I am a first time poster, so I thought I'd bury my post deep in the bowels of the past so I wouldn't have to withstand the barrage of those so much more knowledgeable than myself that I routinely see on this vast collection of pool information. People on here have answers, and they incredibly insightful, so after 6 or so years of lurking and soaking things in, I think it appropriate that I contribute. My contribution is pretty simple, yet seemingly impossible. It seems to me that we live in a world where we want things to be done or put together by some entity that either doesn't exist, or if they did would would be crushed by the weight of those who know everything and have seen it all. The jaded back-biting and competitive verve of the best players, is such that when combining the "take every edge available at all costs" attitude with the solitary nature of what it takes to get to the level of pool where you are a local hero, then you have yourself a group of people who are admired and adored for their abilities, yet are so guarded and jaded because of the hustlin' nature of the pool world that they don't usually easily welcome newbies and lesser players in easily, and want to take their share of tuition money to let someone go to their school of hard knocks. Well, those players have seen it all, every play, every angle, but there is one problem in this scenario. We don't live in that world anymore. This is an era of pool leagues and the newbies are coming up in the APA. In fact, this is kind of a better way to cut your teeth, but unfortunately this isn't a perfect world either, and their Junior's program leaves much to be desired. The APA is rife with its own hustlin' which is called sandbagging and people are pressured to lose if on a competitive team, to maintain handicap numbers. Well, this is unfortunate, and there has to be a better way. Of course there is the BEF with their Junior Nationals and Worlds Tournaments and the Pool In Schools program, but while that is excellent, it takes a teacher sponsor and a dedicated program director. I think this is the right solution with coordination for local league operators and table locations that are kid friendly to join and offer both APA Juniors or BCA Juniors leagues with an oversight by parent team managers or coaches, and a BEF program to attract kids who might need a creative way to get their lessons in geometry and problem solving and such delivered. It isn't being done very effectively at the moment, but it takes people to roll up their sleeves and dive in. The old school pool elite lament the lack of people willing to go through the school of hard knocks that they had to endure, and the result is there can be a cold shouldering effect on new players unless they take the solitary plunge and get better on their own to earn respect out of the gate as they come of age.
So, the response is such that I haven't addressed your concerns of video games, Boyersj, because I don't think it is really as bad as it seems. Kids love video games, I did, and well, I'm 45. I don't play them any more, and much prefer a night of playing pool with buddies. Today's kids are an interesting lot. Some really don't like video games and such and for the first time in decades video game sales are stagnant and even falling in certain categories. Today's kids are unique in ways that are somewhat surprising, and taking on projects that are Do It Yourself craft-style projects and wanting something that harkens back to pre-technology days, and then documenting it intricately on their phones. Live streaming events plays to this crowd, as does pool table locations that have an old school flavor, without the gambling and drinking vice. School can make things that are cool boring, so it is a strange mix of what is needed, but as you well know, there isn't a lot of push for these things in very many places. What it takes is a dedicated few to put those things into play. There are pieces that get thrown out there, but not the coordinating forces to make a total solution. I guess, that is something that has to evolve. I think there should be a group of people... a family if you will of the pool community who work together to make bigger projects like this possible, but I have found that the last people who are willing to work together for those ends are the ones who would benefit the most. The Local Heros. For the reasons that they grew up hard in the rough and tumble world of 80's and 90's post "The Color Of Money" Hustlin' days... they kind of expect the same of the next generation. If they did listen to the newbies and what they wanted, which is acceptance and to hear the experiences of the old school hustlers, coupled with being shown the ropes, then I think you'd find the heroes of the pool community would get a lot more fish wanting to test the waters of the sharks so to speak in the long run, but it would take some giving up some of the previous ideas of yesteryear. It is rare to see a 7 in APA take great care to truly mold their team, and help them learn. There has only been one I have seen who did it with great care and I call him The Greatest APA 7 Ever, not because he is the best player... Hell, he is just a very good 7 in that respect, but even that 7 could use a little softening around the edges from time to time.
It is a tough collection of things that need to be done, but technology of live streaming, improvements in leagues for juniors, and more education opportunities could make the right community a juggernaut for the future. Especially if there were plenty of resources in the area to tap to keep it cool with big events, and pro player access, and even manufacturers of pool tables and cues to draw upon. Hell, there might even be a place that has the largest state tournament and the world's largest pool league within range of such a place. You know what I mean, but it means sucking up and working with previous rivals, and well, working-well together, that isn't something the old-school top dogs have in their wheelhouse, but the people who are coming up, might. There might be a bright future for pool, but 9ft tables and grimy pool halls aren't the answer. Kids can hardly reach a 9ft table and real estate is high enough that 7ft makes more sense financially. Well, how in the world can all these things come together? It takes true leadership. POOL HAS NEVER HAD THAT. BCA was the best that ever was, in trying but they wanted to make it stuffy. They wanted to make it wear a tie to events. Pool needs the services that they broke off, to work together. It is no accident that BEF, PBIA, and BCAPL(CSI), are the things I am suggesting to solve the woes of pool's future. They are all ex-BCA programs. They just needed the stuffiness taken out, and people to take them on locally instead of a goliath telling pro's to wear a bow tie and vest to shoot in tournaments. The result of that, was Johnston City. Sure wish there were some Jansco Brothers around to do the next wave, or someone to take those old stuffy programs and insert some cool and tech savvy antics-laden modernity into them. Fun and loose, with an edge and kind of sneaking the education in there. That would be a way to get to the kids of today. Pool has all the history and stories for this generation to really grab a hold of, now it needs the conduit to translate it to today.
