Why Pool is devastated by the new Smoking Laws.

bender_lu said:
they banned e cigarettes from some parts in germany because they can even be MORE harmfull than normal cigarettes. (according to the "scientists" )

ill just have a quick look over the border here. when smoking was banned from bars etc, many went into restauration or went down. others became "private smoking clubs".

the smoking clubs are FULL FULL FULL all over the day...

we get a different smoking law in some some months, i tend to buy some parts of siemens since their perfect draft will have strong sells :grin:

at least here in our little country most of the BAR customers (not lounge pussies or what do i know) are smokers, cigarettes, cigars etc. a wast majority is a little bit older (a 70% smoking generation) but did profit from the boom back than and has lots of money to spend. when they are banned from our bars, they will go down (as will our poolclub, most of them being smokers) and ill have to drink my beer at home. (seen it in belgium, seen it in germany, will se it here now)

honestly you should be more afraid of getting shot than getting 2nd cancer....
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Good post!

What people should be afraid of is having their freedom eroded, slowly but surely, day after day after day. The idea that the Government can tell a private business owner they cannot allow a legal product to be used in their facility should scare the living shit out of everyone, smoker and non-smokers alike.

Just consider how this happened. You now have well over 50% of the population that doesn't smoke. The voting majority won. You're damn close to where more than 50% of the population is living off the work of other people. Guess where this is heading? Think not? Kewl, bury your head in the sand and just watch. If 70% of the population didn't stuff their fat guts with the crap served up by fast food restaurants, the Government would be going after that one as well. Obesity is a far, far greater health risk in the USA than second hand smoke.
 
I smoke a good cigar once in a blue moon, but I enjoy playing pool in a hall without smoke. I also enjoy playing pool without what some call music blaring in the background, but that's just me. :-) I would rather enjoy the game and the conversation.
 
Having said that, I also wish to add that I believe in people's rights and also see our freedoms going up in smoke these days.
 
And here all along I thought Paul's main objective was to help clean up the image of pool.

You can hardly do that by associating cigarettes with any sport.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
And here all along I thought Paul's main objective was to help clean up the image of pool.

You can hardly do that by associating cigarettes with any sport.
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Surely somebody clever can find an image of Joe Camel wearing a hoodie, or with a ball cap on backwards....:p
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
And here all along I thought Paul's main objective was to help clean up the image of pool.
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No. That was not and has never been the objective. (Man-oh-man, you don't get anything). The goal is to have a formula that produces the most people playing pool. Tobacco was part of that formula. It's done. Tobacco is not coming back. The feminization of America (political correctness) has hit pool. Now what?!!!

Now I will be cynical: How about the Doublemint Sisters? Could gum be our new identity and our next big sponsor?

Pool needs something (a partner like tobacco once was). I just don't know what it could be. I really wonder.
 

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Paul,

Seems there are all kinds of commercials and programming on TV with pool tables in the picture. Some with actors actually hitting balls. Cosmetics, beer, snacks, part of the story line, etc. The general public just doesn't seem to make the connection. There seems to be a thriving business for home tables of various sizes. You lament the old cigarette connection. I lament the old beer connection. In the end, guess they're both potentially good for business and both potentially deadly.

In a different thread, I mentioned a local pool themed room closed down last Saturday. Bar, restaurant, live music and ten Valley bar boxes. During the football season, it was the only Pittsburgh Steelers themed bar in Western New York. Ten tv's. Walls full of Pittsburgh and NFL paraphernalia. The "pool" room was named in honor of Irving Crane. Tables had just been recovered with Simonis cloth less than a month ago. Even had an enclosed and heated terrace for smokers. Don't know what else this guy could have done to run a successful business. Know roughly two years ago, the crowd began changing from suburban to urban. Lots of faces disappeared. Obviously not enough new faces replaced them to keep the place going.

In the end, whatever you're doing appears to be the correct formula for YOU! Might not work anywhere else in the country other than in Erie, PA. Then again, it might. Where are all the business experts willing to try to duplicate your successful formula?

Lyn
 
justadub said:
While I haven't looked at the written law here specifically, I have seen different people using e-cigs here without complaint. A lady on my pool league teams has one, so I see it regularly.
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In Lewiston they won't allow even e-cigs. I asked why and the owner said from a distance, you just see something hanging out of their mouth + smoke so you always have to come chase after the person to tell them to put it out. I guess they got tired of having to abandon the counter so they just insisted everyone go to the 'smoke shack'.
 
