Pool Cue News and Review

Is there anything in the billiards industry that’s stupider than Speed Pool? This bastardization of pool earns the distinction of being one of the top rated televised billiards events in the US. I’m not sure what’s sadder… watching a hyperkenetic Dave “Ginger Wizard” Pearson running around a pool table or the fact that the casual pool fan prefers this to watching players like rising star Shane van Boening. Never seen this crap? Take a look at the video below.

Instead of just bitching about it however, let’s take a look at it and see if we can figure out why events like this draw more viewers than traditional pool. The most obvious difference is the pace. The game moves fast and doesn’t afford viewers the ability to watch, switch channels and come back a few minutes later. Come back a few minutes later and someone else will be shooting.

What else can we learn? Listen to the commentary. Instead of having Mitch and Ewa talk about a shot then have 30 seconds of dead air, the commentator doesn’t have time to take a break. The commentary is as fast paced as the game and it keeps the viewer’s attention.

If we want pool to get more coverage and be more “mainstream” (which we all should), the producers of these events need to change their ways. Pool has been shot the same way for years and for years, the general public could care less. The commentators need to be more interesting, the event needs to be more watchable. Trust me, if there was a billiards event that could draw more than a 1.0 share in its first run, ESPN would notice.