Ok, so my title of this post isn't necessarily true. There are some pool players who I would consider, by my salary anyway, rich. They are doing pretty well for themselves. But why aren't professional pool players making millions of dollars like pro football or baseball players?
I read an interesting article not long ago where the author was explaining why professional pool players don't make the kind of money that other athletes make and it made a lot of sense. I wish I could find the article again, but I'll try to remember what it said.
According to the article, the reason that professional pool players now don't make lots of money was that back at the start of mainstream sports on television, TV deals were made with sports like baseball, football, basketball, etc. to broadcast them to a huge audience. Then, of course, because of the viewership, commercial slots became huge because of the massive amount of people watching them.
Ok, you are probably thinking, but sitting in front of a TV watching pool would be boring to probably the majority of people. You may be right, but how exciting is it to watch a pro baseball game when both pitchers are striking out batters and it's the bottom of the 6th inning and neither team has scored yet? I guess you could argue that it's exciting waiting for that crack of the bat to send the ball over the outfield wall, but baseball, at least to me, is fairly boring to watch on tv, but yet, those players (some of them) are making MILLIONS of dollars. Advertising, merchandise, those are the keys.
So what does professional pool need? It needs a miracle at this point. Professional pool got left behind years ago. Imagine if pool were marketed like pro football or basketball. Pool needs a revival.
In my opinion, what needs to happen to professional pool is almost a complete overhaul, at least in terms of broadcasting, marketing, and excitement. Is pool exciting to watch for fans of the sport? Absolutely. Two top players playing for a big payday in a tournament or challenge match hill-hill, give me some of that! Could it be tweaked to be more exciting? I believe it can.
Here's a final thought. I don't know how to fix pool so that the players can get paid, but here's an idea. What if there were a dedicated outlet for pool. What I mean by this is what if there were an all billiards channel on satellite or Netflix. I'd pay to watch quality billiard broadcasts. I'd pay to watch some of the greatest pool and billiard players in the world battle for a tournament title. Make this happen!
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The smoky pool room
March 7-8 Sidepocket Billiards in Shreveport hosted their annual Open 9-ball Championship. I decided to go over there to watch, but not play in the tournament as I haven't played in a tournament in quite a while. So my friend and I drove over there the day before the tournament started so he could get a feel for the tables and see who was there. I was also interested in seeing which pro players might show up. Johnny Archer had come to the previous tournament (and won it) back in October, I believe. Skyler Woodward was there along with a few other names I've heard in big tournaments.
We walked in and it was like somebody had set a big pile of wet leaves on fire. The smoke was BAD.
Now I don't mind a little smoke, hey, if you choose to smoke, that's your business, but when it's so thick that I can barely see across the room, that's too much for me. 5 minutes in there and I felt like I was at risk for lung cancer.
I think it's pretty clear with all the research done that smoking is bad for you and second hand smoke equally bad if not worse. Many of establishments I've been to over the years allowed smoking, but NONE as bad as this place. I will not go back there. Ever.
It was disappointing too, because it's a fine establishment. Good size place, lots of tables (mainly bar tables and two 9-footers), great food, etc. But the smoke...
Many places now don't allow smoking, which I feel is a good thing. I know some smokers that don't even like all the smoke. It gets in your clothes, hair, hell, I even smelled the smoke on my leather belt...days after I left.
I feel it would just be better for pool in general if places did not allow smoking inside. Smoky pool rooms just add to the negativity that pool has accumulated over the years. Time to fix that and get more people interested in shooting some pool.
We walked in and it was like somebody had set a big pile of wet leaves on fire. The smoke was BAD.
Now I don't mind a little smoke, hey, if you choose to smoke, that's your business, but when it's so thick that I can barely see across the room, that's too much for me. 5 minutes in there and I felt like I was at risk for lung cancer.
I think it's pretty clear with all the research done that smoking is bad for you and second hand smoke equally bad if not worse. Many of establishments I've been to over the years allowed smoking, but NONE as bad as this place. I will not go back there. Ever.
It was disappointing too, because it's a fine establishment. Good size place, lots of tables (mainly bar tables and two 9-footers), great food, etc. But the smoke...
