By Dean Taylor

With just one week to go until the 24th Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas, I want to give an insight into the working-class pastime of pool, why the sport goes ‘under the radar’ in terms of coverage, and just how this is truly one of the most popular sports in the world.

From university students in their accommodation to the Saturday night regulars at the local bar, Pool is a universally recognised, and widely-popular sport.

The Billiards Congress of America says there are about 46 million people playing pool in 9,000 facilities across North America alone. Yet, across the Atlantic Ocean, the sport seems to get relatively small coverage in the media.

The flagship tournament, the Mosconi Cup (think the Ryder Cup, just replace Golf with Pool) and the World Cup of Pool are the only two tournaments televised in Great Britain, with Barry Hearn’s ‘Snooker Revolution’ seeing the sport usurping Pool for time over the airwaves.

Should this really be the case? Could it be perhaps that the lack of British ‘characters’ in the sport mean that we as a nation are less interested in watching our ‘competition’ from overseas succeed?

This gem of a quote, mimicked by stand-up comic and podcaster Joe Rogan, is a resonant interpretation of one of pool’s ‘characters’: Earl ‘the Pearl’ Strickland.

Each and every sport has its own characters, who each portray themselves with different methods:

Football has the likes of ever-quotable Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming out in press conferences, stating that “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions”.

Tennis has perennial figurehead Roger Federer who can perhaps appear quiet and introverted, but on the court, shows his character in his 19 Grand Slam mens titles (the most for a male tennis player in history).

Representing the sport of pool is unofficial ‘ambassador’ Earl Strickland.

His explosive temperament makes for some remarkable television, particularly during a Mosconi Cup one year, snapping his cue in frustration when missing an easy pot on the 7 ball to deny him the match.

British pool players in this form do not exist as of yet, contributing to the lack of coverage on British television.

Initially, it is hard to pinpoint why particularly snooker has more coverage than its transatlantic cousin.

Comparing the two atmospheres in the audience, the calm, concentrated amphitheatre during the World Snooker Championship is a direct contrast to the almost-partisan atmosphere only comparable to the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s infamous ‘Yellow Wall’.

When playing the game first-hand, pool really is a more enjoyable, faster paced version of snooker. The popularity is proven by just walking into your local snooker halls, and seeing the overpowering sight of pool tables compared to the limited snooker tables at the back, shrouded in darkness.

Maybe it is time given Team Europe’s (mainly consisting of British players) success in the Mosconi Cup of recent years to be given more airtime on channels such as Sky Sports Main Event or on terrestrial television such as the BBC or ITV.

The potential of drawing in a brand-new generation to the wonders of pool could, in essence, establish Britain’s position as dominant forces of pool.