It’s hardly spoken about in hushed tones anymore; snooker has been in crisis for a while. After the initial spike of new fans, fantastic audience figures and television ratings in the 1980′s, the sport has yet to progress with trends and move with the times and can be accused of never really leaving behind the golden generation.
It doesn’t help when your star player can’t help but ridicule the sport at every turn. At numerous points during 2009 Ronnie O’Sullivan slated the sport as “boring” and “dying”; he even hinted at getting Simon Cowell in to examine the sport, and where it could improve failing interest. So it was no surprise to anyone that whilst launching Power Snooker, a new format he helped develop, he ridiculed it some more:
I’ve got to be honest, I find the world championship really boring. Anything new is a challenge. I definitely think this is the future of snooker. It is the year 2010 and we are not stuck in the 1970s anymore. Snooker needs a new audience.
The new setup will feature revamped rules and playing styles, with timed games, timed shots and certain stimulations regarding areas of the table, and balls potted. The first outing of the tournament, currently a non-ranking event, will be at the O2 arena at the end of October. It currently has 8 stars signed up to participate in, and tickets are on sale. ITV have taken on the television rights, although could only find room for it on ITV4.
The type of change has been created to have a similar effect on snooker that Twenty20 had on cricket; both games have drama and skill in abundance, but in today’s climate, those qualities have to be guaranteed every match, or every day in order to boost (and then maintain) attendances, and draw in potential TV revenue. After all, snooker and cricket share many similarities; admittedly yes, the games are not for everyone. People expecting to see non-stop action may be slightly disappointed by the slow paced nature of both game styles – put it this way, neither sport is being lined up to have an Invictus-style film made on a crucial match in history.
There is no problem with new formats and new structures to be given a chance. Nobody is replacing the snooker of old; the World Championships will still draw in a good live attendance and TV audience, but as a spectator sport, with revenue a big factor in prize money, keeping the sport from falling into amateur status. Where the problem lies for me are the tired, thoughtless ideas that go behind these new projects, with little or no input from anyone other than the creators. In this instance, Power Snooker’s over-emphasis on Americanised phrases, such as ‘powerplay’, ‘powerzone’, ‘powerball’, something they’ve even tried to phase into the name itself. It’s something heavily criticised by those who dislike the idea that Twenty20 will “save” cricket.
It follows along the same ilk as putting too much effort into giving the players WWE-style nicknames and walk-on music, like darts. Calling someone The Hawk, or The Bulldozer is apparently a lot more impressive than welcoming Geoff Butcher to the floor. You can go and watch a Twenty20 match and end up watching the Dynamos play the Sabres. You can suit it up as much as you like, but The Grimsby Gladiator vs The Super Snooker Machine is still the same two players playing their own style of game. They would be playing it without the music, the nicknames, and the Americanised phrases.
I can’t take away anything from O’Sullivan; what he has done in the world of snooker is unparalleled, but for him to constantly call his sport boring is certainly not helping it’s decline.
The idea of a new-style tournament is welcome. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, something else can be tried. But you cannot call it the future of snooker, when without the World Championships it wouldn’t even exist.
Like cricket, there will always be excitement and tension in snooker, to those who are willing to be patient and wait for it, rather than have it forced at them under Americanised names. Sadly, it seems impatience and television advertisements have won again.
