Ronnie at his best is the best player that has ever lived and if he aint in an event then the event is already pretty boring. I usually stop watching when Ronnie is out.
I hate to say it but that is how I always felt, and if that means I ain't a snooker fan then so be it.
When Ronnie is out I switch off and couldn't care less, only Jimmy White had the same effect on me, but back then there were more interesting characters\players too.
I watch Super Sunday when Hull City aren't on because I am a football fan. I watch Super League when Hull KR aren't on because I am a Rugby League fan. I watch cricket when Yorkshire aren't on because I am a cricket fan. I watch snooker regardless who is playing because I am a snooker fan.
Ronnie doesn't even play the vast majority of the tournaments now, snooker certainly doesn't suffer from it, there are plenty of a variety of players out there, yes I admit there are some players (I won't name them) that I find a bit boring to watch at times but on the whole I just love watching snooker.
As a Liverpool fan, there is a saying we have, ''No player is bigger than the club''. Its the same thing with snooker, no player (even Ronnie) is bigger than the sport itself, sure he brings in viewers and sells out crowds but in the end, Ronnie probably needs snooker more than snooker needs Ronnie.
The future is bright too, we've seen in this tournament there are several youngsters out there who could get to the top, I enjoy watching players I've never seen before just as much as Ronnie/Judd/Allen etc... simply because I just like watching snooker.
I certainly will continue to watch it. I've been a huge Ronnie fan since his (and my) teenage years but he isn't the only thing the game is about. I stayed up until nearly 1am on Wednesday morning to see the conclusion of a very interesting and exciting match which had nothing whatsoever to do with him. Quality play comes from many players these days so it's not hard to find a match you'll enjoy. Young talented players coming through all the time too so I like to think the game is safe for some time yet.
All that said, I would still be gutted if Ronnie retired as I'll always have a soft spot for him.
No, infact I'll probably watch it more without the petulant sod to worry about.
Amen to that. Snooker was around before O'Sullivan and it will still be around after him.
Same with darts and Phil Taylor.
The question that needs answering is how will the BBC snooker team cope when Ronnie retires? Who will be the future player that gets constantly arse licked?
I hate to say it but that is how I always felt, and if that means I ain't a snooker fan then so be it.
When Ronnie is out I switch off and couldn't care less, only Jimmy White had the same effect on me, but back then there were more interesting characters\players too.[/QUOTE]
There were and Snooker will never be bigger than it was in the eighties, but it was just fortunate that everything fell into place back then to propel the game to multi-million tv audiences. The journeymen pros at the time suddenly became stars and they just happened to be as diverse a bunch as it was possible to be. Add in Steve Davis as the ultimate robotic panto villain and enough **** and booze to keep Alex Higgins happy and it couldn't fail really.
One difference today is that modern sports/games demand professionalism right down to fitness and nutrition, psychology etc. The upshot is that you tend to get a lot of dedicated, fit but ultimately rather bland participants-and there are a lot more of them. Chalk and cheese when comparing to the eighties.
Of course yes. Always have and always will. I have been following and enjoying snooker since I was a kid (back in the dark ages) No player is bigger than the game.
Yes - of course. He's good to watch but so is everyone else (to me as I appreciate different styles of play). I'm a snooker fan rather than solely a Ronnie fan. I watched it before he played and I'll watch it when he's retired too.
Amen to that. Snooker was around before O'Sullivan and it will still be around after him.
Same with darts and Phil Taylor.
The question that needs answering is how will the BBC snooker team cope when Ronnie retires? Who will be the future player that gets constantly arse licked?
Exactly Snooker existed before Ronnie O'Sullivan & will after him, i'll still be watching Snooker when he retires.
The point is some people claim they love snooker, darts or tennis but in reality are only fans of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Jockey Wilson, Andy Murray, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal but are not really fans of the sports they say they love, and suddenly they disappear quicker than snow off a dyke when they have retired or retire, or they don't watch the rest of the tournament once they get knocked out early.
I think that's very sad that people are only fans of the sportsman who's playing the sport and not a fan of the actual sport concerned at all.
You aint a fan of snooker if you are gonna stop watching after Ronnie's departure.
I hope everybody who claims they love snooker and tennis still watches snooker extensively when O'Sullivan retires, and still watches tennis extensively year round when Nadal, Murray and Federer retire.
Of course yes. Always have and always will. I have been following and enjoying snooker since I was a kid (back in the dark ages) No player is bigger than the game.
Exactly. Nobody has ever totally mastered the game and nobody ever will.
The point is some people claim they love snooker, darts or tennis but in reality are only fans of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Jockey Wilson, Andy Murray, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal but are not really fans of the sports they say they love, and suddenly they disappear quicker than snow off a dyke when they have retired or retire, or they don't watch the rest of the tournament once they get knocked out early.
I think that's very sad that people are only fans of the sportsman who's playing the sport and not a fan of the actual sport concerned at all.
I am one of those people -- but in fairness I don't claim to love snooker. In fact, I spent years avoiding it when it was on and certainly would never have tuned into it on purpose!!
