World Champ = $75,000
- Thread starter BeeMan
- Start date
BeeMan said:
I'll certainly agree that by comparison, pro pool players earn much less than most other sports. I'm not sure who's the farthest out of line though! What I really think is absurd, is the high salaries some of the PGA, MLB, NBA & NFL players earn! Some of them could not pass a 7th grade equivalence test and command an 8 figure income! The fans are the ones who ultimately pay these salaries through rediculously high ticket prices and other expenses involved with being a fan! Then it seems that once the players receive the "big bucks" their performance slacks off. I feel that all sports salaries should be based on actual accomplishments, not on past performance and what could happen in the future. Reward the players for wins, goals, runs, hits, yards earned, etc.. not pay them big salaries for what they may do in the future! This would also tend to weed out team players, past their prime, and make way for new young players coming up. Salaries should include retirement security, but not pay rediculous sums. I think all team players should have a nearly equal base salary and be given bonuses for acheivements. The salaries should be kept to a reasonable level so that the fans can afford to attend the events. The big bucks should come from endorsements, not salaries! JMHO
OK Pool, is not a team sport, there are no team owners to pay salaries! The pros are dependant upon sponsorship of tournament events for their income. Who puts up this money and what motivates them to do so? This is the real crux of the problem! Too many people believe the problem with the sport in general is it's "bad image" from gambling and such! This is a crock of shit! Poker has proven that gambling is not a negative thing to the TV viewers! Every time POOL has an upswing in business and popularity, it's folowing a movie like the "Hustler" or "The Color of Money"! HMMM What does this mean? People are more interested in the gambling and "somewhat seedy aspect" of the sport than the "Squeeky Clean" image these morons have been trying to promote! The only way pool is going to thrive is to let it be what it is! Not try to change it into something it's not! Action is what makes the sport interesting. Earl Strickland gave up gambling as part of his contract with Cutec, IIRC, but he used to be a more fearsome opponent for the cash than he's been in tournament play! All of the top Filipino players achieved greatness by their gambling prowess which gave them the experience and the money to compete in the "world billiards arena". Greg Sullivan and Grady Mathews have shown some insight into what the public actually want to see, with the "ring games" and the DCC format. I wish these guys and people like them could be at the helm! The UPA's laughable! Even worse than the Mackey regime! What we need is a tour not run by pool players. I think Greg Sullivan, if he was so inclined, could put together something that would change pool for the better. Grady also has some great ideas has put his money where his mouth is, promoting events. The UPA, I'm afraid, is a detrement to pro billiards. There will never be parity with the other sports, until we have someone who understands what will sell to the public, running the show. The UPA has their own agenda and IMHO can't possibly work!
Just more hot air!......
Sherm
drivermaker
Banned
cuesmith said:
That was a good post Sherm, but there aren't ANY salaries on the PGA or appearance fees, it's all in winnings. If you miss the cut, you go home with zip. Now Tiger did just sign a new endorsement contract with Buick for $50 million, not to mention his contract with Nike which is higher, Tag Heuer, American Express, and a host of others that I can't think of.
Team sports are by far the worst, especially football. They sign the big deal, get fat and lazy, don't produce, get injured and can't play, come back part-time, get reinjured and can't play, ask to be traded, bitch if they don't, and still get paid. What a deal!
cuesmith said:
Cuesmith,
I think this is a common misconception foisted on the public by greedy sports administrators/owners. Everytime your local grocery store advertises at a sporting event - the cost is passed on to you whether you attend that event or not. When cities pay for stadiums, the cost is passed on to the taxpayer, not just to the fans. Owners always try to use the "fan will support the team" argument, but it is specious.
In Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", the theory is advanced that when athletes and entertainers begin making unrealistic income, it is a sign of a sick and failing society - I hope he is wrong.
Last edited:
I think our society is absolutely and undeniably a "sick and failing society"!!!!! I just hope it's not also irreversible. JMHO 