Ronnie O'Sullivan has basically said most of the players are rubbish.
Quote:
“"There are a lot of players I watch out there and they can't play," he said.
"That's no disrespect, they just can't play. They are never going to be good enough.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/38160821
No-one starts at the top of the rankings. He rose up the ranks very quickly due to his mega-talent, but if there were a top 16 or top 32 only you'd still need a mechanism to allow the few unknown new players to have a chance to prove their worth. Perhaps you could reduce snooker to a top 32 only and have a lower ranked division of 18 players all trying to break into the top 32. That would mean a total of 50 pro players, not 128.
I think the basic point about lower ranked players not good enough is true, although it's a harsh truth, and one that very few people within the game would admit to in interviews.