But through some fluke (I was working on a project and didn't turn over when the snooker started!) I watched a match during the early rounds of the 2012 world championships. It was Ronnie playing (can't remember who) and even though I knew nothing about the game, or Ronnie I found myself really interested. I followed his progress through the rest of that tournament and since then try to watch his matches whenever I can.
I have now learned more about the other players, and more about how they play and I will watch matches where Ronnie isn't playing -- but never with the same interest or investment. I watch Ronnie's matches willing and wanting him to play well; I watch others and can appreciate when they play well, but rarely care who wins and wouldn't be too fussed to miss them.
So I guess for me when Ronnie retires I'll watch very occasionally unless some other player captures my interest in the same way.
Ronnie at his best is the best player that has ever lived and if he aint in an event then the event is already pretty boring. I usually stop watching when Ronnie is out.
I personally probably won't but I am more of a casual snooker fan, I enjoy watching Ronnie play but being honest none of the other players excite me that much. The more hard core fans will continue watching though.
The point is some people claim they love snooker, darts or tennis but in reality are only fans of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Jockey Wilson, Andy Murray, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal but are not really fans of the sports they say they love, and suddenly they disappear quicker than snow off a dyke when they have retired or retire, or they don't watch the rest of the tournament once they get knocked out early.
I think that's very sad that people are only fans of the sportsman who's playing the sport and not a fan of the actual sport concerned at all.
I agree, but it's too tricky to watch everything, so it's inevitable people prioritise the matches of those they feel more of a connection to, and celeb status is an influence. Giving up a sport altogether because one player retires just means you aren't a fan of the sport.
A couple of years ago when a lot of the big names fell early at Wimbledon, it was interesting to see how different people reacted. Some thought it was a disaster, and had no interest if there was no bandwagoning glory available to them, while others embraced the opportunity to give others more air time, so we could learn about them instead.
Comments
When Ronnie is out I switch off and couldn't care less, only Jimmy White had the same effect on me, but back then there were more interesting characters\players too.
As a Liverpool fan, there is a saying we have, ''No player is bigger than the club''. Its the same thing with snooker, no player (even Ronnie) is bigger than the sport itself, sure he brings in viewers and sells out crowds but in the end, Ronnie probably needs snooker more than snooker needs Ronnie.
The future is bright too, we've seen in this tournament there are several youngsters out there who could get to the top, I enjoy watching players I've never seen before just as much as Ronnie/Judd/Allen etc... simply because I just like watching snooker.
All that said, I would still be gutted if Ronnie retired as I'll always have a soft spot for him.
Yup and miss out on more of today right
Amen to that. Snooker was around before O'Sullivan and it will still be around after him.
Same with darts and Phil Taylor.
The question that needs answering is how will the BBC snooker team cope when Ronnie retires? Who will be the future player that gets constantly arse licked?
Exactly Snooker existed before Ronnie O'Sullivan & will after him, i'll still be watching Snooker when he retires.
The point is some people claim they love snooker, darts or tennis but in reality are only fans of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Jockey Wilson, Andy Murray, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal but are not really fans of the sports they say they love, and suddenly they disappear quicker than snow off a dyke when they have retired or retire, or they don't watch the rest of the tournament once they get knocked out early.
I think that's very sad that people are only fans of the sportsman who's playing the sport and not a fan of the actual sport concerned at all.
Snooker always has been and always will be bigger than any competitor who's ever played it.
I hope everybody who claims they love snooker and tennis still watches snooker extensively when O'Sullivan retires, and still watches tennis extensively year round when Nadal, Murray and Federer retire.
Exactly. Nobody has ever totally mastered the game and nobody ever will.
I am one of those people -- but in fairness I don't claim to love snooker. In fact, I spent years avoiding it when it was on and certainly would never have tuned into it on purpose!!
But through some fluke (I was working on a project and didn't turn over when the snooker started!) I watched a match during the early rounds of the 2012 world championships. It was Ronnie playing (can't remember who) and even though I knew nothing about the game, or Ronnie I found myself really interested. I followed his progress through the rest of that tournament and since then try to watch his matches whenever I can.
I have now learned more about the other players, and more about how they play and I will watch matches where Ronnie isn't playing -- but never with the same interest or investment. I watch Ronnie's matches willing and wanting him to play well; I watch others and can appreciate when they play well, but rarely care who wins and wouldn't be too fussed to miss them.
So I guess for me when Ronnie retires I'll watch very occasionally unless some other player captures my interest in the same way.
I personally probably won't but I am more of a casual snooker fan, I enjoy watching Ronnie play but being honest none of the other players excite me that much. The more hard core fans will continue watching though.
I agree, but it's too tricky to watch everything, so it's inevitable people prioritise the matches of those they feel more of a connection to, and celeb status is an influence. Giving up a sport altogether because one player retires just means you aren't a fan of the sport.
A couple of years ago when a lot of the big names fell early at Wimbledon, it was interesting to see how different people reacted. Some thought it was a disaster, and had no interest if there was no bandwagoning glory available to them, while others embraced the opportunity to give others more air time, so we could learn about them instead.