I think this has all been said, but let's summarize and make some comparisons.
ORGANIZATION(AND CHEATING)
Men's professional pool organization. This is in my opinion, the biggest issue. If the men and pool really wanted to be serious, they(we) would create an organization to market pool played at the highest levels. Frankly there are so many issues, I don't know where to start. Before I drop this, let me say that if ESPN is going to commit to a contract with pool which costs money to get it going, they need assurances that the next tour, organization, etc won't fold. They(We) also need to know that the next $10000 winner won, and didn't win by paying a saver or some other cheating method. Yes, the tournament cheating has to stop. The onsite back room gambling has to stop also. Meet next week and gamble! It has to be real. Look how Italian football delt with match fixing. We need the same.
MARKETING(AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT)
Let's start with marketing. We need some real think tank types to help us get the basic brand concept of a cool male pool player off the ground. These guys are cool. New players should be saying I want to be Efren, SVB, Johnny, etc. Frankly, I think this happens some, but these guys need more thought about how to market and control their images. They need controlled exposure, more product imaging, some appeal. I think the people are fine. I think the best way to market them is as the peoples game. Go to the people, tell stories, play challenge matches, etc. Basically, we need someone to tell us how to make Johnny Archer my idol. I think it can be done. The organization has to do it. if Efren drinks Red Bull before the big match, I should too, right? I mean hell. . .every week we ask what tip he or SVB uses on here.
Show us their clothes, cues, hats, suits, cases. What's in the case is great. We need a player to describe their new cue everytime they change cues in a short 10-15s slide show of their new cue when they change.
Dental work, tooth whitening, interviewing lessons. . .
FORMAT
So, how to get the best exposure. Well, it has been said that pool dies when a person tries to watch it. That is kind of true. I think it is like Alaskan fishing that way. . . oh wait, that is wildly successful on TV. Maybe professional pool is best covered with a multiple table, multiple view approach like Golf, Cycling, or Alaskan fishing. Yea, that makes sense.
First, improve the ball visualization. I have good eyes, but I hate not knowing where each ball is. Maybe a PIP with big numbers, other cloth colors, call outs on the next 3 balls like like lines on the field in football??
In another sense, we have to capitalize on the hustler gambling image. We need a King/Challenge match system. A 20 city, 400 game, 800 night match to determine the best of the best. Guys ought to play tournaments to show they are good enough to be shown in a PPV challenge. It ought to be the Tosititos Fiesta challenge match for $200,000!
The third format which I think needs some thought is the idea of bringing back the idea of the 10 player round robin champions game format. I do think 14.1 should be considered as the champion's game again. Maybe played on 5 x 10 tables. Something to make it one better than the challenge match winners.
The overall annual format ought to look like this. Monthly regional/national pool tournaments.(about 2 - 3 hours of video per tournament shown on TV; details of key matches on PPV/streams) Basically, the tournaments would pay low enough that it would be like a league for pros trying to get in the challenges, but close enough to hold a day job for most. Winners get picked up by larger sponsers for challenge match mini tours(i.e. 200 games of 9-ball, 5 cities, 4 days per city, 10 games a night) about 10 per year.(ESPN highlights daily and streams/PPV for details) Then, the end of the year should have some BCS style election of who has the highest speed for an invitational round robin for a champion's game. Something like 8-ball, 10-ball, 14.1, one pocket.(ESPN or network coverage for highlights + 1 - 2 hours per day)
EXHIBITIONS
These should exist, but players really need to commit to letting the organization control their exposure. Someone needs to be watching the exposure meter and make sure these guys don't get to main stream. i.e. we can't have the condition where people think making 9 easy shots wins one game and if you can win one, you can win them all.
MONEY
In the end, there needs to be money in this for the players and their sponsers. This is where we come in. We need to get down and watch a guy when he comes to town. I think this is where exposure control will help. Make it special and well known when it will happen. Then I will pay $20 for this "once in a lifetime"(month) chance to see Earl whoop someone! Also, in regular tournaments, they should wear a sponser jersey like a golfer or soccer player. In a challenge, they should wear some kind of suit. In the national, it should be an approved tux or similar to clearly show this is the champions game. These kinds of things will add interest, value and appeal. This will make Coors, Sam Adams, Tostitos, Mercedes, etc want to sponser the matchups.
Last, pay the freakin' players or be destroyed on the internet! Not just the promoter, but the location, DVD maker and all. Everyone pocketing a dime has an obligation to make sure players are paid first!
So, simply put:
1) Create an organization which can foster long term commitment on the part of the players.
2) Work on the format to increase appeal and reduce watching great players make simple shots.
3) Manage player images at the organizational level.
4) The (pool)porn site that another AZ'r is trying to get rolling!
5) Start by making us fans know where we can see the best match up every month within an hours drive or so!!
