Is Snooker Dying as a sport ? and speed fitters is the job upto it ?

[NorthWestJunior]

I think it simply needs more TV time. I remember in 2011's World Championships where Judd Trump made a name for himself and he excited people with his relentlessly attacking playstyle. Snooker was actually making it in the papers for a couple of weeks and then there was no tournaments on BBC for months and we're back to square one.

Coinciding with the obviously poor financial states of most areas and the lack of TV time the game just fades bit by bit. It won't fade into non-existence any time in the near future but it's clearly struggling.

[throtts]

I think it will struggle in the future. Reason, its such a hard game to master, the normal dude on the street just does not understand the amount of skill involved and the amount of practice put in. The little 6 by 3 pool tables are more popular because it easier, simple. The amount of normal cue play people I have on my table, after two frames they have had enough, they consider it too hard and just say how do those pros do it. Cant think of any other sport that need the huge skill factors that snooker needs and thats the problem to the normal joe public.

[maryfield]

Have to disagree with the last post. Was it easier to play snooker back in the 80`s when you had to queue for hours to get a table in every club? No. As I`ve said before its a combination of people having little or no disposable income, cheap supermarket booze and the smoking ban. Fruit machine income which was a rich revenue stream for almost all clubs is all but gone. This has been decimated by the machines offered in bookmakers. Why play to try and win £ 20 when you can win a £ 1000 in the bookies. Unfortunately circumstances have created a `perfect storm` for the demise of snooker. Will it come back? Who knows. Its died in the past and had resurgences so perhaps it will. I certainly hope so.

[Particle Physics]

Have to disagree with the last post. Was it easier to play snooker back in the 80`s when you had to queue for hours to get a table in every club? No. As I`ve said before its a combination of people having little or no disposable income, cheap supermarket booze and the smoking ban. Fruit machine income which was a rich revenue stream for almost all clubs is all but gone. This has been decimated by the machines offered in bookmakers. Why play to try and win £ 20 when you can win a £ 1000 in the bookies. Unfortunately circumstances have created a `perfect storm` for the demise of snooker. Will it come back? Who knows. Its died in the past and had resurgences so perhaps it will. I certainly hope so.

Agreed, snooker won't disappear. The important thing is China and the far east, which may save our bacon, as it has done the world economy. If there are credible crowds and people playing somewhere, anywhere, the game continues.

Here's the biggest problem; most British people are lazy. They don't want to spend a lot of time (which snooker demands) on a hobby which is difficult, when they can sit in front of the tv, drink copius amounts of cheap booze (as you rightly point out), eat chips and pizza all night long, destroy their bodies, whilst ironically viewing the Olympics. It's all too much effort. The halcyon days of snooker were at a time of no internet, dreary tv and lots of repeats on the box (even snooker was better than that), decent films on only at Xmas, no big screen cinema tvs at home. People did real jobs, and weren't scared of doing something physical like snooker. People wanted to and enjoyed going out. TV also catapulted snooker to the forefront, because the sporting alternatives on the box were so awful. Snooker was a great night out for the working man, and didn't involve exclusive golf clubs, snobby cricket clubs, cold and wet football matches with poor stadium facilities. You didn't even need a cue, you just turned up, no expensive equipment necessary.

Fast fwd to 2012; internet, smart phones and apps, highly advanced games machines, notebooks, PCs, tablets, films streamed for free or very low cost posted to your door, sky sports etc, big comfy leather sofas, cheap booze at Tescos. A lot of people want to, and enjoy staying in. The remainder still enjoy going out, but have a myriad of alternatives now; good restaurants and plenty of them (compared to the durge served up in the 80s), nice cinemas, a plethora of nightclubs, style bars, you name it. There are just more leisure alternatives competing with snooker. Compare these alternatives to run down snooker clubs (because the clubs are in a vicious cycle of dwindling demand), and snooker is just not trendy. It has no cache with the young, and that's why so few folk are taking it up. I also blame the expansion of pool, which is the lowest common denominator of cue sports, and folk stick to that, because they can get instant results on the kiddy table.

