Is there a way to convince the travel channel to do a " World Pool Tour " or something to that? That would haul in a lot of attention... I never get to watch the espn matches, because most of them are too early.. eh whatever
What went so wrong that we get no press?
- Thread starter SlimShafty
- Start date
The more I think about it, the more I think maybe pool should do what the UFC did. They made a reality show about their sport. A group of fighters vying for a contract. Great publicity. Viewers got to know some up and coming fighters. They got to learn a little about exactly what Ultimate Fighting is. And they also got introduced to some established stars. Then they tied the show's finale in with a big televised event.
From what I've heard, it was pretty successful in terms of ratings. Granted, Ultimate Fighting is a little different than Pool. But the idea is a good one. They found a way to educate people about their sport and their sport's stars. And they got people in the habit of watching their sport every week on TV.
From what I've heard, it was pretty successful in terms of ratings. Granted, Ultimate Fighting is a little different than Pool. But the idea is a good one. They found a way to educate people about their sport and their sport's stars. And they got people in the habit of watching their sport every week on TV.
I know this is an older post - but I wanted to put in my two cents after seeing the bitterness and bewilderment at this lack of attention. It really isn't any big mystery. Money and human interest turn the wheels of the press - people in the billiard industry don't seem to acknowledge that the Press (no matter which one your are talking about) is a business. Very few of the corporations in our industry see any value advertising, so how can newspapers, the TV news, radio, or any other form of media justify paying their reporters and cameramen to help us? I could go on for a while - but anyone with half a brain can complete this line of thinking - it isn't rocket science. I wonder how much Titlest Golf Balls spends on endorsements to Golf Players? And they still advertise on top of that...if our own industry doesn't see any point in promoting the sport - how are companies outside the industry supposed to?
everyone is right
I think everyone who replied to this post has hit on some very valid points. I think one of the biggest drawbacks to real pool coverage is a lack of a real pool organization to help channel the enthusiasm from the amatuer level to the pro level. With so many different tournamants and leagues, all playing with different formats and rules, it makes it really tough to pin down specifics and promote it properly. Billiards is one of the most popular participatory activities in the country, and everyone has played pool at some point in their lives. I feel that these people would watch pool on TV and they often do when the opportunity arises however I reiterate that until there is an organization that can come along and standardize rules and institute a format that allows a logical and "sanctioned" flow for players to compete and advance from the amatuer level to the pro level, billiards will continue to suffer because of the disjointed nature of tours, tournaments and leagues and their promoters. Consider that 40 years ago, professional football had more than one league, low player pay, little television interest, and a lack of mass appeal. Until someone came along with a vision to create and promote one league as the "standard" of pro football, it suffered from many of the same symptoms we are dicussing about pool. Even though the first Superbowl attracted two networks (who were still young at the time and willing to try and jump on new things to increase their veiwership...satellite hint hint), attendees were all asked to move to the cetner of the stadium because they could not sell out and wanted to give the impression of a much larger audience. Billiards is the sport of kings, and could very well be one of the most popular sporting events watched on TV, if there was only more organization and vision, and pool players, league owners, and tour directors were willing to bend a little more to help create some true standards. The opportunity is there and I believe the right person could bring it all together to launch billiards into the mainstream where it belongs.
I think everyone who replied to this post has hit on some very valid points. I think one of the biggest drawbacks to real pool coverage is a lack of a real pool organization to help channel the enthusiasm from the amatuer level to the pro level. With so many different tournamants and leagues, all playing with different formats and rules, it makes it really tough to pin down specifics and promote it properly. Billiards is one of the most popular participatory activities in the country, and everyone has played pool at some point in their lives. I feel that these people would watch pool on TV and they often do when the opportunity arises however I reiterate that until there is an organization that can come along and standardize rules and institute a format that allows a logical and "sanctioned" flow for players to compete and advance from the amatuer level to the pro level, billiards will continue to suffer because of the disjointed nature of tours, tournaments and leagues and their promoters. Consider that 40 years ago, professional football had more than one league, low player pay, little television interest, and a lack of mass appeal. Until someone came along with a vision to create and promote one league as the "standard" of pro football, it suffered from many of the same symptoms we are dicussing about pool. Even though the first Superbowl attracted two networks (who were still young at the time and willing to try and jump on new things to increase their veiwership...satellite hint hint), attendees were all asked to move to the cetner of the stadium because they could not sell out and wanted to give the impression of a much larger audience. Billiards is the sport of kings, and could very well be one of the most popular sporting events watched on TV, if there was only more organization and vision, and pool players, league owners, and tour directors were willing to bend a little more to help create some true standards. The opportunity is there and I believe the right person could bring it all together to launch billiards into the mainstream where it belongs.