We just moved both of our league teams to a nice non smoking bar. It has a great sound system, reasonable bar costs, great employees, and a clean modern environment. All of our players are excited that we don't have to fumigate our clothes and playing equipment twice a week.

And the amazing thing is that the smokers who frequent the bar have no issues with taking the 10 second walk to go outside to smoke. Whodathunk? :cool:
 
I watch a reality show on Spike called "BAR RESCUE", it could be called Pool Bar Rescue, Pool/Sports Bar Rescue, or Pool Room Rescue, as many of the problems plaguing these failing "BARS" are the same problem I saw in places that catered to Pool in the Valley of the Sun.

Most of the place that were Bar's with Pool Tables, Sports Bars with Pool Table, or Pool Room with these problems have now closed because they never corrected the problems pointed out in the TV Show, & fixed by the BAR FIX EXPERT on Bar Rescue. JMHO.

Smoking laws could be a factor, but many problem plaguing Pool are bigger than smoking laws.
 
Paul Schofield said:
No. That was not and has never been the objective. (Man-oh-man, you don't get anything). The goal is to have a formula that produces the most people playing pool. Tobacco was part of that formula. It's done. Tobacco is not coming back. The feminization of America (political correctness) has hit pool. Now what?!!!

Now I will be cynical: How about the Doublemint Sisters? Could gum be our new identity and our next big sponsor?

Pool needs something (a partner like tobacco once was). I just don't know what it could be. I really wonder.
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Tequila? could attract the growing Latino market as well as others.
 
I think that you should go to college, strive for a good career, and not smoke. I'd rather hang around with higher demographics than smoking ignorant bums.
 
so my college degree is worth nothing because im a smoker? im ignorant? thats ok duuuuude :grin-square:

the situation in the US might be different since its a completely different culture, but over here its the death of the bars (especially small bars).
 
nrhoades said:
I think that you should go to college, strive for a good career, and not smoke. I'd rather hang around with higher demographics than smoking ignorant bums.
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I guess my Mechanical Engineering degree and ownership of a multi million dollar company didn't come up in your statistical study huh? Ignorant bums paint with a brush that is far too wide.
 
Disclaimer: I haven't read the whole thread so this may have already been said.

It seems that there is a lot of confusion about correlation and causation. A smoking ban was implemented and pool rooms started closing at roughly the same time? <-- correlation NOT causation

Unless you can prove the smoking ban is the CAUSE of pool hall business suffering you should look at other factors. Are there other businesses failing that may not have been hurt by the smoking ban? Do they have anything in common with pool halls? If the pool hall/smoking ban link is unique you might be on to something. Personally I'm more inclined to believe it's an economic issue not a smoking issue. But I don't have any data to support that stance at the moment. (<--that there is disclaimer #2).
 
main problem for pool is: it has NO identity. people chose their hobby/sport whatever because they can identify with it, the culture, the other "players", a status.

but this subject has been beaten to death at least 298456 times in every poolforum i know :rolleyes:
 
nrhoades said:
..... than smoking ignorant bums.
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I thought about this comment for a while. I have more than one business. When I interview, smoking is a strike against an applicant. They sneak a smoke while they work and have to have their cigarette break. They cost money. A recreation customer is a different story. I will take a smoker any day. They are more compulsive. They spend more money and they are more fun. Pool needs fun people.

I appreciate smokers and nonsmokers alike. Ignorant bums is off the mark.

These billboards were everywhere. Pool was an unintended beneficiary of the most successful ad campaign in history. There is more pool on this billboard than cigarettes. This was pool's heyday. It was tragic for pool when congress forced Joe into his grave. It cost us big. So...I will ask again. What can replace Joe?

p.s. I have a closet full of Joe Camel memorabilia and I don't even smoke.
 

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nrhoades said:
I think that you should go to college, strive for a good career, and not smoke. I'd rather hang around with higher demographics than smoking ignorant bums.
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And I'd rather have conversations with people that aren't so full of themselves. Just because you've read a book, doesn't mean you're smart. Stupid (butt) (stuff) like this.. you must be in management. :rolleyes:
 
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