Snooker. An American perspective

Just sharing an article.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainme ... er/383524/

SnookerFan wrote:Just sharing an article.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainme ... er/383524/

Thanks SF

Would like to hear Acesinc' thoughts

I remember Bazza telling a story about explaining to an American broadcaster, describing the semi-finals of the Worlds. ‘yeah it’s best of 31 frames over three days’

Hahahahaha

Dan-cat wrote:I remember Bazza telling a story about explaining to an American broadcaster, describing the semi-finals of the Worlds. ‘yeah it’s best of 31 frames over three days’

Hahahahaha

American sports can be odd as well. Baseball has 162 games in a regular season and they are all about three hours long. The NBA has a long season that meanders along for most of it with loads of pointless games.

I went to a baseball game when in America. Odd experience.

At any one point, approximately 50% of the crowd were queueing for confectionery. They seemed to care more about the night out than the game. We actually left before the end.

At one break in play, a cartoon aired advertising said confectionery stand. A hot dog, a carton of popcorn and a burger were having a race. All fans took sides, and were cheering who they wanted to win it.

Good point in the article about golf. Goes on for days and is sloooooooow.

SnookerFan wrote:I went to a baseball game when in America. Odd experience.

At any one point, approximately 50% of the crowd were queueing for confectionery. They seemed to care more about the night out than the game. We actually left before the end.

At one break in play, a cartoon aired advertising said confectionery stand. A hot dog, a carton of popcorn and a burger were having a race. All fans took sides, and were cheering who they wanted to win it.

You can't tell us about the race, but then leave us hanging as to who won. So was it the wiener, the popcorn, or the burger? The popcorn is light on his feet but the dog has aerodynamics on his side. Burger without a chance.

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Thanks SF

Would like to hear Acesinc' thoughts

Been out of town on a business trip for a few days...

I have had my say on this ad nauseum in the past, it is old news. That article is from four years ago. It is from one of the three US national championships that I have attended. Beside Chris in the article, myself and another member from my club were the only three natural born Americans in the tournament.

My very first post ever on the Island was somewhat related to this. You can see it here:

viewtopic.php?f=468&t=4923&p=339022#p339022

in response to some very foolish person who had originated the thread much much earlier, quite clearly an American (though a small possibility that he was Canadian). Americans by their nature seemingly cannot embrace direct foreign intervention for sport or pastime. Look at soccer in the USA...the single largest sport in the world I believe but it has utterly floundered over here throughout my lifetime. Yes, we do have "professional" soccer players....I believe they earn about the equivalent of a standard minimum wage part time job.

Instead, if Americans like particular elements of something, we adjust it to make it our own. We took Cricket and turned it into Baseball. We took Rugby and turned it into American Football. If Snooker EVER manages some sort of toehold in the USA, unfortunately, it will not be Snooker. It will be some sort of facsimile of Snooker with recognizable elements but turned into something different. Probably some electronics involved, Instant Replay Review or some such. As SnookerFan said, there would need to be an animated footrace between the popular concessions during the mid-session interval. The only certainty is that it would NOT be Snooker if it does become popular here.

Many here in the US have opined, "Where is Barry Hearn? He can popularize Snooker in America!" Um.....no. Barry Hearn is an astute guy. He can recognize a market. He can read a market. To an extent, he can manipulate a market. But he is not a magician or a conjurer. He cannot (and he seems to understand this well) simply create a market out of thin air where none exists. He cannot come over to the USA, put a tournament or two on television, then suddenly the entire country will rally behind Snooker.

When I opened my little club, it was with the naive notion that maybe, just maybe I could get some new people on board, introduce the game to others who, like myself in England several decades before, had never heard of Snooker previously and would become immediately enamoured. And maybe this movement would grow over time and I would see the Game at least somewhat more popularized during my lifetime. I would have done my part in that.

Eight years later and toward this end, my club has been and will remain a failure. The handful of players I have are all great people, but they have known the game all along. They are merely sipping at the well of my oasis in this Great Barren Snooker Desert. The desert certainly is not beginning to bloom, and it will not anytime soon.

All this sounds very pessimistic and of course it is. Normally, I am an incredibly optimistic guy. I started my little company 18 years ago against the advice of virtually every mentor that I had in my industry. My business plan simply could not work they said. Now, eighteen years later, having weathered two serious recessions and still surviving where 99.9 percent of businesses would have perished, I think I have proven my optimism, my business prowess, my market interpretation skills. I am sorry to report that it appears the future of Snooker in the USA remains bleak.

acesinc wrote:

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Thanks SF

Would like to hear Acesinc' thoughts

Been out of town on a business trip for a few days...

