WoodMonkey
09-19-2006, 08:15 AM
I was just reading an article here about the decline of straight pool. It talked a lot about TV coverage and how sometimes there would be 20 minutes of safety play at a time and everyone got bored and so on. And how the fans wanted more offense and so forth.
I think this mentality has been confusingly foisted onto games like 9-ball which are totally different. The safety play in straight pool is often with a nearly unbroken rack and may indeed be fairly boring for average fans. But 9-ball safety play is always on an open table and is very exciting, a true showcase of ability to position the cue ball in some clever spot, and seldom lasts more than a few shots.
My point is that I wish TV coverage would show MORE safety play. What is actually boring in games like 9-ball is watching experts run easy racks, setting up one simple shot after another. WHile this may take a lot of skill, it isn't nearly as much fun as watching someone have to deal with the results of a brilliant safety.
Just my two cents.
P.S. I also think interest could be increased on TV with well-publicized man vs. woman matches.
I think this mentality has been confusingly foisted onto games like 9-ball which are totally different. The safety play in straight pool is often with a nearly unbroken rack and may indeed be fairly boring for average fans. But 9-ball safety play is always on an open table and is very exciting, a true showcase of ability to position the cue ball in some clever spot, and seldom lasts more than a few shots.
My point is that I wish TV coverage would show MORE safety play. What is actually boring in games like 9-ball is watching experts run easy racks, setting up one simple shot after another. WHile this may take a lot of skill, it isn't nearly as much fun as watching someone have to deal with the results of a brilliant safety.
Just my two cents.
P.S. I also think interest could be increased on TV with well-publicized man vs. woman matches.