What is with the negativity surrounding billiards?

In movies you see pool sharks, and other sleezie people playing pool in bars. I think it it because of the movie industry the billards has such a bad rap. I do not know how to play pool but I would love to learn how to play.

Have the people that have said this even seen your pool table? Do they even realize that it's a sport that's better for the whole family to play than video games? Do they even know the skills that are inolved in playing? Have they ever played before? Have they ever been to a pool hall? They're not all in the shady-side of town. Obviously the people that made those comments have no clue, and should keep their comments to themselves. I've never heard anything negative being said about pool before. Then again, my family plays pool. My sister is the captain of the team that we all used to play on, now it's just her and my parents. Invite them over to your place to see that it's not a brothel or a bar or anything else bad that they're thinking it is. Don't want them over? Bring 'em to a local pool hall that's not on the shady-side of town.

this must be an American thing pal , here in Scotland there is often a pool or billiards table in what we would call the spare room , if you want to put anything in your house to give you and your kids and friends some fun , then I would say good on you , It is no one else's business, some people talk about basements too in America ,but here in Scotland basements are very Rae , I would say do your own thing and ignore what anyone else says pal xxx

I have no idea, I would love to have a pool table in the house. However saddly our home is so small that we would not be able to lay the stick down to shoot the ball for the walls getting in the way. I don't get what in the world other's see wrong with it, unless they are thinking of pool in a bar. But I don't see why they would reflect that on a pool table in your house. That is rather odd, I think.

The only negativity I have noticed was aimed at me. I was invited to play pool at a friends house to christen their brand new pool table and I unfortunately made a long rumpled tear slap dab in the middle of it. I was never allowed to play again anwyhere as my reputation became well know with my friends.

Wow, I have not come across that..We have a full sized billiards table as the centrepiece in our downstairs living area...Everyone loves it, Its great fun and gets a lot of use...Maybe they just dont know how to have fun...

Well, I think it has something to do with living room being a place where people just watch TV in and not really a pool room. But, if that is what your family and you enjoy, then who cares what everyone thinks. Just enjoy what you got there.

Personally I do not understand the mentality of some people. To me, having a billiard table where people can congregate and have a good time is great. What do people expect you to have, a library full of intellectual books where you can discuss the latest works of so and so...yer very interesting. You have to realise there are many snobby people in this world who deep down would love to have what you openly confess to have, but they feel they have to keep up with the Jones (an English expression). Good for you crazynurse. Do what you feel you want to do and fu#k the rest of them who are damn right snobs...but secretly are very jealous!!!

I would suppose that the negative attitudes come from ignorance. Playing pool is a lot of fun! I have even watched tournaments on TV. haha, English is even involved! Obviously, these negative people have never tried it before.

Off the top of my head, I guess it would be a negative thing because I think pool is associated with bars and smokey pool halls in the "hood". I see nothing wrong with putting a pool table in your dining room, sounds like something we'd do!! Personally, I'd like to turn our family room into our bedroom, but, well, it would just be too weird! LOL!!

I know what you mean, cn. There are some people who just don't get it. Shooting pool is a fun thing to do, but many see it as a low class activity. Good for you for making a room that was just there useful.

How I wish i could have a billiard hall in my house. If you are living in here in the Philippines, nobody will criticize you building a billiard hall but rather appreciate you to have one. Pool is so popular here that even a grade schooler knows some of our local pool players especially Efren Reyes. Just ignore what others say, billiard is a great sport. I wish we could be neighbors, LOL so i can play pool with you anytime.. for free.

I don't know, but I love it. My parents had a pool table for a few years (they're moving soon, so they sold it and plan to build a room for it at their new place). Whenever I mentioned to people that we had a pool table they got excited... "yeah? Can we go play?" etc. My sister and I had a couple of pool parties when our parents were out of town. It was awesome.

I agree with one of the posters here that it might be due to the fact that these tables are usually found in bars and brothels. *LOL* My family (grandparents) manufacture billiard and pool tables, each other their kids have pool tables in their homes. So I grew up with a billiard table all my life. Though we don't put it in the living room. *LOL* We put a special room for it called the 'gaming' room. We have a separate living room because that's where we actually talk or welcome guests. Then if they want to have some fun, we lead them to the 'gaming room'. But I believe each family or person deserves to do what she/he would like anyways. Regardless of the connotation. Maybe it's just weird for them that you put the pool table in the living room. What if you have other friends who just want to talk to you? Where do you lead them? In the dining hall? or when your family members or your parents come over, where do you let them sit and talk? Maybe that's just it. The pool table somehow distracts a person when he/she is sitting with it beside him/her. Specially if you have the original size of the table and not just the small size. That's huge. *LOL* =)

Interesting. My parents changed our basement into a pool hall looking place (lights and all lol) when I was young and if anything I was the cool kid on the block because everyone could come...drink a soda (lol again!), watch t.v. and play pool. I know that my parents also had people over to hang out once in a while as well. Even when we moved and we put the pool table in a room in the house (we no longer had a basement) I don't remember any negative comments. More chances of having a "can we play a quick game" than anything! Have fun is what I say! Maybe they are jealous? :)