I have had my say on this ad nauseum in the past, it is old news. That article is from four years ago. It is from one of the three US national championships that I have attended. Beside Chris in the article, myself and another member from my club were the only three natural born Americans in the tournament.

My very first post ever on the Island was somewhat related to this. You can see it here:

viewtopic.php?f=468&t=4923&p=339022#p339022

in response to some very foolish person who had originated the thread much much earlier, quite clearly an American (though a small possibility that he was Canadian). Americans by their nature seemingly cannot embrace direct foreign intervention for sport or pastime. Look at soccer in the USA...the single largest sport in the world I believe but it has utterly floundered over here throughout my lifetime. Yes, we do have "professional" soccer players....I believe they earn about the equivalent of a standard minimum wage part time job.

Instead, if Americans like particular elements of something, we adjust it to make it our own. We took Cricket and turned it into Baseball. We took Rugby and turned it into American Football. If Snooker EVER manages some sort of toehold in the USA, unfortunately, it will not be Snooker. It will be some sort of facsimile of Snooker with recognizable elements but turned into something different. Probably some electronics involved, Instant Replay Review or some such. As SnookerFan said, there would need to be an animated footrace between the popular concessions during the mid-session interval. The only certainty is that it would NOT be Snooker if it does become popular here.

Many here in the US have opined, "Where is Barry Hearn? He can popularize Snooker in America!" Um.....no. Barry Hearn is an astute guy. He can recognize a market. He can read a market. To an extent, he can manipulate a market. But he is not a magician or a conjurer. He cannot (and he seems to understand this well) simply create a market out of thin air where none exists. He cannot come over to the USA, put a tournament or two on television, then suddenly the entire country will rally behind Snooker.

When I opened my little club, it was with the naive notion that maybe, just maybe I could get some new people on board, introduce the game to others who, like myself in England several decades before, had never heard of Snooker previously and would become immediately enamoured. And maybe this movement would grow over time and I would see the Game at least somewhat more popularized during my lifetime. I would have done my part in that.

Eight years later and toward this end, my club has been and will remain a failure. The handful of players I have are all great people, but they have known the game all along. They are merely sipping at the well of my oasis in this Great Barren Snooker Desert. The desert certainly is not beginning to bloom, and it will not anytime soon.

All this sounds very pessimistic and of course it is. Normally, I am an incredibly optimistic guy. I started my little company 18 years ago against the advice of virtually every mentor that I had in my industry. My business plan simply could not work they said. Now, eighteen years later, having weathered two serious recessions and still surviving where 99.9 percent of businesses would have perished, I think I have proven my optimism, my business prowess, my market interpretation skills. I am sorry to report that it appears the future of Snooker in the USA remains bleak.

Good post. Great country the US but they have poor taste in sport. I enjoyed the Super Bowl last week and just tune into that one game every year put of a tradition of doing so as a kid but it's a poor enough sport really. Baseball is horse manure. Basketball is ok. Football (soccer) seems to be getting more popular over there and crowds are up for their games but as the poster said it's hard to see it ever becoming as popular as the 'big 3'. Hard to see snooker making any real inroads into American culture. Pool is in their DNA ; fast and furious. Quick turnovers. The Yanks don't seem to have the patience for the game of snooker. It's too deep for them.

acesinc wrote:
You can't tell us about the race, but then leave us hanging as to who won. So was it the wiener, the popcorn, or the burger? The popcorn is light on his feet but the dog has aerodynamics on his side. Burger without a chance.

I really can't remember. It was 20 years ago.

In fact, I'm not entirely sure those were the exact things that were racing.

Chalk McHugh wrote:Good post. Great country the US but they have poor taste in sport. I enjoyed the Super Bowl last week and just tune into that one game every year put of a tradition of doing so as a kid but it's a poor enough sport really. Baseball is horse manure. Basketball is ok. Football (soccer) seems to be getting more popular over there and crowds are up for their games but as the poster said it's hard to see it ever becoming as popular as the 'big 3'. Hard to see snooker making any real inroads into American culture. Pool is in their DNA ; fast and furious. Quick turnovers. The Yanks don't seem to have the patience for the game of snooker. It's too deep for them.

As said, Americans often use sport as much as a day out/excuse to eat. At baseball games, you get people stood outside with barbecues and stuff. That seems just as important as the actual game.

There's no way, as a culture, they'd get into snooker. There's not enough coming and going allowed.

Chalk McHugh wrote:...Baseball is horse manure. ...

Them is fightin' words Chalkie.