Many places now don't allow smoking, which I feel is a good thing. I know some smokers that don't even like all the smoke. It gets in your clothes, hair, hell, I even smelled the smoke on my leather belt...days after I left.
I feel it would just be better for pool in general if places did not allow smoking inside. Smoky pool rooms just add to the negativity that pool has accumulated over the years. Time to fix that and get more people interested in shooting some pool.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
2014 Mosconi Cup Results
Well, another Mosconi Cup has come and gone...to team Europe, again. Being a US citizen, I had hoped for a different outcome given the fact that Team USA retooled this year and had a stronger team, in my opinion, than in years past. Unfortunately, I did not get to watch this year's event. I did see some video clips on YouTube and the environment there looked outright hostile. The Europeans really get behind their players.
Although Team USA lost again, I feel as though this year's team was much better than in year's past. The European team over the last few years has taken the Mosconi Cup very seriously by forming the team months early, practicing together, spending time together, and becoming a team focused on winning. This is something the USA team didn't do, usually throwing the team together weeks before and never spending time together or practicing...and it showed.
This year, Team USA selected Mark Wilson as the team Captain and he handpicked eight players. The eight potential players were:
Shane Van Boening *
John Schmidt *
Corey Deuel *
Brandon Shuff
Justin Hall *
Oscar Dominguez
Justin Bergman *
Jeremy Sossei
* 2014 Mosconi Cup team members
Team USA had a tough task ahead in this year's Mosconi Cup. Team Europe had been dominating, winning the last 5 in a row and the last 7 of 8 Mosconi Cup tournaments. Also adding to the fact that Team USA took a whole new approach to the 2014 Mosconi Cup, they had to travel to Blackpool, England to play on the Europeans' home turf. Following, last year's drubbing 11-2 loss by Team Europe, Team USA had nowhere to go but up.
In the hostile environment of Blackpool, Team USA started Day 1 pretty well, ending the day with a final matchup of Shane Van Boening vs. Darren Appleton and a chance to take a one point advantage. Darren ruined those hopes with a 5-3 victory, putting the European team ahead 3-2 at the close of the first day's matches.
Team USA started Day 2 on a high note, tying the score at 3 each, but Team Europe charged ahead to 6-3, winning 3 matches in a row before Appleton/Gray fell in the last match of the day to Deuel/Van Boening, ending Day 2 with a score of 6-4 in favor of Team Europe.
Day 3 started off with a European win to make the score 7-4. Justin Hall beat Nikos Ekononmopoulos 5-3 to get back to within 2 points, but Team Europe was too strong and won the next 2 matches to pull ahead 9-5.
It was over quickly for Team USA on Day 4 as Team Europe only needed 2 wins to claim the 2014 Mosconi Cup and they cleaned it up in the first 2 matches. Darren Appleton defeated Shane Van Boening 5-2 and Nikos Ekonomopoulos also defeated Shane Van Boening by the same score to once again claim the Mosconi Cup for Team Europe.
Although Team USA lost by 6 points, there were some positives in my mind.
1. We actually formed a team vs. previous years where we just threw a team together at the last minute.
2. We had a non-playing Captain, which I feel is important to actually have time to properly form a team, schedule practices, etc.
3. We didn't lose by 9 points like last year.
4. We added youth, which in time could grow as a team and hopefully win.
5. We play next year in LAS VEGAS!!
Hopefully this team will be able to stay together for the 2015 event, which will be held on US soil and should provide the advantage to Team USA.
We'll get them in 2015!!!
Although Team USA lost again, I feel as though this year's team was much better than in year's past. The European team over the last few years has taken the Mosconi Cup very seriously by forming the team months early, practicing together, spending time together, and becoming a team focused on winning. This is something the USA team didn't do, usually throwing the team together weeks before and never spending time together or practicing...and it showed.