You have to have bottle to play snooker (unless god has kindly given you ridiculous amounts of natural talent ala ROS) to see you through the highs and lows, dedication, love, devotion of a lot of time, the love of learning, having an open mind to learn. The i generation haven't got a chance; it's all about the next 60 seconds.

[Gerry Armstrong]

British people aren't lazy!!

It's a very simple issue - publicity. TV coverage is only part of the publicity machine.

Let's look at a recent example - Cycling and Team Sky.

It was formed just a few years ago with the aim of winning the Tour de France and getting people all across the UK back on their bikes. A few years of sponsoring a pro cycling team together with wall to wall publicity in the press, countrywide events like SkyRide etc. and culminating in the triumph of Bradley Wiggins in this year's Tour de France and the London Olympics just passed. What was the result? More people than ever are taking up Cycling up and down the UK, bike sales are through the roof etc. etc.

It's not about laziness or culture or cheap booze etc. it's about publicity.

Snooker has next to none in the UK. There is no coverage of Snooker on mainstream TV and newspapers outside the 3 BBC events. You don't even get results of overseas ranking events appearing in the Snooker section of the main news/sports websites. That is the issue in the UK and has been for many years - no publicity.

[Particle Physics]

British people aren't lazy!!

It's a very simple issue - publicity. TV coverage is only part of the publicity machine.

Let's look at a recent example - Cycling and Team Sky.

It was formed just a few years ago with the aim of winning the Tour de France and getting people all across the UK back on their bikes. A few years of sponsoring a pro cycling team together with wall to wall publicity in the press, countrywide events like SkyRide etc. and culminating in the triumph of Bradley Wiggins in this year's Tour de France and the London Olympics just passed. What was the result? More people than ever are taking up Cycling up and down the UK, bike sales are through the roof etc. etc.

It's not about laziness or culture or cheap booze etc. it's about publicity.

Snooker has next to none in the UK. There is no coverage of Snooker on mainstream TV and newspapers outside the 3 BBC events. You don't even get results of overseas ranking events appearing in the Snooker section of the main news/sports websites. That is the issue in the UK and has been for many years - no publicity.

You are so wrong. If they're not lazy, how come a quarter of adults are obese? Obesity didn't exist in the 80s to any exent. And I said 'most' British people. The ones getting on bikes have switched from other activities.

As for the tv argument, snooker is on tv, there are more tournaments than ever, it's streamed in many different formats, but must now compete with a thousand channels, because folk aren't restricted to the four channels of the 80s.

[Gerry Armstrong]

You are so wrong. If they're not lazy, how come a quarter of adults are obese? Obesity didn't exist in the 80s to any exent. And I said 'most' British people. The ones getting on bikes have switched from other activities.

As for the tv argument, snooker is on tv, there are more tournaments than ever, it's streamed in many different formats, but must now compete with a thousand channels, because folk aren't restricted to the four channels of the 80s.

The ones getting on bikes have switched from other activities??? How do you know that?

I really wish you would stop making up nonsense to support your opinions!!

Cycling is on the increase in the UK and has been since the 2008 Olympics. This is backed up by statistics from national Cycling organisations, Sport England, Sport Scotland etc. and figures from the London School of Economics.

Where are your statistics to back up your assertion that they switched from other activities? You have none - you just made it up!!!

And you clearly didn't read the publicity point properly - I said publicity. If you want to know who is top of the Premier League in England you don't need to go to the EPL's website to find out. Every sports news website will have the league table in their football section, most on their front page.

If you want to check out the current world snooker rankings...

I rest my case.

[Particle Physics]

The ones getting on bikes have switched from other activities??? How do you know that?

I really wish you would stop making up nonsense to support your opinions!!

Cycling is on the increase in the UK and has been since the 2008 Olympics. This is backed up by statistics from national Cycling organisations, Sport England, Sport Scotland etc. and figures from the London School of Economics.

Where are your statistics to back up your assertion that they switched from other activities? You have none - you just made it up!!!

And you clearly didn't read the publicity point properly - I said publicity. If you want to know who is top of the Premier League in England you don't need to go to the EPL's website to find out. Every sports news website will have the league table in their football section, most on their front page.

