As for corporations laughing off pool, it's stone cold obvious from their response to the pool industry's desperate attempts to get sponsorship.
Demonrho,
You and Lou, and John H., are all very intelligent people, and I'm sure you all want the same thing... That is for pool to be a more visable, lucrative, sport/game that can attract big $$$ sponsors, thereby making it something worthy of trying to excell at, for the pro's, and the aspiring youngster's in our game... Everybody has their own vision of why this has not happened, and what it will take to make it happen...Here is my somewhat alternate viewpoint, as to what surely is not helping our cause !...Jersey Red and I kicked this around (a lot) back in the old LeCue days, before there were hardly any tournaments at all..and he thought it had considerable merit. It would take a huge commitment of time, energy, and money...all of which I find myself in short supply these days...I welcome any and all critique..(from almost anybody)
Poker came out of the blue..They refined it and made it watchable and exciting !... Bowling. (IMO, the most boring of all sports to watch) just formed the PBA as recently as 1959, (around the introduction of the automatic pinsetter's) and the average income of Pro bowlers shot up dramatically...Even now, (though its slowed down also) their are still millions more up for grabs than pool has ever had.. Also, they have attracted some huge names as sponsors...(outside the pool industry)..Ie. McDonald's, KFC, Coke, and many Beer cos, which has generated many more televised events, and lined the pockets of their touring pro's. Pool had a similar shot at some success, but horrible management (or none at all) and the curtailment of cigarette advertising money, dealt pool a blow we may never recover from.
Whether you are in the "squeaky clean" or "warts and all" camp, pool will never reach those heights, without some form of effective organization... Another thing most seem to be overlooking is this...There are dozens of different ways to play poker, but the promoter's wisely narrowed it down to ONE GAME, 'Hold'em'..(their best game IMO)...Please note, Bowling, like all other sports, has always had ONLY ONE GAME...I defy anyone to count how many different pool games there are..Snooker, which in the rest of the world, is the most popular, and lucrative cue sport, enjoys the same distinction..There is only ONE accepted way to play the game.
If pool is EVER to be an viable source of entertainment..we need to stop confusing the general public, with dozen's of different games, and pick ONE game to promote...And much as it pains me to say...IT AIN'T GONNA BE ONE-POCKET...for obvious reasons !... And I am not gonna hold my breath hoping it will be 'Bonus Ball' either...I honestly believe, if the people who are spending a fortune promoting BB, and its new format, (team concept, etc.) had made its game "plain old 8 ball", it would have multiplied its chance for success a hundred fold...Pool has now alingned itself with the Casino's that have sprung up all over the country, which to be sure, boosted Poker along..But, we've sure stepped on our toe a few times in that area !
Everybody in the pool world, knows how to play 8-Ball... Why keep trying to cram other new, different, and even more complicated games, down the public's throats ?..8 ball, is already a pretty good game, which most accomplished Pro's know how to play quite well..And with some very minor tweaking, it could be made even more challenging and exciting to watch !
Us hardcore lover's of One Pocket, 9/10 ball, 14.1 or Bank's, could still enjoy those games among ourselves...But I believe strongly, that one solid professional organization..promtoting ONE game..May have a chance !...Never really been tried has it ?...We have more 'Colorful Characters', than bowling and golf combined...So it shouldn't matter whether we go 'squeaky clean' or 'wart's 'n all'...Let those chips fall where they may..!..
Just to make another point..When the PR man, for the Professional Org. (which we dont have yet)...goes in to sell a big company CEO on a sponsorship, I will bet huge $$$$, every CEO in the U.S. will know how to play
EIGHT BALL !..That'll be one hurdle out of the way right there...Or, we could take a vote....How many pro players, would rather be streamed, playing a $5000 added 10 ball, or one pocket tournament, as opposed to playing 8 Ball on ESPN, with boat load of $$$$ up for grabs ?...But, It don't matter if we ain't ever gonna get a shot !
PS..Surely don't mean to imply, that the guy's who are promoting 5K added tournaments, are not to be applauded...Without their love for the game, there would be nothing !...Just trying to reiterate the 'one game' concept.
Nice post, I think your "one game" concept has a lot of merit, and you opened my eyes to this for sure. It is nice to see you when you clean up your posts and are thinking clearly
Lou, it is not worth my time to go back through all the back issues of BD, but if you can't see the continuous thread of the pool industry trying to put lipstick on a pig (as John Henderson would put it ;-) then maybe you should sign up for some reading comprehension classes.
