Why Pool is not a major sport.

[justnum]

A more creative approach instead of complaining about what the sports need I will discuss how the tournament can be improved aside from the movie, money, players and location.

What thoughts did you have for improving a tournament by attracting non-pool regulars? What are things the fans or players enjoy that are different from pool and how can you provide that entertainment at a pool tournament?

Would they enjoy being sold or served ethnic food? Would they like to hear a speech from a porn writer? Would they be interested in a demonstration of the latest car engine? Would they be interested in seeing a variety of liquors and alcoholic beverages? Do they want to be photographed with hot chicks in front of fast cars?

The limit is whatever you suggest. My suggestions are not meant to stereotype the pool audience, they are just ideas seen in other industries that are popular and typical yearly gimmicks.

From the events I've seen I would request that there be more activities other than watching pool or buying pool equipment.

Those ideas would require the tournament operator to be on-location at all times because they are the site manager. From the men's open I imagine that is a difficult task.

The concept is if the vendors win by making profits and getting new customers reguarly and in growing numbers, then the sport will win.

They tried paying the players and they tried amping the prize money, but everyone left out the vendors the whole time.

Why would the vendors need to win? They provide the amateurs with equipment, they help the amateurs get better with information, they provide the amateurs with ways to try out new ideas. They keep the amateurs interested in pool.

How do you get amateurs interested in seeing an event they think they may or may not be able to compete in one day?

The goal or mission to make pool a sport requires helping the people who invest by putting up billiard rooms, the people who manufacture billiard equipment and the people who maintain cue equipment. When they make profits that will spill back into the community. They want to keep their business open, its more fun than a desk job I am looking forward to. If players make the money they may or may not invest it back into the community. But if a billiard company makes money those are their customers and they want them to keep coming back, unlike a tournament which just wants attendance. Companies grow tournaments do not, maybe the prize money changes but that doesn't build a community it just measures who is having a good day.

Back to my original question, the tournament can be improved by promoting the vendors at the tournament as well as the players. The vendors are the residual icons of the local pool community and they need as much support as the players. I would help the vendors out with cross promotional events targeted at people with free time and a general interest in being a "hustler."

 

[milwaukeepeach]

We need to teach more hot girls to play pool. Watching pool is not so interesting to an average joe. But if we got some hot chicks in skirts playing pool that would generate interest in the general public. Just my dumb idea but I get a lot of attention being a nice looking lady pool player.

 

[inside_english]

it is because of the players, they are uneducated bafoons lets face it. if there were more oscar dominguezes i think wed have a great shot at something.... but there arent.

I find it amusing that you accuse pool players for being "uneducated bafoons" in general and your post is filled with spelling and grammatical errors...

 

[inside_english]

I will respectfully say that I completely disagree with almost everything you said.

The games lack of success stems directly from the lack of support shown by the pool playing community. We are completely and solely to blame for our situation.

I can think of countless situations where professional and amateur players alike have stabbed themselves and the industry directly in the back. I see it over and over, at major events, and every time I walk into the pool rooms.

It's the only game I know where amateurs players refuse to spend a dollar to support the game they supposedly love. I see league nights where hundreds of players drink water all night, complain about $1 per hour greens fees, the cost of equipment, and continually argue that their recreational league does not have sufficient payouts.

On the professional end you have pros who refuse to acknowledge their fans, greedy player organizations, fraudulent tournament promoters, and players who would rather trash talk sponsors than help improve the games situation.

My apologies for being so pessimistic, but I refuse to shy down from what I feel is the truth. Thankfully I also believe that this whole charade can be turned around. There are a few good people in the industry that I feel can make a strong difference if given sufficient opportunity.

I don't think you're being pessimistic at all. If there is anyone appropriately positioned to comment on the state of the game today, it would be you, or anyone else that deals with professionals and various tournaments as much as you do.

I also agree with you AND the original poster. All are valid points. These have been discussed to death and like most "dilemmas", only a very select few are willing to do something about it, myself included. Why? I don't know...money and time I guess.

We ALL have stories where we shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to our beloved game.

I recently posted about how pool players want the world from the pool room but refuse to chip in a few bucks a week by attending that very room and helping to keep it open. I buy snacks at the movie theater just for that reason. Are they over-priced? Sure...but that is how the theater makes its money, and if I like going there I want it to remain open. Same goes for the pool rooms.

People would refinish basements and invest in a table at home "so they won't have to deal with the pool room", and then when they decide to venture out to a tournament, they expect nothing short of the red-carpet treatment.

Oh well...I could go on and on...

 

[inside_english]

Not on the professional level. You don't see players drinking alcohol while playing.

Darts, yes. They have a pint of beer and a smoke hanging out of their mouth
while playing.

By that statement, then neither golf or fishing can be considered a sport.
Try telling an avid fisherman that fishing is not a sport.

The portable bars at golf courses nail you at just about every hole.

I don't golf or play tennis so the chances of me watching either on tv or in person are nil. I'll watch big bass fishing before that.
I'll gladly pay for entrance to a professional pool tournament.

And to second Nathan's post. The owner of the hall where we play told me that there are people who will bring there own sandwiches and a thermos to league night to avoid buying anything from the hall. I'm sure this isn't isolated to where I live. So the hall owner is sponsoring a team that drinks water. Do you think they will be sponsored again next year? And, these folks are the first ones to complain about anything and everything.

Some people don't have a lot of money to throw around and some overly frugal. I'd think that if you can't afford to have a fun night out once a week, you should stay home.

