TSB - Ronnie withdraws from International Championships just months after sabbatical

[spike]

Ronnie is a better player than Alex ever was

Totally irrelevant to this thread..

[LittleMissAlexa]

Ronnie is a better player than Alex ever was

[cueman]

I agree the game does need Ronnie. But people also said that of Alex Higgins and the game hardly struggled when he stopped playing though his supporters always seem to think he made the game but that is another argument.

Thing is only time will tell if Ronnie's absence affects the interest level from fans in arenas, TV viewing figures and sponsors, I largely suspect it will. At the moment we have new tournaments and a few new young exciting players keeping the viewers happy.
However if, as I suspect, that Ronnie does indeed quit then someone is going to have to take over the mantle of the box office player who the game is sold to.

All sports need a dominant team or figure in order to sell itself as a product to fans and sponsors and TV companies, as well as in general a figure head for the sport. In most sports you'd look to the number one player but history in snooker has shown that the number one has by and large been a dull type of player, Hendry, Davis, and now Selby. These people were never going to get sponsors on board or sell out venues, you need the flair players like Ronnie, Trump, White etc. They may never be dominant players that get to number one for years but they have a style of game which is vital to keep the game away from the norm of most players who play a very conservative style of game.

[Looki]

on one side of their mouths they will say "well, the sport is not just about one person (ronnie)" and then on the other side of their mouths they will say "ronnie has been around for 20 years and the game has gone mostly down".

So you're not ignoring me after all, I'm flattered. Good. Can you then explain how those two senteces exclude each other out?

[arbitrage]

I am happy to admit I am a Ronnie fan, that said I don't join in with all the hype, I don't think he is the greatest player ever, I don't think he can not be replaced and I wont stop watching snooker if Ronnie retires.

However all I am saying is, some fans may feel the game is better without him but I think a lot of sponsors would not agree with that and I think a lot of sponsors are less likely to sponsor World Snooker tournaments without Ronnie in them, he gets viewers whether we like him or not.
If I am wrong and the sponsors could not give a toss if Ronnie plays or not, then fair enough, but that is my opinion.

right, i'm sure ticket sales, attendances and sponsorship would rocket with mark selby and peter ebdon and no ronnie. there is no need for you to be an apologist and mince words with the dinos on here my friend - they are part of the problem and the reason why snooker has been run into the ground over the past 2 decades as a sport. this is typical republican double-speak projection - on one side of their mouths they will say "well, the sport is not just about one person (ronnie)" and then on the other side of their mouths they will say "ronnie has been around for 20 years and the game has gone mostly down".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/2..._lose_ron.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17983101

"It doesn't sound like Barry Hearn is going to be begging Ronnie to stay," said Hendry, who announced his own retirement from the sport following his quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire. "But I wouldn't like to try and sell big tournaments to fans and sponsors without having Ronnie involved."

i'm deliberately adding the hendry opinion because if i don't, the typical republican dino response to ben dir's post would be not to address the issue but to attack the writer and the poster. "oh, who is he? how is he qualified to comment... .... .... .... ...."

pwned.

[JeeSe]

He's been around for 20 years and game has gone up and down, mostly down. What do you think of that?

I am happy to admit I am a Ronnie fan, that said I don't join in with all the hype, I don't think he is the greatest player ever, I don't think he can not be replaced and I wont stop watching snooker if Ronnie retires.

However all I am saying is, some fans may feel the game is better without him but I think a lot of sponsors would not agree with that and I think a lot of sponsors are less likely to sponsor World Snooker tournaments without Ronnie in them, he gets viewers whether we like him or not.
If I am wrong and the sponsors could not give a toss if Ronnie plays or not, then fair enough, but that is my opinion.

[Mignon]

John Higgins

...and more and more others.

Plus time.

[wildJONESEYE]

ronnie is the best player we will ever see in our lifetime without doubt , he sells tickets at 10am on a monday morning at the crucible and has a full house at any other time , snooker would quite simply suffer without the rocket unless someone comes along and knocks in a max in 4 minutes 30 seconds . snooker ticket sales would suffer alongside tv viewers.

WRONG

NEXT Bull****

[wildJONESEYE]

He has it all sorted in his head, he wins the WSC each year, and then can just turn up for what he chooses! He just has to properly apply himself for 2 weeks of the year. What could go wrong?

John Higgins

[pcb]

ronnie is the best player we will ever see in our lifetime without doubt , he sells tickets at 10am on a monday morning at the crucible and has a full house at any other time , snooker would quite simply suffer without the rocket unless someone comes along and knocks in a max in 4 minutes 30 seconds . snooker ticket sales would suffer alongside tv viewers.

[Looki]

You wont miss him fine. But millions of fans perhaps will? I am not saying it can not survive, I am sure it will.

But don't you think snooker would continue to develop and grow quicker with him? More prize money, better sponsors, more viewers and so on...

He's been around for 20 years and game has gone up and down, mostly down. What do you think of that?

[JeeSe]

Can't say I miss him.....wow snooker really can survive without him -who'd have thought it....that would be me !

You wont miss him fine. But millions of fans perhaps will? I am not saying it can not survive, I am sure it will.

But don't you think snooker would continue to develop and grow quicker with him? More prize money, better sponsors, more viewers and so on...

[sprogbasket]

Can't say I miss him.....wow snooker really can survive without him -who'd have thought it....that would be me !

[Looki]

thank god hes world champion as seedingwise if he wasnt hed have to qualify for the uk

Give me a break...

[JeeSe]

He has it all sorted in his head, he wins the WSC each year, and then can just turn up for what he chooses! He just has to properly apply himself for 2 weeks of the year. What could go wrong?