle.
As a railbird today, I will always have pool in my heart. I think the leagues need to be brought into the picture. Professional pool in America just ain't cutting the mustard. A reality show featuring the league players may be something to think about. :smile:
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I thought I "debunked" it's the kids fault. Went to the batting cages with my son yesterday.... we usually rent a tunnel so he can practice pitching as well. It was jam (no pun intended) packed, there were baseball players, girls softball players, many lacrosse players, and a few hockey players working on their skill set in the big indoor open areas !! And it's the OFF season... but getting tuned up to be ready when the weather breaks...
Yeah, my kids still plays video games, but still plays lots of other stuff. We grew up in the TV days... and I'm sure the "old" folks back then thought, that's all these kids do is watch TV, why don't they go outside
We did, but we also watched Gilligan's island too.
You are proving my point RJ...When I was young, even the smallest town (mine was only about 500 pop.) had a pool room !...I at least had a chance to be exposed to it ! ...These days, there are hundreds of cities in the US, over 100,000 pop. that cannot even support ONE pool room ! :sorry:
PS..I'm glad for you, your kids play outdoor sports...Most of the young un's I see these days, are holed up in their rooms playing video games..
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The problem with most of todays youth is they don't want to have to really work at anything. They play video games that when they get to hard they buy cheat sheets to continue playing the game. Well, there is NO cheat sheets in pool or silver bullets. You have to work at it. I had no video games in my poolroom. I did have a Foosball machine because most nights there was a waiting list and the Foosball kept some of them in there. My room had about 20% over 40, most of the rest were from 16-25. I treated the 16 year olds like the older players...like adults. Johnnyt
I am also all for pool succeeding, John !..But, what in the world does Jeanette Lee have to do with ANYTHING ???...
And whats to "COPY" ?..Comparing her, with the average pro pool player, is like comparing you, to SVB..
...She is one of a kind, wouldn't you say ?
PS..I should have known you would find fault with my summation...Next you'll be saying "pool is riding high again" !
Keith spoke to one of the History Channel producers, and at that time, they were uncertain about whether to attend this year's DCC or next year's DCC. I think that's what Keith relayed to me.
I am also all for pool succeeding, John !..But, what in the world does Jeanette Lee have to do with ANYTHING ???...
And whats to "COPY" ?..Comparing her, with the average pro pool player, is like comparing you, to SVB..
one of a kind, wouldn't you say ?
PS..I should have known you would find fault with my summation...Next you'll be saying "pool is riding high again" !
I would not say Jeanette is one of a kind. I would say that she is smart enough to understand that being a professional pool player is a BUSINESS and she treats it that way. She is her brand and she promotes it properly. The result is that even if she is not the number one pool player she is looked upon with reverence by many amateur players who have enjoyed their experience with her.
Duplicating her methods COULD work for a lot of players to promote their own brands.
Actually I didn't find fault with your summation I simply don't subscribe to the doom and gloom attitude and the idea that what happened before will never happen again.