The popularity of pool is difficult to measure. It feels like it’s down in popularity, but surveys are rare, and other information is mostly anecdotal.

One approach is to look at internet searches. If people are interested in a topic, they google it, and then we can look at what people are googling. Anyone can do their own research at trends.google.com.

First I looked at US searches for “where to play pool.”

Next I compared US searches for “where to play pool” to searches for “where to play golf.” They are roughly similar, and, if anything, golf searches have remained flat while pool searches have increased.

Next I looked at US searches for “pool league,” and, for comparison, “bowling league.” A deacde ago, bowling leagues and pool leagues showed similar interest, with bowling leagues looking slightly more popular. Today there is more interest in pool leagues.

Which particular pool leagues have shown the greatest growth? I looked at US searches for “APA pool league,” “BCA pool league,” and “TAP pool league.” APA has shown growth in interest while BCA and TAP have remained flat.

Which games are most popular? I looked at US searches on 8 ball, 9 ball, and 10 ball. 8 ball is the clear winner, and has shown growth over the years.

Although there was far more interest in 8 ball, I was surprised that 10 ball surpassed 9 ball in popularity for a short time so I looked more closely at that. In 2008, 10 ball overtook 9 ball in US search interest for about a year. Its advantage over 9 ball declined after its peak in 2010, and has remained similar to 9 ball since then. What happened in 2009-2010 to make 10-ball popular?

Finally I looked at US searches for three major pro pool events: the Mosconi Cup, US Open 9 ball, and the World 9 ball Championship. The Mosconi Cup is more popular today, and has grown in popularity over the past 5-10 years in the US, despite all the losses.

Conclusions:
1. Interest in pool, particularly 8 ball, has increased over the years.
2. Interest in pool leagues has increased, driven by APA.
3. The Mosconi Cup has grown to become the most popular pro pool event in the US.