I lived my life as a kid for the joy of playing summertime sandlot baseball in the big field by the church with all my mates. Great days, would not trade them for anything. As far as professional baseball goes, I believe that there is probably nuance to the game that you are not perceiving. Very much like normal Americans not perceiving the nuance of Snooker. Baseball has a long and storied history in this country, but it does take a certain type of personality to have interest in it, again, very much like Snooker.

My kid actually will be working for the baseball team at his Uni. Background work, not actually playing on the team. He is studying to be a statistician and will use that skill set to help the coaches make their gameplay decisions. Very nuanced stuff that one would never notice when watching the cartoon footrace.

acesinc wrote:

Chalk McHugh wrote:...Baseball is horse manure. ...

Them is fightin' words Chalkie.



I lived my life as a kid for the joy of playing summertime sandlot baseball in the big field by the church with all my mates. Great days, would not trade them for anything. As far as professional baseball goes, I believe that there is probably nuance to the game that you are not perceiving. Very much like normal Americans not perceiving the nuance of Snooker. Baseball has a long and storied history in this country, but it does take a certain type of personality to have interest in it, again, very much like Snooker.

My kid actually will be working for the baseball team at his Uni. Background work, not actually playing on the team. He is studying to be a statistician and will use that skill set to help the coaches make their gameplay decisions. Very nuanced stuff that one would never notice when watching the cartoon footrace.

We may be biased in Ireland, but many of us think the great game of hurling is the best of all. It has absolutely everything ; speed, skill, courage, drama for seventy very tense minutes.

Baseball isn't in the Hapenny place compared to hurling.Chalk and cheese. But i respect everybody sees things differently. One mans Cristy Ring is anothers Babe Ruth but i wouldn't cross the road to watch baseball. Or cricket for that matter.

Snooker is better than them both combined.

SnookerFan wrote:Snooker is better than them both combined.

My favourite four sports
1 Hurling
2 Gaelic Football
3 Football
4 Snooker

I love wach of them.

SnookerFan wrote:I went to a baseball game when in America. Odd experience.

At any one point, approximately 50% of the crowd were queueing for confectionery. They seemed to care more about the night out than the game. We actually left before the end.

At one break in play, a cartoon aired advertising said confectionery stand. A hot dog, a carton of popcorn and a burger were having a race. All fans took sides, and were cheering who they wanted to win it.

I went to a NBA game at Madison Square Garden in 2009 and the crowd was a strange mix of tourists and disgruntled New Yorkers as the Knicks were getting hammered.

Always wanted to go to MSG.

Growing up, that is where a lot of the wrestling was.

Also, thw boxing.

Pink Ball wrote:Hurling is a stunning sport.

I did some hurling on the weekend.

Dan-cat wrote:

Pink Ball wrote:Hurling is a stunning sport.

I did some hurling on the weekend.

Dan the man, you wouldn't be fit to lace Joe Canning's boots!

1. Snooker
2. MMA (UFC)
3. Boxing
4. Pool

That's it for me.

Just had a look at some Garlic football on YouTube. I have not seen it before and it looks superb.

Pink Ball wrote:

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Just had a look at some Garlic football on YouTube. I have not seen it before and it looks superb.

The 2013 semi-final between Dublin and Kerry, the traditional 'big two' was the finest match I've watched.

Cheers, I will give it a look

Pink Ball wrote:

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Just had a look at some Garlic football on YouTube. I have not seen it before and it looks superb.

The 2013 semi-final between Dublin and Kerry, the traditional 'big two' was the finest match I've watched.

I was at that in the Lower Cusack. Bang on centre field. Definately one of the best games i was at.

This years final was the best final i was at. A fantastic game. Had absolutely everything. And the sweetest of wins for us city slickers.

My top 5 hurling finals

1 Tipperary v Kilkenny 2009
2 Tipperary v Kilkenny 2010
3 Tipperary v Kilkenny 2014 drawn game
4 Cork v Galway 1990
5 Offaly v Limerick 1994

What do you Irish folk think of Conor McGregor? Anyone here watch UFC fighting at all?

I don't like McGregor much, I like Nate Diaz. The current heavyweight champ, Stipe Miocic, is my personal favourite. Fedor emelianenko used to be fantastic, but he wasn't in UFC...

Holden Chinaski wrote:What do you Irish folk think of Conor Mcgregor? Anyone here watch UFC fighting at all?

I don't like Mcgregor much, I like Nate Diaz. The current heavyweight champ, Stipe Miocic, is my personal favourite. Fedor emelianenko used to be fantastic, but he wasn't in UFC...

Like Fergal O Brien, Conor McGregor has lived in Lucan since he was 15. Both live close to me.

Personnally i cant stand UFC/MMA and have never watched McGregor even once. Cant stand him. I am in the minority in that i feel. Especially in Dublin but thats just the way i feel.