8 Ball, Corner Pocket

Pocket billiards…sport or game? A sport is a competition that requires physical ability where the result is objectively determined. So clearly pool is a sport. But there are numerous indoor games that require physical skill, such as the steadiness of hands that are not considered sports. Therefore, surely pool is a game.

The barbaric description of pocket billiards, commonly known as pool, is to hit designated balls into a hole using a stick. Michael Gordon, recreational and 5 year competitive player, was gracious enough to walk me through a game. After racking the balls I was shown how to strike the cue ball for the opening break shot. During the opening break which ever type of ball, solid colored or striped, drops into the pocket becomes your ball. If both types enter the pocket you are able to choose which one you would like to play for the remainder of the game. If neither enters the pocket your opponent determines the ball by which one they hit into the pocket during their play.

While learning, I began to ask Michael what he thought of the controversy between sports and games. He responded by saying, “I consider sports a game where you can legally make it difficult for your opponent to play. I physically, and not psychologically, affect my opponent's plays all the time. Like when I play a safety shot.” Perhaps the definition between sports and games hinges on the concept. It is not required of sports to exude extreme physical exertion. So long as they require complex physical skills, they can be considered sports. By this definition, pool is certainly a sport. Michael says he usually practices for hours at a time. Simply because it does not shatter him physically does not count against pocket billiards as a sport. So perhaps the sweat on his brow is nervous sweat and not physical exertion sweat, but is he not still playing hard? When confronted with those who doubt pool as a sport he commonly tells them that, “The mental stamina required to play under pressure can be greater than physical skill.”

During the course of play, players alternate turns, known as innings, with a player's inning ending when they either fail to legally pocket a ball, or foul. A ball is considered a pocketed ball if it drops into the pocket during a legal shot and remains there without rebounding back onto the table bed or floor. Other plays that can loose your inning are if you cause your opponents balls to drop into a pocket or if the cue ball jumps the table. When the cue ball jumps the table it is returned to the table by your opponent for their inning and must be placed on the circle designated for the opening break shot. It is a foul, mostly referred to as a scratch, if the cue ball is pocketed on a stroke. This also applies to the cue ball touching balls that were already pocketed, for example, a pocket full of balls.

One aspect of he game I found myself to be terribly horrible at was calling my shots. Players must call the shot they are about to make by indicating which ball they will strike into which pocket. If they fail to make that play or hit additional balls into the pocket during the play, their inning is over.

More fouls include fouls by making any contact with the cue ball or any object balls with the body, clothing, chalk, etc. If an object ball is illegally moved it must be returned as closely as possible to its original positioning. Push shots are when the cue ball is pushed by the cue tip (the tip of the billiard stick) for more than a momentary time. Balls that jump off of the bed of the table are considered jump balls and will therefore be fouled. In order to create a legal jump shot players are not allowed to dig underneath the ball in order to make the shot, otherwise considered obstructing the ball.

I ironically while discussing the difference between sports and games a spectator overhearing the conversation, offered to share his opinion. “I classify sports as a game played by more than one player or team where both occupy and compete on a playing surface at the same time. One player/team must be able to influence the other. In this case, games like basketball, football, tennis, etc are sports. But pool, darts, and curling don’t fit the criteria. In pool, both players occupy the same playing surface and can influence the other's game, but they don’t compete at the same time. Pool is a game.”

Ultimately billiard sports are recognized by the International Olympic Committee and therefore considered sports, but it is always rewarding to investigate and settle personal scores with my opinionated friends. After experiencing all of the skill required to successfully play pool, I now agree…pool is definitely a sport!

By: Darrielle Williams