Snooker changed a lot from 2010 to 2019 and for the most part, it has changed for the better. The sport has multiplied its prize earnings, ranking events as well as its international reach and coverage. So what other things am I hoping will happen in the upcoming decade? Long story short – more of these things.
International
The past 10 years have already seen some impressive growth globally, particularly in China. I would love for snooker to be able to reach other parts of the globe like North America; or even an event in Australia. Movements have already been made to increase the sport’s popularity in the Middle East but I think there are other areas that snooker could be expanded to.
More TV Coverage
Not necessarily something that isn’t happening now, but I wish there was a more accessible way to watch televised tournaments. It seems the only tournaments that are easily viewable are nation-based events. I wish World Snooker made it easier to watch international tournaments. Snooker Radio seems to be a good start if you wanted to listen to live audio but some kind of application that allows you to watch all tournaments would be great.
More Money for Women’s Snooker
If you haven’t already read my Short post relating to Women’s Snooker, click here to read that. Despite it not receiving as much attention or revenue as traditional snooker, there could be more money put into the WWS and its tournaments for its competitors.
Higher Triple Crown Prestige
Since the increases in prize money, there have been more ranking tournaments that match the prizes and format of the Triple Crown events. This now includes the World Championship since the announcement of the £500,000 first prize at Saudi Arabia’s ranking event. It’s only the history of the Triple Crown events that carry its prestige nowadays but something may need to be done to offer some distinction for players and viewers.
Exhibitions
A few televised exhibitions would be a nice way to take the seriousness out of competitive play. This could even be done during the off-season. Something that everyone, including the players could enjoy. Certain players that don’t play each other too often could go head-to-head; and they could even be mic’d up, much like the Davis vs Taylor 1985 recreation they did (search Steve Davis vs. Dennis Taylor – The Rematch on YouTube).
Non-Gambling Sponsors
Thanks to LTL85 on Reddit for reminding me of this point. Something I would like to see going forward as well is more sponsorships from non-gambling companies. There was the tobacco sponsorship situation in the early 2000s which resulted in a major cut in sponsorships for snooker and I feel that the gambling industry is an area which could one day likely follow similar path. Snooker should have a safety net by hedging their bets with sponsorships, so to say. If sports like golf can attract sponsorships from major banks and car manufacturers, I think snooker can do the same. It may also aid in attracting younger viewers to the sport.
More Characters
I realise this is more of a task than the previous points, but we definitely need more characters in the sport. The reason the 1980s were so popular for snooker is that everyone knew all of the players because of their personalities. There aren’t many players nowadays that show a sense of charisma but it certainly would make snooker more fun to watch it there were more notable characters on the face of the sport.
Just to name a few, but what things are you hoping will happen with snooker going forward? Let me know by using the comments or getting in touch on social media!