FIVE-TIME WORLD champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker has become a ‘nothing-type sport’ and is being left behind by others sports that are embracing change.
Speaking at the UK Championship in York, O’Sullivan hit out at the way snooker is a ‘car boot sale’ while other sports, such as tennis, F1 and golf, are now shopping at luxury department stores.
“Snooker has become a nothing-type sport, but it’s still great,” he said.
“They’re just putting so much of it out there, it’s just cheap TV and a filler for other programmes – snooker has lost respect amongst other sports.
“You watch Formula 1 and you see beautiful-looking people. You look at snooker and you think, ‘God.’
“It costs £5 to get in at some of the qualifying events and see a top-class player – it’s like a car boot sale whereas their sports are like shopping at Harrods.”
O’Sullivan cruised into the third round of the UK Championship with the winner set to take home a cheque for £170,000.
The 40-year-old believes World Snooker needs to continue its revamp of the sport in a bid to entice more sponsors on board.
Chairman Barry Hearn revealed new structures for the 2016 season with total prize money reaching £10 million in addition to new ranking tournaments being added to the schedule.
However, O’Sullivan still insists that more needs to be done to help snooker catch up with other sports.
“It’s all about media, money and business, and snooker is nothing compared to Formula 1, tennis and the Olympics. They’ve got corporate people involved who have a massive say in who is big and who is not big,” he added.
“Snooker is unable to attract those kind of sponsors or compete in that league.
“If it went to China and found some billionaires that want to take this sport on and put up £1m first prizes, then you could maybe start looking at snooker as a core sport again.”
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Ashley Yonng never came across as the sharpest tool in the box
@Kieran: how is it dumb to keep trying to compete? He’s not saying they’ll be successful , just that he won’t give up trying. Real losers are the ones that quit. What would you do?
@Andrew Keane: thing is, United don’t try and compete. Especially not against good teams. They try not to lose.
@James Doyle: They competed against Chelsea!
@The Bunk: I said good teams….
But in fairness, they were at home against a team that has lost 3 out of the last 4, were beaten by 3 by both Watford and Bournemouth, and even then only “went for the win” with 30 minutes left, and Chelsea still had a goal incorrectly disallowed to equalize. It wasn’t all that great, really.
@Kieran: Tool? Yes. Sharp? No.
Ha.
Easy on the glue there Young ya gimp!
@glenn kilfeather: what do you expect him or anyone else put in that position to say ! Now who’s the ‘GIMP!’
@thatsnotme: Ashley Young
@thatsnotme: Ashley Young?
Playing to win? Is that what he calls turning out Jose’s patented 6-4-0 formation anytime United play a team in the top 6? Playing not to lose may get United tremendous results like a 0-0 at Anfield, or a 2-1 over an out of sorts Chelsea, but it does not a “title challenge” make. United have lost 16 points on Man City in 21 games. They were level after 7. That’s the opposite of “going to win every game”.
Deluded as the rest of them!
@Eoin McCarthy: why is he deluded?
@Andrew Keane: By thinking that United, or any team for that matter, might catch City at this stage.
New story on Young tomorrow, “Ashley Young fails drug test”
Dived in there Ashley
Well you hardly expect them to concede matches do you. Everyone else is playing for top 4 places since before Xmas.
Ah brilliant. You have to love Marlo Stanfields optimism. Hahahhah.
@England’s Envy: Careful now, or Young will get Chris and Snoop to put you up in those vacants.
@Alan J. McKenna: Haahaha McNulty will get their asS
You’re talking shiit Ashley….probably just returning what that bird dumped in your mouth that time though ha!
Clown
Hahahahahahahahaha…..lolololilolololololololol