I will happily tell any avid fisherman that fishing is not a sport simply because....wait for it....the fish don't know they are playing!

 

[inside_english]

How about this, instead of all you woofin end on end about all of you have all the answers to this salvation, how about we do this like old time religion, cut the s*** and raise the cash.

You all tithe 10% of what you make, into a central fund, that funds the new pro pool tour, which funds pro pool teams in all the major cities, and insures the top 50 pros now make a 6 figure income.

17 pages of nonsense and baloney, it goes on and on, and its all a giant waste of time. You all are woofin in the wind, for something that is never going to happen. If you dont put your money up, why should they?
You sit around and dream of them doing it for you. Dream on.

If you want it done, do it your self, or it wont get done.

Once more, there is the truth, and you cant handle the truth, when you get the truth here, you kill your messengers.

Then you dont have to listen to the truth any more, then you are happy. :thumbup:

I onced asked the AZ members to each put up $100 so we could collect $20,000 to sponsor a TAR match between Efren and Parica...all I got was negative feedback and people acting like I was asking for a left kidney.

Same old story, everyone "knows" but no one "does"...(myself included)

 

[inside_english]

I onced asked the AZ members to each put up $100 so we could collect $20,000 to sponsor a TAR match between Efren and Parica...all I got was negative feedback and people acting like I was asking for a left kidney.

Same old story, everyone "knows" but no one "does"...

Hell,
We could tithe a measly 2% or 1% of what we made and with all the AZ members that would amount to some substantial money after a few months.

But, no one trusts anyone, and for good reason, sadly.
Then we have to vote on someone being in charge. I vote for Jay Helfert!

 

[inside_english]

Pool is like any market. Its self regulating. You cant force it to be something its not. Never going to work. If you want more young people to be drawn to pool, you need a reality TV show.

And let me guess, you would want a camera to follow Earl Strickland around for a while, purposefully insitigating him for the sake of ratings, right?

Then they could follow around Ralf Souquet, for contrast...LOL

Then they can follow Efren, so they can hear him say "I got lucky" at least twice every ten minutes.

 

[mnorwood]

When this topic comes up I always have to throw in my viewpoint. So here it goes.... What are the most popular sports in the United States? Football, basketball, baseball, golf and hockey....

Now what do all of these sports have in common? First of all they are all present in public schools and universities and are sanctioned by state and national athletic organizations (NCAA, UIL, LHSAA, etc. etc.) Second there are large privately run leagues for junior players. This ensures that these sports will have a next generation of interested and knowledgeable fans that will spend money on the sport if for no other reason than to pass it on to their children.

With the help of a number of people here on the forum I was able to start a Jr. program at my campus last year. To date I estimate that over 400 kids have been through my program. That's 400 people that didn't know what the white ball was called or which end of the cue to hit it with.

Currently 4 other campuses are looking at adopting it which would greatly increase the number of kids being introduced to the game.

The problem with pool is that many of the people that are running it are stuck in the moment trying to make a buck using an approach that's 20 years out of date. Pool is languishing because it isn't making an effort to pass the game on to the next generation. Most pool rooms are not family or kid friendly. Ask yourself this. When is the last time you showed a young person who has never played how to play? When is the last time you saw someone try to organize a local Jr. League? The question from the OP isn't a hard one to answer. People also refuse to see the fact that money is to be made from efforts like this, I should know because pool has been a nice supplement to my income over the last 2 years.

 

[D C 6 Pocket]

Change our approach

I find it amusing that you accuse pool players for being "uneducated bafoons" in general and your post is filled with spelling and grammatical errors...

I find it interesting how many different reasons have been posted as to why pool is not a major sport. There seems to be lots of blame to go around. It's because of....pros....promoters....no money.....can't trust anyone....it's boreing to watch....it doesn't appeal to young people and other reasons.

Here's a challange, can we spend the same amount of time posting new ideas about how to make it a major sport? This is a great place to turn a "Think Tank" into new and exciting ideas that helps our industry grow.:thumbup:

 

[14-1StraightMan]

I Agree

When this topic comes up I always have to throw in my viewpoint. So here it goes.... What are the most popular sports in the United States? Football, basketball, baseball, golf and hockey....

Now what do all of these sports have in common? First of all they are all present in public schools and universities and are sanctioned by state and national athletic organizations (NCAA, UIL, LHSAA, etc. etc.) Second there are large privately run leagues for junior players. This ensures that these sports will have a next generation of interested and knowledgeable fans that will spend money on the sport if for no other reason than to pass it on to their children.

With the help of a number of people here on the forum I was able to start a Jr. program at my campus last year. To date I estimate that over 400 kids have been through my program. That's 400 people that didn't know what the white ball was called or which end of the cue to hit it with.

Currently 4 other campuses are looking at adopting it which would greatly increase the number of kids being introduced to the game.

The problem with pool is that many of the people that are running it are stuck in the moment trying to make a buck using an approach that's 20 years out of date. Pool is languishing because it isn't making an effort to pass the game on to the next generation. Most pool rooms are not family or kid friendly. Ask yourself this. When is the last time you showed a young person who has never played how to play? When is the last time you saw someone try to organize a local Jr. League? The question from the OP isn't a hard one to answer. People also refuse to see the fact that money is to be made from efforts like this, I should know because pool has been a nice supplement to my income over the last 2 years.

Excellent point. You are correct. The only thing that I can add is:
Hopefully some day Pocket Billiards will become an Olympic sport. It deserves to be. It then will get the respect that it deserves. It should of been in the Olympics from the beginning with the great history that our Sport has, here in the US & Europe.