It’s not a bad thing that the rest of the world fell in love with and started to engage in, and succeed at this game at an elite level, THAT is a sign of a sport gaining traction as you state, but not in the USA.
Sadly while the rest of the world has flocked to the sport, Americans have turned away from it, for a bastardized version of it. I don’t agree with your assessment of the status of juniors in this country, but you are entitled to your opinions.
As I stated in the post you partially quoted, Americas potential prospects are few because Americans have turned away from the game PROPER, and embraced bar boxes, insisting that it’s pool, when it isn’t. As a result pool halls have dwindled to an all time low in number, either going out of business, or having a fire sale for their actual pool tables, and refilling their space with bar boxes to serve league and recreational bangers. You know, those that you serve with your rating system, APA, TAP, etc.
I don’t know if it can be reversed to where Americans will ever again have more than a few players at the upper elite levels of the pro game. To do so, then Americans need to embrace the actual game again, just as those those in Europe and Asia did. For the BCA to get off their ass and form youth programs that compete on 9’ tables to develop the skills necessary to compete at elite levels again with the International players that now dominate the sport. I’m doubtful that will occur though.
We as a country are not going to produce world class players on bar boxes. You don’t see players rise on the PGA golf tour from miniature golf courses or from 9 hole par 3 courses. There’s a reason for that, because you cannot gain the skill set to be a professional golfer from those 2 venues. Likewise we as a country will not produce pro pool players from bar box pool venues and leagues.
EDIT: let me add this for the bar boxes enthusiasts on here that will read this post and loudly declare for the umpteenth time that all of you, “league players have kept pool alive in this country”. In the slang words of our youth, STOP THE CAP!!!
You have NOT kept pool alive, you killed it by abandoning pool halls with proper pool tables to play on a miniature version of it that’s EASIER and makes you feel better about your abilities. Also for those that say “all we have in our region is bar boxes”. Well that’s because in your region the players abandoned the game long ago causing halls to close and leaving only venues with bar boxes. The only thing that recreational and league bar box players have kept alive is pool equipment manufacturers. Those that make all the cues, cases, specialized LD and carbon fiber shafts, $20 chalk and all the other things you spend a fortune on, buying every new offering, to either impress your fellow league players, or an attempt to buy an actual skill set, which can’t be done. The only thing you can buy to really improve your game is table time and then put in the work. Sadly in this current day and age of desire for instant gratification, putting in time and effort isn’t as appealing as buying the new Predator 5000 Z supercharged shaft or fancy chalk.