This year, Team USA selected Mark Wilson as the team Captain and he handpicked eight players. The eight potential players were:
Shane Van Boening *
John Schmidt *
Corey Deuel *
Brandon Shuff
Justin Hall *
Oscar Dominguez
Justin Bergman *
Jeremy Sossei
* 2014 Mosconi Cup team members
Team USA had a tough task ahead in this year's Mosconi Cup. Team Europe had been dominating, winning the last 5 in a row and the last 7 of 8 Mosconi Cup tournaments. Also adding to the fact that Team USA took a whole new approach to the 2014 Mosconi Cup, they had to travel to Blackpool, England to play on the Europeans' home turf. Following, last year's drubbing 11-2 loss by Team Europe, Team USA had nowhere to go but up.
In the hostile environment of Blackpool, Team USA started Day 1 pretty well, ending the day with a final matchup of Shane Van Boening vs. Darren Appleton and a chance to take a one point advantage. Darren ruined those hopes with a 5-3 victory, putting the European team ahead 3-2 at the close of the first day's matches.
Team USA started Day 2 on a high note, tying the score at 3 each, but Team Europe charged ahead to 6-3, winning 3 matches in a row before Appleton/Gray fell in the last match of the day to Deuel/Van Boening, ending Day 2 with a score of 6-4 in favor of Team Europe.
Day 3 started off with a European win to make the score 7-4. Justin Hall beat Nikos Ekononmopoulos 5-3 to get back to within 2 points, but Team Europe was too strong and won the next 2 matches to pull ahead 9-5.
It was over quickly for Team USA on Day 4 as Team Europe only needed 2 wins to claim the 2014 Mosconi Cup and they cleaned it up in the first 2 matches. Darren Appleton defeated Shane Van Boening 5-2 and Nikos Ekonomopoulos also defeated Shane Van Boening by the same score to once again claim the Mosconi Cup for Team Europe.
Although Team USA lost by 6 points, there were some positives in my mind.
1. We actually formed a team vs. previous years where we just threw a team together at the last minute.
2. We had a non-playing Captain, which I feel is important to actually have time to properly form a team, schedule practices, etc.
3. We didn't lose by 9 points like last year.
4. We added youth, which in time could grow as a team and hopefully win.
5. We play next year in LAS VEGAS!!
Hopefully this team will be able to stay together for the 2015 event, which will be held on US soil and should provide the advantage to Team USA.
We'll get them in 2015!!!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Coming on strong...Skyler Woodward
If you haven't already heard the name, let me introduce you to Skyler Woodward. Skyler, according to his Facebook fan page, is 21 years old and is from Ledbetter, Kentucky. I've been hearing his name more and more lately as he is starting to rack up top 5 finishes left and right. Starting in January 2014 at the Derby City Classic, he has continued to get hot. At the Derby City Classic, he placed pretty low in the 9-Ball Banks division at 65th, but placed 13th in the One Pocket tournament. He won the Bank Pool Ring Game, taking home $6,000 for that win alone.
The next month, February 24 - March 2, he placed 5th in the US Bar Box Championship in Reno, Nevada, and took 3rd in the 9-Ball division. But he was just getting warmed up...
In March 2014 he placed 5th in the Big Tyme Billiards One Pocket tournament and took home the top prize in the 9-Ball tournament ($4,000). Later that month, he played in the White Diamond Billiards annual tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana, placing 7th.
In a unique event, Skyler took on Jesse Bowman in Wisconsin June 13 - 14 for a 9-Ball race to 100 event for $20,000!! After the first night, Skyler was up by just 1 rack, 50-49. On day 2, after it was all over, Skyler came out on top 100-82. $20,000!!
July saw Skyler play in the 2014 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships...he won it. Rounding out the top 5 were Charlie Bryant, Oscar Dominguez, Dennis Hatch, and Greg Harada, Jr. Stiff competition!
Lastly, Skyler just won the Smokin' Aces Bar Box Tournament...undefeated, I might add, held August 16-17, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Key to this win was defeating Shane Van Boening, not once, but twice!!
I predict we'll be seeing a lot of Skyler in the future!
If you would like to keep up with Skyler, you can follow his Facebook fan page.
The next month, February 24 - March 2, he placed 5th in the US Bar Box Championship in Reno, Nevada, and took 3rd in the 9-Ball division. But he was just getting warmed up...
