malvernmugadzikwa
The Art of Sport
Arthur Choga
EVERY weekend, hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women gather in different venues across the country to play pool.
The sport, which evolved from the aristocratic game of billiards, is a popular pastime in Zimbabwe.
In many places, pool has overtaken the once-famous “slug” or table football.
However, its association with bars and other such places makes some people uncomfortable.
Also, the assumption that it is played by lowlifes seems to be militating against the potential commercial impact of the sport.
However, at its core, it remains a viable business proposition that should interest marketers.
Hear me out.
Pool players already have an association, which is ample evidence of organisation and coordination at national level.
The players make contributions to get their games going.
Although some may be sponsored by club owners, the majority are self-funding.
Therefore, they already have a funding model that could be leveraged on.
Organisations such as microfinance institutions could explore the possibility of partnering with pool clubs to deliver exciting packages.
Some pool clubs own minibuses or small cars for their travel.
A significant percentage of players, both male and female, are breadwinners in their families.
While they are out playing pool for recreation, there is no reason for them not to look for opportunities that make sense to invest in for their families.
Family-friendly products, therefore, can find favour with pool clubs.
Imagine a club sponsored by an edible oils company.
At some point, all these pool club members will be required to buy cooking oil, margarine, soap and other grocery items for their families, and therein lies the opportunity.
Jim Side, a snooker writer, says: “Billiards and pool are two terms that are often used interchangeably. For the non-professional players, it’s easy to see why these two table sports seem the same thing. But while they do have similarities, there are also distinct qualities that set them apart. And then, we have a snooker, which adds to the confusion.
“These three — billiards, pool and snooker — all use cue sticks, tables and balls. But what are the differences between these popular table sports?”
Billiards can be traced back to a 15th century lawn game similar to croquet.
The game was mostly known in Northern Europe.
It was only played by royalty and nobles.
However, it evolved over time.
From an outdoor sport, it moved indoors, where it required a wooden table.
There was a simple border and a green cloth put on the table.
The colour was specially chosen to resemble grass.
Years later, the table game was given a name derived from the French terms “bille”, which means ball, and “billiart”, meaning wooden sticks.
The billiard table also underwent modification since players had to keep picking balls on the ground.
Cue sticks, on the other hand, emerged in the late 1600s.
It is believed the history of pool is the same as that of billiards since it stemmed from the same. The name “pool” reportedly came from the betting process, where pool refers to a collective bet (ante).
Back in the day, however, pool tables were found in horse race betting parlours.
They served as a way for bettors to pass time while waiting for their races.
Around the 1800s, snooker was introduced.
This makes snooker the youngest of the three.
Neville Chamberlain, a lieutenant, wanted to modify certain things about the “black pool”.
The game involves one black ball and 15 red ones. The lieutenant thought he should add other coloured balls.
And because those balls were newly introduced into the game, he called his version of “black pool” snooker.
The name came from the newbies of the Royal Military Academy, who were called “snookers”.
Pool players sometimes play for money, so there is an opportunity for betting houses to structure a sports-betting platform for this sport.
These highly mobile teams also provide opportunities for branding teams. They can act as mobile billboards.
Mobile communication service, data and WiFi service providers, as well as those who offer electronic money transfer solutions can take advantage of this.
Commercialising pool should not be a challenge.
The game was born out of commercial activity.
The game of snooker is instructive.
The World Snooker Championship had a total prize money of £2,4 million (US$3,1 million) in 2022, which included £500 000 (US$644 817) for the winner.
It is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker.
So, while snooker commands this level of sponsorship, pool remains a pastime.
Snooker, billiards and pool are a bit like Test cricket, One-Day Internationals and T20 cricket.
They differ in pace but they are all versions of the same game.
The challenge is on both the players and the business world to identify the opportunities and make the most of them.
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