Will Anyone Make $50,000 next year?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
If this past WPBA Tournament is any indication of how it's going to be from now on, the fans are in for some great pool with different players winning each week. However the problem has always been that only the top five or so can make a living on the tour. Now with about a dozen capable of winning a tour stop on any given week it's going to really spread out the money at the top. I don't see anyone winning any more than an average of two a year. I hope the WPBA finds a way to increase purses by fifty to a hundred percent next year. Johnnyt
 
I think if the players want to make any money they should take a cue, no pun intended, from sponsored players of other sports, especially nascar, that have sponsors plastered up and down their outfits. i'm clueless as to why that hasn't happened yet in pool, especially when it is so difficult to earn a living off just tournament winnings. :confused:
 
I doubt anyone will win over $50k next year...especially with the reshuffle of the final 16 and sudden death from there out.

I don't care for the rule because it permits player A with one loss to win
1st place moneyand Player B with one loss to win 16th place money...i.e. nearly nothing after expenses.

But it does get some new faces up there and there is much to be said for that.

I don't see any major prize money increases next year simply because it would require much higher TV ratings and event ticket sales and I am not aware of any trends in that direction.

At JAX, there were MAYBE 50 spectators in the Pro room for the semis and probably half of those were amateur event players and/or their family/friends.

Pool FANS are staying away from top pro events in droves and that doesn't bode well for any increase in prize money any time soon.

Just my $0.02.

Jim
 
Njhustler1 said:
I think if the players want to make any money they should take a cue, no pun intended, from sponsored players of other sports, especially nascar, that have sponsors plastered up and down their outfits. i'm clueless as to why that hasn't happened yet in pool, especially when it is so difficult to earn a living off just tournament winnings. :confused:
Click to expand...
The pros DO try to get sponsored, you know. If they could get sponsors like NASCAR, I'm sure the pros would play in fire-retardant suits and drink milk after winning a tournament. The problem is that most potential sponsors don't give two sh!ts about pool. It's very rare for someone to sign a deal like Allie's with either Cuetec or the APA, and she lost the APA deal. Karen Corr, AFAIK, doesn't have a sponsor. IIRC, Sarah Ellerby has a deal with a company that isn't associated with pocket billiards, which is so rare it's like winning the lottery. Hell, the biggest non-pocket billiards sponsor is probably Natural Cures, if that tells you anything.

Most sponsors look for a return on their money - they can't get that return from most pool players. If a sponsor gives money to a player knowing they won't get a return on that investment, it's not a sponsorship - it's charity.

-djb
 
DoomCue said:
The pros DO try to get sponsored, you know. If they could get sponsors like NASCAR, I'm sure the pros would play in fire-retardant suits and drink milk after winning a tournament. The problem is that most potential sponsors don't give two sh!ts about pool. It's very rare for someone to sign a deal like Allie's with either Cuetec or the APA, and she lost the APA deal. Karen Corr, AFAIK, doesn't have a sponsor. IIRC, Sarah Ellerby has a deal with a company that isn't associated with pocket billiards, which is so rare it's like winning the lottery. Hell, the biggest non-pocket billiards sponsor is probably Natural Cures, if that tells you anything.

Most sponsors look for a return on their money - they can't get that return from most pool players. If a sponsor gives money to a player knowing they won't get a return on that investment, it's not a sponsorship - it's charity.

-djb
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the general sense of your post.

There are 3 reasons for the lack of sponsorship.

1. Poor TV ratings.
2. Poor TV ratings.
3. Poor TV ratings.

You would THINK that even if the 30 million+ fairly active pool players in America won't spend $10-20 for an event ticket they would at least tune in to watch on TV....but the VAST majority of them do not even care to do that.

That seems to suggest that there is A LOT of pool being played essentially as something to do while drinking.

And a big part of the problem is tape delayed broadcasts where everyone on the planet already knows who won.

But there's the chicken/egg issue that viewership would increase if major matches were broadcast live but the audience isn't big enough to justify live broadcasts.

So, pro pool seems destined to continue chasing its tail into some form of relative oblivion.

Regards,
Jim
 
A HUGE part of the problem is that there is very little character development, no consistency in programming, no consistentcy in games shown, and worst of all SHORT RACES THAT ARE EDITED TO BE EVEN SHORTER.

What sports fan would watch football if the game were edited like pool? Or any other sport for that matter? I can't think of any other sport that is so edited like pool - it's SICKENING and BORING to watch.

I watch the Guiness Tour and it is A. LIVE and B. UNEDITED. I see every shot without cutaways in the middle of the rack.

Only pool gets treated like this. Even the SPELLING BEE on ESPN shows every word getting spelled.
 
JB Cases said:
A HUGE part of the problem is that there is very little character development, no consistency in programming, no consistentcy in games shown, and worst of all SHORT RACES THAT ARE EDITED TO BE EVEN SHORTER.

What sports fan would watch football if the game were edited like pool? Or any other sport for that matter? I can't think of any other sport that is so edited like pool - it's SICKENING and BORING to watch.

I watch the Guiness Tour and it is A. LIVE and B. UNEDITED. I see every shot without cutaways in the middle of the rack.
Only pool gets treated like this. Even the SPELLING BEE on ESPN shows every word getting spelled.
Click to expand...

What TV channel carries live pool matches???

Thanks!
Jim
 
Karen could easily get sponsors if she wanted to. She does not seem interested.And she could easily make 50000 if she ever wears thay tahiti shirt again lol
 
Here are some ideas that have... JMHO of course. I see the TV Pool Tournaments as (A) worthy to reflect our sport (B) makes running out look easy, which doesn't really demonstrate the difficulty of the sport to the TV masses, but does entertain a knowledgeable Pool Player in the audience (C) sort of sterile, without conversation between competitors and/or spectators (D) watching the guys or gals with their angry faces (supposedly concentrating) doesn't do it for me. (E) listening to the announcers upstage the play with their "this is how to ...".

Maybe each TV Tournament should have some 4 speeds go at, for a $500 - $2000 prize, so the audience can see the difference in skill level & enjoy some of the comedy and/or stress that will go along with lower level play.

I could see some backers, setting at a table with one of the MCs, bantering back & forth about a side-wager & their player's possessed ability & demonstrated ability to win this particular match. That might add some character to the TV program. If you watch POKER, it is the table camera & the announcer which gives that forum some character.

next...
 
it will be as it has been my entire life of watching pool results....a few players make five or even six figures....leaving 99.9% of the rest of the players dead busted and looking to move on someone to pay their bills.
 
UWATE is correct in the short term. Hopefully Mark Griffin will be able to rally the players around a common cause & move forward.

Mike Janis had a good "shot in the arm" from the Roaring Lion" drink company, more reason for all the drink companies to play.

We should & can amass a CENTRAL INFORMATION CENTER, which has a database for all the Pool Rooms, Sports Bars, Regional Tournaments, Pro Tournaments & so on. The INFORMATION CENTER FORM would have contact info, tournament info & a cross section of player base.. This info could be given to any company looking to sponsor a Tournament or a Professional Player.

With names, places & numbers, the proposition is no longer a GHOST, it becomes a REAL BIG NUMBER of Customers that will look at a company's product.

I will volunteer to develop the Oklahoma database (M/S Excel). I can send it to a selected central collection.
 
uwate said:
it will be as it has been my entire life of watching pool results....a few players make five or even six figures....leaving 99.9% of the rest of the players dead busted and looking to move on someone to pay their bills.
Click to expand...


I believe this sums it up. A very few players will make a decent living but the rest would rather scuffle than get another occupation. But hey, you've got to have the scufflers and donators or else none of the pros would make any money.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top