If you want to check out the current world snooker rankings...

I rest my case.

Made it up, my wife is a medical research doctor. A lot of my friends are doctors, and they're researching British health and coping with it. Have you? You are quick to poo poo me and others, but you're no expert and you don't know any by what you've written.

A fifth of children are obese and for the very first time in a hundred years, life expectancy is set to fall. Wake up. Here's a reference for you to read:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/need...5578-30922818/

It's not a journal paper, that might be a bit too much.

[Gerry Armstrong]

Made it up, my wife is a medical research doctor. A lot of my friends are doctors, and they're researching British health and coping with it. Have you? You are quick to poo poo me and others, but you're no expert and you don't know any by what you've written.

A fifth of children are obese and for the very first time in a hundred years, life expectancy is set to fall. Wake up. Here's a reference for you to read:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/need...5578-30922818/

It's not a journal paper, that might be a bit too much.

Yes, you made it up - nothing about cyclists moving over from other activities I see...

[Particle Physics]

Yes, you made it up - nothing about cyclists moving over from other activities I see...

And the point about obesity and laziness, were you wrong? If the people who aren't lazy are moving into cycling, they're obviously doing so by giving up time doing other activities ceteris parabus. These people didn't appear out of thin air. I know two folk who've switched from cricket to cycling. The lazy are still on the sofa, they're not on bikes. And the Scots make up the 2nd most obese nation in the world by the way. Or did I just make that up? lol

[Gerry Armstrong]

And the point about obesity and laziness, were you wrong? If the people who aren't lazy are moving into cycling, they're obviously doing so by giving up time doing other activities ceteris parabus. These people didn't appear out of thin air. I know two folk who've switched from cricket to cycling. The lazy are still on the sofa, they're not on bikes.

Most is 33% now?

Dunce hat for Mr. Physics!!

[Particle Physics]

Most is 33% now?

Dunce hat for Mr. Physics!!

If you can only insult, don't bother mate. No gent, waste of time.

[Gerry Armstrong]

If you can only insult, don't bother mate. No gent, waste of time.

Your link you supplied states that 33% of the UK are lazy i.e. MOST people are NOT lazy.

Just in case you weren't sure...

[Particle Physics]

Your link you supplied states that 33% of the UK are lazy i.e. MOST people are NOT lazy.

Just in case you weren't sure...

The link states:

"More than half of those polled often duck out of regular exercise sessions in favour of a night on the sofa.

And 51 per cent admit they find it hard to motivate themselves to leave the house to do anything once they have returned from work."

These are the relevant figures. Headlines should be taken lightly.

[pottr]

I think it's a combination of all of the above.

Snooker is an expensive sport to master. It's nothing to do with the difficulty factor in my eyes.
If you're a young lad searching for £5+ an hour to practice on top of the cost of the equipment required to take part then it's unlikely that all but a minority will stick it out to reach a decent standard.

The ROS argument is a crock of s**t too. His dad used to settle his table time bill monthly, built him his own table and paid folks to ferry him around to practice with top players and play in decent tournaments. Much like Tiger Woods, set of custom clubs at age 4 and his life dedicated to the pursuit of sporting excellence.

These are special cases. I know that I wouldn't have played snooker as much as a kid at these prices. Especially when you consider I could hop on a bike or kick a football around the park with my pals for nothing.

I think the lazy comments have some truth in them but shouldn't be taken as an insult too much. We're hard wired to seek the greatest reward for the least amount of effort. Modern society and advancements in clinical sciences and technology have made the reward/effort ratio margin wider than ever. It's only gonna get wider too.

The TV argument is more than valid. Ask a ten year old the difference between a snooker and a pool table and they won't have a clue. Ask them the difference between a football and a tennis ball, I'd be suprised if any kid couldn't make the distinction.

It's happening with every sport at the amatuer level, without exception. The cost of living is higher and hobbies fall by the wayside. It's sad for sure, but we can't refuse and complain at paying £5+ an hour to play snooker and then moan that the game is in decline.

It's like supporting a football side. Win or lose, thick or thin, you cheer them on... Otherwise you're a pri**!