idk if that's MR:s work, newspapers pick up on good stories and he's a good story, especially with the age thing. but MR made darts big and the fact that he made 250k is impressive, winner took 700k i think. that's promising for 9b pool
Why Doesn’t WPA, Matchroom or BCA Get On The Phones?
- Thread starter Chicagoplayer
- Start date
idk if that's MR:s work, newspapers pick up on good stories and he's a good story, especially with the age thing. but MR made darts big and the fact that he made 250k is impressive, winner took 700k i think. that's promising for 9b pool
Age restrictions are a TINY part of a much bigger issue(s). Just getting those 8-17yr. olds off their ass and off their phones is colossal task.
Age restriction is good, the current pool players should try harder to recruit youth teams. The pool room should be a place to hangout and just go. No one needs a scheduled practice. And they should all know the staff. Its pro pool club or team or whatever.
APA is supposed to do that. Instead they teach their buddies to play like a 7.
Most of the new pros look fresh out of high school. Just have them create local leaders and make them play video games or post on social media.
I don't want to be the 16 year that goes on my own, its better to be part of a group it will make cue sports more distinguished.
Its is easier for pool players to spot bad coaches. In larger team sports, bad coaching is a pandemic.
APA is supposed to do that. Instead they teach their buddies to play like a 7.
Most of the new pros look fresh out of high school. Just have them create local leaders and make them play video games or post on social media.
I don't want to be the 16 year that goes on my own, its better to be part of a group it will make cue sports more distinguished.
Its is easier for pool players to spot bad coaches. In larger team sports, bad coaching is a pandemic.
True, but that’s a problem all sports are having if I remember correctly.
Junior golf is booming currently.
Football, basketball, baseball, soccer are all still well attended. Pool will never be on these kids radar screens. Not anytime soon anyway. Money is getting better and with that comes media exposure. Without that and some 'cool factor' to draw them in they'll never play.
Pool still has the 'G"-word stigma. Mainstream America still sees pool as smoky backroom gambling thing. Golf carries no such baggage even tho huge sums of $$ are bet at courses nationwide. Still it has the clean, rich guy vibe compared to pool.
It’s a representation of status.
The cool peeps don’t just wear Apple Watch or Fitbit.
I attended the Pro-Am of the BMW/FED Ex Cup at Dubsdread. I approached several players and asked many if gambling happens on the golf course.
One I put the question to, pulled his glasses down, and said….”Of course!”
I filmed it.
Gambling happens in all sports.
However, pool’s image continues to change, and the memory of smoke filled rooms has faded considerably being replaced by more regimented, and sports like conduct and events.
REMINDER
Tennis went through a huge slump until Bobby Riggs started pissing women off and challenging the women to play him.
Then came Billie Jean King & that was played in the Houston Astrodome
He was uncouth, rude, derisive, and a pig, and the people LOVED IT.
Just thinking about it since it’s the 50th anniversary
(raises hand) Guilty. For me it’s my Apple Watch daily for utility, but going out for the evening or especially playing pool, it’s my Seiko Orange Monster or Seamaster Chrono.
If a watch conveys status, our society is in great need of being rebuilt.
It is what it is.
Thank you! On top of being an absolute stunner to look at, the Spring Drive is an absolute dominant force in the history of horology.
Many pool players have seen the light on this point, recognizing that pool remains in the gutter in the eyes of many, but as a group, pool players aren't sufficiently united to change their image. Matchroom is doing everything in its power to make the pro players more respectable, but it won't be until they are all on board that the mission can be accomplished. Publicly embarrassing instances like Thorpe throwing a tantrum on a public stream and Appleton throwing a tantrum at a pro event still plague our sport's image. Jeremy Jones and Earl threatening each other during a Bonus Ball match was another example of how pool players don't care how they are perceived.
We'll know pool has turned the corner when the players police themselves. If one gets out of line in a way that disgraces their sport, the others should take loud and public exception.
It's well known that while golf was on the rise, Arnold Palmer himself approached some of the players that weren't living up to the image he wanted pro golf to project. Similarly, legendary baseball player Joe DiMaggio was known to get in the face of those who disgraced baseball. In pool, we could use a few who put pressure on others to live up to a code of conduct that would best serve the sport.
Pro pool players, as a group, are making some strides in making themselves more respectable. Once upon a time, snooker players had to learn to project a new image and they succeeded, so one must believe it's possible.
Gambling will always be part of pool, and that's not a problem, but the countless pros who live in denial about the need to project and maintain a better image for the game's sake have and will continue to obstruct the process of getting pool's image out of the gutter. As Peter, Paul and Mary said "When Will They Ever Learn?"
Never heard of AP getting on other players. Not saying he never talked to another player in this area but i've never heard it. Arnold loved to gamble. He played the ponies, sports, and on his own golf game. He also was not averse to slamming a few drinks after playing. Golf has had more than its share of chiseler's, hustlers, dead beats. They just have nicer clothes and do their skullduggery on a golf course.
Benelli
Well-known member
As a watch collector who talks to the senior leadership of one of the Richemont brands I can tell you they have zero interest in Pool/Billiards despite the fact they all play and most have tables in their homes.
It's not because of "shady perceptions of gambling", quite simply 80%-90% of pool players can't afford the product. They would gladly pay to do some level of placement in another Color of Money caliber movie but getting product on the arms of professional players or player sponsorships is just not economically viable given the demographics of the fans.
But honestly, that is what I love about billiards, it started out as just the game of the aristocracy, then came down to the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Carnegies, and then flowed into the billiard halls, pool rooms, and basements of all us commoners. And this is where it should stay...
And just to rub some salt in the wound, a different brand I could give two shits about is actively talking to Pro Pickleball on the grounds that there are a lot of doctors and lawyers who play.
As if a similar calculation could not be made about pool...
Screw'em, Other than MR making the game more known at the pro level I want everything else to stay mostly the same.
It's not because of "shady perceptions of gambling", quite simply 80%-90% of pool players can't afford the product. They would gladly pay to do some level of placement in another Color of Money caliber movie but getting product on the arms of professional players or player sponsorships is just not economically viable given the demographics of the fans.
But honestly, that is what I love about billiards, it started out as just the game of the aristocracy, then came down to the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Carnegies, and then flowed into the billiard halls, pool rooms, and basements of all us commoners. And this is where it should stay...
And just to rub some salt in the wound, a different brand I could give two shits about is actively talking to Pro Pickleball on the grounds that there are a lot of doctors and lawyers who play.
As if a similar calculation could not be made about pool...
Screw'em, Other than MR making the game more known at the pro level I want everything else to stay mostly the same.
According to the quote in this post (from William Hendricks' book on the history of billiards), there were public rooms in the US in the 1700s. Kinda rough, though...
History Question
When did cue sports become a common game For the average person?
forums.azbilliards.com
I expressed the same opinion on luxury watch companies being sponsors earlier, just not their clientele. Would have to be a company like Swatch or Casio. Many amateur pool players I met would find Predator or Mezz too expensive, much less a $1-2k watch.
Benelli
Well-known member
Bob, you can find sporadic examples of billiards here and there, and even in that historical example you can quite clearly pick-up on the disdain that a lowly commoner snuck in, tried to play, and then started a fight. There has been a long history of billiards being played by the officer class of the British Military but that too was mostly limited to officers.
Billiards really penetrating into the everyday game it is now was mostly a post-Civil War occurrence.
There is one major non-bookie sponsor that I can think of that does cue sports and that's Cazoo, a UK company that sells used cars online. The company is about 5 years old. They have done several snooker events.