In March 2014 he placed 5th in the Big Tyme Billiards One Pocket tournament and took home the top prize in the 9-Ball tournament ($4,000). Later that month, he played in the White Diamond Billiards annual tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana, placing 7th.
In a unique event, Skyler took on Jesse Bowman in Wisconsin June 13 - 14 for a 9-Ball race to 100 event for $20,000!! After the first night, Skyler was up by just 1 rack, 50-49. On day 2, after it was all over, Skyler came out on top 100-82. $20,000!!
July saw Skyler play in the 2014 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships...he won it. Rounding out the top 5 were Charlie Bryant, Oscar Dominguez, Dennis Hatch, and Greg Harada, Jr. Stiff competition!
Lastly, Skyler just won the Smokin' Aces Bar Box Tournament...undefeated, I might add, held August 16-17, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Key to this win was defeating Shane Van Boening, not once, but twice!!
I predict we'll be seeing a lot of Skyler in the future!
If you would like to keep up with Skyler, you can follow his Facebook fan page.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Pool is dying in America. Can it make a comeback?
It's easy to see that over the last few decades pool in America has been on the decline. I personally can think of several places where I have played pool that are now closed. You don't see pool on tv anymore. I used to faithfully check the tv listings to see when pool was going to be on ESPN or ESPN2 and even record them on VHS. A media format that has gained steam since broadband internet, live streaming over the web, seems to be the future of pool events, but TAR closed it's production, due to presumably lack of viewers. Apparently snooker is broadcast on tv in Europe and people watch it. So what has caused the decline in the US?
In the 40's, 50's, and 60's, pool was thriving. Large cities had (and probably still have a few) famous pool halls where the greats such as Ralph Greenleaf, Willie Mosconi, Eddie Taylor, and Willie Hoppe played. Pool seemed to be classy back then. All the old photographs you see show these great pool players in suits, sure, that's how they dressed back then, but it gave pool a more elegant feel. After the movie, The Hustler, pool was probably at it's peak. Towards the 70's, 80's, and 90's, I feel that pool halls became places where the gamblers, criminal types, and seedier people hung out and they lost the elegance and nostalgia. Not all the pool halls had these types of people, but I believe the perception was there. Pool halls weren't somewhere you would go to take the kids or a date for an entertaining afternoon of pool. They were to be avoided.
Also, I believe part of the decline has been technology. Before cell phones and the internet, guys that traveled around playing pool, like most of the greats did, could walk into a place and if nobody knew them either win the tournament or clean the place out playing for money. There are several books out now that chronicle the life of some of these great pool players. I'm currently reading a book about Danny Diliberto and his life on the road. It's interesting reading about this age of pool that will never be again.
Good pool players today can't walk into a pool hall without being recognized or recorded and put on YouTube. Going on a road trip like they used to do back in the golden age of pool is tough. Everything is more expensive. Food, gas, hotel not to mention if you are recognized, not many people will play you for massive amounts of money. Makes it hard to make a living playing pool on the road these days. So where does that leave the guys that play pool really well? How do they make money? They either play in tournaments, challenge matches that are set up by folks like TAR, which is now shut down, Accu Stats, or they give up a lot of weight because everybody now knows them thanks to the internet age. You might ask, how has that added to the decline in pool in America? Well, why would you want to go on the road if you can't make any money? So I believe there has been a decline in the non-pro great pool players due to the fact they can't go on the road and make lots of money. They are relegated to playing locally or going to a few large tournaments if they can afford the entry, trip there, and hotel.
Can pool make a comeback? I think it can, but it's going to take a lot of work. Organizations like the American Pool Players Association and the BCA are making it happen. Mike Sigel is trying to start a pool league that looks interesting. I see pictures from the big amateur tournaments and it looks like there are literally thousands of people at those events, so the amateur side seems pretty well off. I think the professional side needs help. The men need a professional billiard association that regularly holds events that pay well. The women professional players (and men) need to have more events and more live streaming via the internet so people can watch.
There also needs to be more interest in watching pool. I think the Mosconi Cup event could be a way to do this. USA vs. Europe, I mean, what better way to get behind pool in America than watching YOUR team of the best American players compete against Europe's best. Marketing needs to happen to pump up this match and have it broadcast, if nothing else on a pay-per-view cable or satellite channel. I'm hoping to be able to watch some of this year's Mosconi Cup online.
