Why is professional pool (billiards) divided into women's and men's...?

Question

With college football withdrawal season looming, I had a chance to watch women's billiards and I was most impressed with the level of play by these women.

Considering that this is not a sport that requires extreme physical strength, why is it that women and men are separated in professional play?

Is this because women are inferior to men in billiards, despite the fact that it's not a game of strength? What are the implications of this as they pertain to feminist theory?

Answer 1

It's just gotta be a man's fault... somehow.

Answer 2

Something about poking balls with sticks and knocking them into holes. But seriously, I usually see some women playing pool, though it's mostly men. It probably has more to do with the origin of billiards in smoky 17th century all-male "gentleman's clubs", and the fact that it usually involves wagering, which is more popular with men than women. Through most of history, women have stayed home, while men went to clubs to hang out with the "boys" and play games.

Answer 3

Yeah, where physical strength is irrelevant to the sport/game, I don't see any reason for it to be divided, other than men complaining that women use their bodies as a tool for distraction. I'm guilty of wearing low-cut tops to poker games, and even in college just fooling around over a game of beer-pong, when it was girls vs guys, all the girls would be flirting, flaunting, teasing and seducing in an effort to make the male opponents miss lol but we were all just having fun... that'd be more serious in a real game or sport.

Answer 4

I believe it has to do the the men themselves. Too many of them allow themselves to be distracted by the presence of a woman and are unable to concentrate on their game. Based on the comments I've read about female athletes, it's pretty clear that the men focus more on how they look than on their athletic ability. I'm sure this game is no different in that respect.

Answer 5

Billiard required Visual Spacial intelligent, which women in general, are inferior to men. If it is not sexually divided, then women will not be able to win any thing.



Feminists will try all they can to deny that truth.

So did chess playing. Even the best Female chess player won't be able to compete against the top 100 of men.

So did Chinese chess.



Those games require no physical strength.

Even math, physics,etc... competitions, women have NEVER win anything against top men. PERIOD. No if, &, or but.

Answer 6

please stop calling it billiards, billiards is played on a snooker table and only has 3 balls - was this what you were watching? since your probably American and you didn't recognise it then the game was probably 8-ball pool (I'm assuming you know what 9-ball pool is and therefore wouldn't call it billiards)



and as for your question - probably the same reason women in general don't compete with men in sports - they aren't as good at the sport as the men are. This isn't being sexist, it's just stating a fact, i guarantee you that if a women were able to compete with the men then i'm sure that that women would be allowed to play in mens tournaments, as they do in others - e.g. golf tournaments where women can qualify to play (and golf has a far more sexist past than pool)



stop trying to create sexism where there is none, that is the job of feminists

Answer 7

The men wouldn't have a chance. Only fair to have the women competing vs. each other rather than a helpless man... :)

Answer 8

I'm not very familiar with the history, but maybe pool was traditionally a sport played mainly by men. So it's probably divided by sex just because of tradition.

Answer 9

No it is because men are so easily distracted and the women would have an unfair advantage over them. :)

Answer 10

The top people at any human activity are male. simple as that. Females wouldn't win nothing and feminists wouldn't like that as it would prove that men are not only physically superior but superior in nearly all human endeavors.

Answer 11

who cares. I like it the way it is. Women and men are different.

Answer 12

I don't know - they do the same thing with chess, another non-contact strategic game.

I guess they pattern it after other competitions without giving it any real thought.

Answer 13

thats dumb cause its not like a physical contact sport

Answer 14

IT'S SEXISM!!! SEXISM I SAY!!!