Demonrho,
You and Lou, and John H., are all very intelligent people, and I'm sure you all want the same thing... That is for pool to be a more visable, lucrative, sport/game that can attract big $$$ sponsors, thereby making it something worthy of trying to excell at, for the pro's, and the aspiring youngster's in our game... Everybody has their own vision of why this has not happened, and what it will take to make it happen...Here is my somewhat alternate viewpoint, as to what is surely NOT helping our cause !...Jersey Red and I kicked this around (a lot) back in the old LeCue days, before there were hardly any tournaments at all..and he thought it had considerable merit. It would take a huge commitment of time, energy, and money...all of which I find myself in short supply these days...I welcome any and all critique..(from almost anybody)
Poker came out of the blue..They refined it and made it watchable and exciting !... Bowling. (IMO, the most boring of all sports to watch) just formed the PBA as recently as 1959, (around the introduction of the automatic pinsetter's) and the average income of Pro bowlers shot up dramatically...Even now, (though its slowed down also) their are still millions more up for grabs than pool has ever had.. Also, they have attracted some huge names as sponsors...(outside the pool industry)..Ie. McDonald's, KFC, Coke, and many Beer cos, which has generated many more televised events, and lined the pockets of their touring pro's. Pool had a similar shot at some success, but horrible management (or none at all) and the curtailment of cigarette advertising money, dealt pool a blow we may never recover from.
Whether you are in the "squeaky clean" or "warts and all" camp, pool will never reach those heights, without some form of effective organization... Another thing most seem to be overlooking is this...There are dozens of different ways to play poker, but the promoter's wisely narrowed it down to ONE GAME, 'Hold'em'..(their best game IMO)...Please note, Bowling, like all other sports, has always had ONLY ONE GAME...I defy anyone to count how many different pool games there are..Snooker, which in the rest of the world, is the most popular, and lucrative cue sport, enjoys the same distinction..There is only ONE accepted way to play the game.
If pool is EVER to be an viable source of entertainment..we need to stop confusing the general public, with dozen's of different games, and pick ONE game to promote...And much as it pains me to say..it ain't gonna be one pocket,...for obvious reasons !... And I am not gonna hold my breath hoping it will be 'Bonus Ball' either...I honestly believe, if the people who are spending a fortune promoting BB, and its new format, (team concept, etc.) had made their game "plain old 8 ball", they would have multiplied their chance for success a hundred fold...Pool has now alingned itself with the Casino's that have sprung up all over the country, which to be sure, boosted Poker along..But, we've sure stepped on our toe a few times in that area !
Everybody in the pool world, knows how to play 8-Ball... Why keep trying to cram other new, different, and even more complicated games, down the public's throats ?..8 ball, is already a pretty good game, which most accomplished Pro's know how to play quite well..And with some very minor tweaking, it could be made even more challenging and exciting to watch !
Us hardcore lover's of One Pocket, 9/10 ball, 14.1 or Bank's, could still enjoy those games among ourselves...But I believe strongly, that one solid professional organization..promtoting ONE game..May have a chance !...Never really been tried has it ?...We have, and have had, more 'Colorful Characters', than bowling and golf combined...If the Beard's new book was about either of those sports, he be doing good to come up with 3 or 4 pages, much less 3-400...So it shouldn't matter whether we go 'squeaky clean' or 'wart's 'n all'...Let those chips fall where they may..!..
Just to make another point..When the PR man, for the Professional Org. (which we dont have yet)...goes in to sell a big company CEO on a sponsorship, I will bet huge $$$$, every CEO in the U.S. will know how to play
EIGHT BALL !..That'll be one hurdle out of the way right there...Or, we could take a vote....How many pro players, would rather be streamed, playing a $5000 added 10 ball, or one pocket tournament, as opposed to playing 8 Ball on ESPN, with a boat load of $$$$ up for grabs ?...But, It don't matter, if we ain't ever gonna get a shot !
PS..Surely don't mean to imply, that the guy's who are promoting 5K added tournaments, are not to be applauded...Without their love for the game, there would be nothing !...Just trying to reiterate the 'one game' concept.
Thats why I said it needed a little 'tweaking' to make it tougher for the pro's, but not so much as to be unrecognizable to the average Joe...Bank pool, while VERY simple to understand, would still be a "NEW" game to foist on them... Wouldn't you still have the casual redneck observer saying..."Look at that dummy Bubba, he had that 6 ball STRAIGHT IN, and the gall darn idiots a-banking it"
I am far from being a big fan of 8 ball, I rarely played it...But it is instantly recognizable, and you've already got untold 1000's of league players, who live and die by it every few day's.
One Game Mc Duck <--Could see Broombacker, and the other 3 or 4 bank pooler's heads swell up when you said that..Lou..
)
i have had this conversation with a lot of people. i'd like to see the top players who are (like it or not) ambassadors of the game dress like men also.
JG-in-KY DCC observation about the dress/professionalism of the european players was dead on.
i am too young to know first hand, but i have been told that willie masconi looked like he had just climbed out of a barbers chair and was dressed to the hilt whenever he played or made public appearances.
the world and our norms have changed, we don't need to go back to tuxedos or even ties, but what is wrong with dressing like you would on a job interview or a date?
-dustin "who still holds open doors for women" miller
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