HomeAbout Billiards DigestContact UsArchiveAll About PoolEquipmentOur AdvertisersLinks
From the Publisher
By Mike Panozzo
Mike became editor of Billiards Digest in 1980 and liked it so much that he bought the company. He has served on the Billiard Congress of America board of directors and as president of the Billiard & Bowling Institute of America.


Archives
• March 2024
• February 2024
• January 2024
• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023
• July 2023
• June 2023
• May 2023
• April 2023
• March 2023
• February 2023
• January 2023
• December 2022
• November 2022
• October 2022
• September 2022
• August 2022
• July 2022
• June 2022
• May 2022
• April 2022
• March 2022
• February 2022
• January 2022
• December 2021
• November 2021
• October 2021
• September 2021
• August 2021
• July 2021
• June 2021
• May 2021
• April 2021
• March 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021
• December 2020
• November 2020
• October 2020
• August 2020
• July 2020
• June 2020
• May 2020
• April 2020
• March 2020
• February 2020
• January 2020
• December 2019
• November 2019
• October 2019
• September 2019
• August 2019
• July 2019
• June 2019
• May 2019
• April 2019
• March 2019
• February 2019
• January 2019
• December 2018
• November 2018
• October 2018
• September 2018
• August 2018
• July 2018
• June 2018
• May 2018
• April 2018
• March 2018
• February 2018
• January 2018
• November 2017
• October 2017
• September 2017
• August 2017
• July 2017
• June 2017
• May 2017
• April 2017
• March 2017
• February 2017
• January 2017
• December 2016
• November 2016
• October 2016
• September 2016
• August 2016
• July 2016
• June 2016
• May 2016
• Apr 2016
• Mar 2016
• Feb 2016
• Jan 2016
• Dec 2015
• Nov 2015
• Oct 2015
• Sept 2015
• August 2015
• July 2015
• June 2015
• May 2015
• April 2015
• March 2015
• February 2015
• January 2015
• October 2014
• August 2014
• May 2014
• March 2014
• February 2014
• September 2013
• June 2013
• May 2013
• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012
• November 2012
• October 2012
• September 2012
• August 2012
• July 2012
• June 2012
• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• October 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010
• July 2010
• June 2010
• May 2010
• April 2010
• March 2010
• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
 
September: It’s All Right! (Almost)
September 2020

The last five months have been equal parts chaos and seclusion. We’ve all had to deal with the confusing and unnerving effects of a worldwide pandemic, social unrest and pattern racking in ghost tournaments.

It’s enough to make you question your faith in mankind.

Or, at least enough to make you forget what day it is.

That’s what happened to me when August 8 came and went. It wasn’t until two days later that I realized I’d missed the 40th anniversary of the day I was hired as editor of Billiards Digest.

(Seriously, how’s that for a segue?)

Not surprisingly, the realization that I’ve been at this desk for four decades gave me pause. (It also gave me a headache.) A lot has happened over those 40 years. Thousands of players have come and gone. Hundreds of industry acquaintances have come and gone. The game and the business have changed. And in many ways, the game and the business have stayed the same.

I began to think about all the things that are right with pool. And, of course, about the things that are wrong.

What’s wrong with pool:

Money. From prize purses to the business end of billiards, money has long been an issue. It is an industry and sport that has always had to fend for itself. There are no outside interests bankrolling our future. We deserve better because we have plenty to offer — a game without barriers and an industry that offers vehicles to better mental and physical health.

The Game. Competitively, there are simply too many of them! Straight pool, one-pocket, banks, 9-ball, 10-ball, 8-ball. The sport lacks structure. Snooker is snooker. Three-cushion is three-cushion. The rules are uniform. The game doesn’t change. Don’t underestimate the importance of that in marketing your sport.

Lack of structure. From players to retailers to room owners, pool (in America, at least) lacks organization. The revolving door of professional player associations has never produced anything sustainable (the Women’s Professional Billiard Association, current hard times notwithstanding, is the exception), leaving the players to continue their nomadic lives as cue-wielding mercenaries. As for the trade, the Billiard Congress of America does an admirable job promoting the sport and creating opportunity for manufacturers and billiard dealers. But its resources are limited, which, in turn, limits its ability to move the needle. And poolrooms? Totally on their own. And if they ever needed to be organized, now is the time. Room owners are in dire need of group leverage to get their doors open around the country.

What’s right with pool:

The Game. Pocket billiard games played at the highest levels are a joy to watch. Forty years later, I still never tire of watching the best players in the world stare down a daunting and pressure-filled table layout. The creativity, nerve and precision with which the game’s elite work their way through racks — each unique to any rack they’ve ever played — are things of beauty. The colors, the sounds, the pace. Anyone that watches pool played properly and doesn’t walk away convinced that it is among the most beautiful and difficult games on the planet simply wasn’t paying attention.

The Players. Hardcore devotees in virtually every sport have a special passion. (Except for cornhole. No one should be passionate about cornhole.) But pool players take that level of passion to a different level. The proof is in the pros. Unfortunately, pool is not a sport that takes care of its own. Only a few do more than simply survive on competitive pool. But they still put in hours and hours of practice virtually every day and are willing to travel halfway around the world to hopefully break even, just for the sake of testing their skills against top competition. What’s more, they are generally generous, supportive of one another and always have time for others. They are a brotherhood and a sisterhood. They are good people.

The BCA Hall of Fame. A personal favorite. Like most young boys, I grew up admiring the heroes in every sport I followed. As for pool, I don’t play a lick. But I have a sincere appreciation for those that played it better than anyone before them. And I have always felt that those players should be treated as heroes. Pool’s best-ever players rarely leave the sport with their futures secure, which makes it even more important that the industry recognizes their contributions and makes certain they will be memorialized for generations to come.

Matchroom. I know. We’re all, “Matchroom this…” and “Matchroom that…” But let’s face it. For more than 20 years, the British sports promoters have set and reset the bar for professional pool events in prize money, staging and television coverage. They’ve provided players with the events they most covet and fans with opportunities to feel like they’re part of a professional sport. And the company’s initiatives and efforts over the past three years have given player and fans hope for a bigger future. The industry continues to owe Barry Hearn and his charges a debt of gratitude. (Not discounting Predator Group’s efforts to follow suit. Could make for a very nice one-two punch.)

MORE VIDEO...