Is it just me or is SNOOKER getting hot?
- Thread starter Lazerrus
- Start date
Yup, in fact in 2008 the World Championships were played without a sponsor.
Snooker is slumping everywhere besides England and China. Where I live, there used to be 200 snooker tables and 6 pool tables, now it's reversed. The problem is, pool is far easy to get started in than snooker. Two beginners playing pool for the first time will make a run of 3 balls at some point. On the other hand those same two players may never pot a ball that's not sitting over a pocket playing snooker.
Although there has been some interest generated on this forum recently due in part to the awsomeness of Ronnie O'Sullivan.
While snooker in the UK has had its problems, which started with the banning of tobacco sponsorship, recently there has been a revolt against the powers that be. Barry Hearn (who was behind the rise of darts in the UK) took over as head of World Snooker. Steve Davis joined the board.
Lower ranking pros have opportunities to win money in the Championship League.
A Legends series has started.
Experimental tournaments using only 6 reds have taken place to see if the faster frames appeal to the public.
Internationally, China has created two major tournaments. Other tournaments attracting top pros have been held in the Middle East.
Long term there are hopes to create a world snooker tour, using the PGA as a model.
The feeling is that snooker has not been promoted in European nations and that American pool has had the market to itself.
Lower ranking pros have opportunities to win money in the Championship League.
A Legends series has started.
Experimental tournaments using only 6 reds have taken place to see if the faster frames appeal to the public.
Internationally, China has created two major tournaments. Other tournaments attracting top pros have been held in the Middle East.
Long term there are hopes to create a world snooker tour, using the PGA as a model.
The feeling is that snooker has not been promoted in European nations and that American pool has had the market to itself.
Every pool hall I ever walked into in China had multiple snooker tables. That seems to be the game of choice there. The "bangers" play on the 9' tables.
What's always bothered me a bit about UK snooker is the invitational aspect of the tournaments. It seems unfair that everyone outside the top 16 has to go through multiple rounds of qualifying to snag one of a few spots in the main draw. Compare that to, say, the US Open 9-ball where literally anyone can walk in, unheralded, and take down the tournament. Take any major pool tournament and there's a pretty decent chance that the winner won't be on a universal "top 16" list before play begins.
Are there any pro shops or stores in California that sell snooker cues? Or do you know of any cuemakers in your area who have been making snooker cues?
There are lots of places to play in California:
http://www.findsnooker.com/California.html
With Barry Hearn as the chairman of World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in the UK, maybe snooker will get the resuscitation it needs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/8450168.stm
When I visited Hong Kong a few weeks ago it appeared that the snooker scene there was still healthy.
That would be great I would love to see snooker do well.
Seems to me that every place stateside that does have a snooker table either "trick" it up for golf (so its unusable for snooker) or removed entirely to make room for bar tables (talk about a step backwards).
My dream vacation is to play in a old snooker club in England.
If it's getting hot, it must be because Mary Avina has put her considerable talent behind promoting it. I should probably check her site and see if there is some snooker trick shot videos there:grin:
Snooker was a very big deal in this country (at least this part of the country) at one time. Would love to see it make a big comeback... but I'm not holding my breath.
I've been trying for over a year now to put together a snooker stream between two pro snooker players. I have had some bumps here and there but not enough to make it come together. I once did a stream with Double J and drsnooker, we had about 160 live viewers, the recording on youtube is somewhere around 20,000 views.
I think snooker would take off if anyone would promote it. I believe that it is a much better game for the t.v. screen. World snooker has no vision.
I think snooker would take off if anyone would promote it. I believe that it is a much better game for the t.v. screen. World snooker has no vision.
Tony Annigoni just opened a room in Fairfield with a 12 footer, he has a history in the game and I am excited to play on it. I have watched lots of full matches and put in about 50 hours in two weeks on a 12 footer in Chico a few years back. Hitting the back of the pocket on a long shot with english across a snooker table feels pretty good.
There is some place in England that is a snooker farm. It's out in the country and they have a little hotel where you can stay and eat and enjoy the scenery. There is also a snooker table where you can play all you want and they also offer lessons with a pro coach. Sounds like a great vacation to me! I seriously think I will do this one day, haha
Those who can't cut it in pro snooker can play in amateur tournaments. Most serious sports have it the same way.
You mention US Open 9ball. There is a thing called US Open tennis championships. Of course it is nowhere close to open. You can't simply turn up, pay the entry fee and play. You gotta be a pro in the first place and to enter the tournament without qualifying you need to have a certain ranking as well.
In fact, I can think of no serious sport which allows just anyone to simply pay the entry fee and play in a high profile event. In my opinion, the whole concept of open to anyone is dead wrong...makes the sport look very amateurish...
Find me another serious sport that restricts entry to the major tournaments as much as snooker does. The 2010 Masters, for example, grants a bye to the top 16 players and has 2 qualifying spots available to the rest of the world. And both the qualifying rounds and the main draw are single-elimination.
The level of talent in cue sports is so deep that it's flat-out unfair to grant that much of an advantage to the top-ranked players. I don't doubt that the top 16 are, as a group, better than the rest. But if they are they shouldn't have an issue with proving that in a larger field.
The Masters is an invitational tournament and players recieve no ranking points for competing though it is considered one of the snooker 'majors'. But the I believe the masters in golf is similarily restrictive.
Snooker tournaments on the main tour are restricted to the 96 players who are on the tour. The higher your ranking, the fewer rounds you have to play.
But I would agree that snooker needs to have a handful of tournaments wherein anyone can play, provided they win the necessary qualifiers. Furthermore the seeding system is broken. Nevertheless based on the 6 red world championship held last year, I think it was proven that the guys in the top 16 would end up playing in the final stages anyways.
I suspect that the seeding system was a way to ensure the games most popular players were on tv every tournament. Perhaps not the most sporting format, but I guess it's great from a marketing perspective.
Good points. I'm sure it's a boon for TV.
My major issue is with the proportionality. 16 byes to 2 qualifiers. No problem with having most of the field exempt based on world ranking, but we all know that 16 players isn't that deep in cue sports. There just isn't that great of a difference between the very best and those slightly below. And the current system must benefit older, past champions at the expense of up-and-comers.
Every sport would benefit from having at least one major event run similarly to the US Open Golf, wherein about 50% of the field is exempt and the other 50% has to qualify through 1 or more rounds based on their ranking.