Pool can make a comeback, so get out there and play some pool!!
In the 40's, 50's, and 60's, pool was thriving. Large cities had (and probably still have a few) famous pool halls where the greats such as Ralph Greenleaf, Willie Mosconi, Eddie Taylor, and Willie Hoppe played. Pool seemed to be classy back then. All the old photographs you see show these great pool players in suits, sure, that's how they dressed back then, but it gave pool a more elegant feel. After the movie, The Hustler, pool was probably at it's peak. Towards the 70's, 80's, and 90's, I feel that pool halls became places where the gamblers, criminal types, and seedier people hung out and they lost the elegance and nostalgia. Not all the pool halls had these types of people, but I believe the perception was there. Pool halls weren't somewhere you would go to take the kids or a date for an entertaining afternoon of pool. They were to be avoided.
Also, I believe part of the decline has been technology. Before cell phones and the internet, guys that traveled around playing pool, like most of the greats did, could walk into a place and if nobody knew them either win the tournament or clean the place out playing for money. There are several books out now that chronicle the life of some of these great pool players. I'm currently reading a book about Danny Diliberto and his life on the road. It's interesting reading about this age of pool that will never be again.
Good pool players today can't walk into a pool hall without being recognized or recorded and put on YouTube. Going on a road trip like they used to do back in the golden age of pool is tough. Everything is more expensive. Food, gas, hotel not to mention if you are recognized, not many people will play you for massive amounts of money. Makes it hard to make a living playing pool on the road these days. So where does that leave the guys that play pool really well? How do they make money? They either play in tournaments, challenge matches that are set up by folks like TAR, which is now shut down, Accu Stats, or they give up a lot of weight because everybody now knows them thanks to the internet age. You might ask, how has that added to the decline in pool in America? Well, why would you want to go on the road if you can't make any money? So I believe there has been a decline in the non-pro great pool players due to the fact they can't go on the road and make lots of money. They are relegated to playing locally or going to a few large tournaments if they can afford the entry, trip there, and hotel.
Can pool make a comeback? I think it can, but it's going to take a lot of work. Organizations like the American Pool Players Association and the BCA are making it happen. Mike Sigel is trying to start a pool league that looks interesting. I see pictures from the big amateur tournaments and it looks like there are literally thousands of people at those events, so the amateur side seems pretty well off. I think the professional side needs help. The men need a professional billiard association that regularly holds events that pay well. The women professional players (and men) need to have more events and more live streaming via the internet so people can watch.
There also needs to be more interest in watching pool. I think the Mosconi Cup event could be a way to do this. USA vs. Europe, I mean, what better way to get behind pool in America than watching YOUR team of the best American players compete against Europe's best. Marketing needs to happen to pump up this match and have it broadcast, if nothing else on a pay-per-view cable or satellite channel. I'm hoping to be able to watch some of this year's Mosconi Cup online.
Pool can make a comeback, so get out there and play some pool!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Latest 2014 Mosconi Cup Team USA News
Not a whole lot has been mentioned lately about the 2014 Team USA Mosconi Cup Team. Team Captain Mark Wilson has stated in the past he probably won't make a decision on the final team of 5 until after the US Open in October.
Most of the candidates did assemble in San Diego, California for the first time for a team get-together in late May. According to Captain Mark Wilson, they discussed what is expected of the team, professionalism and dedication being two of the topics.
They also had some challenge matches for charity.
It's good to see Captain Mark Wilson is taking this serious and getting the team together early to provide some unity. I look forward to hearing more about this and can't wait to see who the final five team members will be!
Most of the candidates did assemble in San Diego, California for the first time for a team get-together in late May. According to Captain Mark Wilson, they discussed what is expected of the team, professionalism and dedication being two of the topics.
They also had some challenge matches for charity.
