A Brief History of Billiards in America: From the Great Depression to Today

One of the main reasons billiards came and evolved in America is that Americans just love cue sports no matter where they come from. Not many American folks are interested in the history of billiards but if you give them a ball with a stick to hit it, they are going to love it. Not only that, they will embrace it and modify it to suit their taste, plus they will make it a national sport. That is how they embraced billiards during the Great Depression and turned it into an 8 ball pool, a favorite version of this sport played by millions in pool halls worldwide. Today, everybody loves this game and its rich history that gives it a certain pedigree among all other table sports. 

Billiards Research Through History

Even some experienced pool players might not know that what we perceive as billiards today evolved from an outdoor French court game similar to cricket. Through some tedious simplification process, a table version of this game was introduced somewhere around the 15th century, and it was all about hitting some pool balls with a stick, no pockets involved. Knowing where did billiards originate is less important than understanding how it came to be a game we play today. 

Numerous variations emerged worldwide until billiards reached the USA somewhere in the 1900s, and those street hoodlums of New York and Chicago took over. This game became a favorite pastime for students or unemployed workers during the Great Depression, so it came to be what we see today in most pool halls worldwide. 

If you were a student writing some Great Depression essays, you couldn’t skip the history of billiards in America. There are some great essays at https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/great-depression/ about this bleak but interesting era for each college student to enjoy. Today’s pool is one of those examples of the American way, which means taking something and making it better, more free, and less complicated than the original. As time went on, this game flourished and found its way into our mainstream culture.

Free Fun For Everyone

There is nothing like playing pool with your buddies every Friday night while discussing sports and other topics, which is part of American youth culture. Games like snooker or 9 balls gained popularity through Hollywood hits like the Hustler or the Colour of the money, and that money is a reason why is pool called pool today. Champions like Johnny Archer or Earl Strickland are adored by youngsters who dream about being professional players one day, as they win hundreds of thousands of dollars in tournament prize pools. There are also many foreign players like Efren Reyes whose skillful shots are emulated by each student who ever held a cue stick in his hands. Thanks to these men who popularised this sport, billiards is among some favorite topics among cue sports lovers worldwide.

Championship Titles And Tournaments 

There might be some confusion over billiards, snooker, or pool game so, to simplified things, billiards came first, and afterward came snooker or pool games as derivatives. Some strong debate goes on of when was pool invented, but the consensus remains that some speakeasies of those 1920s were the birthplace of modern pool games. If you write a paper or some essays about it, mention that this game has made a revolution in America’s nightlife since then by making people socialize more. It also created a whole system of championships in different pool disciplines among which 8 balls, 9 balls, or snooker are everyone’s favorites. Nowadays, Mosconi Cup, World Pool Masters, or WPA Nine Ball Championship are just some examples of world-class billiards tournaments that we all love and enjoy.

Today, the pool is as American as the bald eagle or a Statue of Liberty, and it is an integral part of American culture, embedded in Hollywood movies and everyone’s depiction regarding the USA. When you think about those roaring twenties or the Great Depression years, you think about pool halls, hustlers, or Saturday evening’s ballroom brawls. Some iconic images regarding Paul Newman or Tom Cruise playing billiards will forever be that epitome of looking cool and will symbolize free spirit and rebellion. Now when those roaring twenties are long gone, and snooker is a professional sport viewed by millions worldwide, it is more like a cultural phenomenon than an aristocratic game that it used to be. It is very gratifying knowing that the billiards origin was noble and patrician, but somewhere along its way, we acquired it by making it the people’s sport and a favorite pastime of hustlers worldwide.