It's good to see Captain Mark Wilson is taking this serious and getting the team together early to provide some unity. I look forward to hearing more about this and can't wait to see who the final five team members will be!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
2014 Mosconi Cup Team USA and other news
2014 Mosconi Cup Team USA News
So those of you who have not been keeping up with the 2014 Mosconi Cup Team USA news, team captain, Mark Wilson has announced the 8 players vying for the 5 member team. The 8 players are Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, John Schmidt, Oscar Dominguez, Brandon Shuff, Justin Bergman, Justin Hall, and Jeremy Sossei.
Mark Wilson has been working on a practice routine to analyze player performance. He is doing some pretty high tech stuff with video analysis on an iPad and trying to get the players together to participate in various events together to build team unity and support.
Wilson plans to announce the final team of 5 in October, probably just after the US Open 9-ball Championships.
On another note, in an article in the May 2014 issue of Billiards Digest, Johnny Archer was quoted as saying, "I'm very disappointed. I don't understand why a few of us don't even have a chance to earn a spot on the team. I know they want to go young, but Corey and John [Schmidt] aren't young."
Here's my thoughts to that statement...STOP YOUR WHINING JOHNNY!!! It's time for CHANGE!! Johnny was a part of 17 Mosconi Cup teams and in my opinion, he seems like a nice guy, but only seems to care about himself. He was team captain a few times and never organized team practices, never brought the team together...it was just "We're team USA, we're badass, and we'll show up and kick Team Europe's butt." Guess what, Johnny, Team Europe united their team, organized team practices, and showed up to US soil and kicked OUR butts. Change was overdue.
Other Billiard News
The Billiard Congress of America will hold it's 31st annual Summit on June 24-27. The BCA's annual industry trade fair will return to Louisville, Kentucky, which has been the host city three times before, the last being in 1990. The event organizers expect only 75 vendors to show up, the lowest in the 31 year history of the event, however, more on-floor events are planned and more after-hours social events. The lack of vendors doesn't bode well for the future of the Summit, but the American pool industry seems to be in an evolving state right now. I'm sure it will be a great event and maybe the change of venue will make future Summits better.
The U.S. Amateur Championships are coming up in November. November 5-9, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. The entry window is April 1 - June 15, so if you plan on entering, get signed up. For more information, visit www.poolplayers.com/usam/
So those of you who have not been keeping up with the 2014 Mosconi Cup Team USA news, team captain, Mark Wilson has announced the 8 players vying for the 5 member team. The 8 players are Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, John Schmidt, Oscar Dominguez, Brandon Shuff, Justin Bergman, Justin Hall, and Jeremy Sossei.
Mark Wilson has been working on a practice routine to analyze player performance. He is doing some pretty high tech stuff with video analysis on an iPad and trying to get the players together to participate in various events together to build team unity and support.
Wilson plans to announce the final team of 5 in October, probably just after the US Open 9-ball Championships.
On another note, in an article in the May 2014 issue of Billiards Digest, Johnny Archer was quoted as saying, "I'm very disappointed. I don't understand why a few of us don't even have a chance to earn a spot on the team. I know they want to go young, but Corey and John [Schmidt] aren't young."
Here's my thoughts to that statement...STOP YOUR WHINING JOHNNY!!! It's time for CHANGE!! Johnny was a part of 17 Mosconi Cup teams and in my opinion, he seems like a nice guy, but only seems to care about himself. He was team captain a few times and never organized team practices, never brought the team together...it was just "We're team USA, we're badass, and we'll show up and kick Team Europe's butt." Guess what, Johnny, Team Europe united their team, organized team practices, and showed up to US soil and kicked OUR butts. Change was overdue.
Other Billiard News
The Billiard Congress of America will hold it's 31st annual Summit on June 24-27. The BCA's annual industry trade fair will return to Louisville, Kentucky, which has been the host city three times before, the last being in 1990. The event organizers expect only 75 vendors to show up, the lowest in the 31 year history of the event, however, more on-floor events are planned and more after-hours social events. The lack of vendors doesn't bode well for the future of the Summit, but the American pool industry seems to be in an evolving state right now. I'm sure it will be a great event and maybe the change of venue will make future Summits better.
The U.S. Amateur Championships are coming up in November. November 5-9, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. The entry window is April 1 - June 15, so if you plan on entering, get signed up. For more information, visit www.poolplayers.com/usam/
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