Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker is the ‘car boot sale’ of sports

Five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says Snooker is a “car boot sale” while different sports activities are like purchasing at luxury department shops. The 40-yr-vintage believes SSnooker wishes to embody a more company image, much like sports, which include golf, tennis, and Components 1. Living Tired. O’Sullivan cruised into the United Kingdom Championship fourth round with a 6-1 win over Michael Georgiou on Monday. “Snooker has come to be a nothing-kind recreation, but it is nevertheless great,” he stated.

“They may be just putting a lot of it out there, but it is simply reasonably-priced Television and a filler for other programs – Snooker has lost among different sports. “You watch Formula 1, and you see lovely-searching human beings. You study Snooker, and you believe you studied ‘God.’

“It charges £5 to get in at some qualifying activities and spot a pinnacle-magnificence player – it is like an automobile boot sale while their sports are like buying at Harrods.” Uk Championship 2016: Steve Davis boosts Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘Snooker is nothing compared to F1 and tennis’. Ronnie O’Sullivan in action against Michael Georgiou, during day six of the Betway UK Championships 2016, at the York Barbican.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

The total prize cash available on tour this season has reached £10m for the first time as part of international Snooker chairman Barry Hearn’s revamp of the game. That consists of the addition of new ranking tournaments, as well as multiplied prize cash on current occasions. This year’s United Kingdom Championship winner will take the domestic £one hundred seventy,000, while the subsequent global champion will win £375,000.

O’Sullivan said: “It is all approximately media, money, and business, and Snooker is nothing compared to Formula 1, tennis, and the Olympics. They have got corporate human beings worried about who has a massive say in who’s big and who isn’t enormous. “Snooker cannot draw those sponsors or compete in that league.

“If it went to China and discovered a few billionaires that need to take this recreation on and put up £1m first prizes, then you could perhaps begin looking at snooker as a core recreation again.” O’Sullivan on Snooker’s sports activities Character absence. O’Sullivan was additionally asked about the lack of snooker gamers from the BBC sports activities Character of the Year shortlists.

Steve Davis, in 1988, was the handiest snooker player to win the award; at the same time, Stephen Hendry turned into the ultimate to make the top 3 – coming 2nd in 1990. “They provide snooker like 10 seconds on BBC Sports Persona of the 12 months; it is a whole insult to the game,” said O’Sullivan. “However it is what they consider it, it’s how an awful lot they consider they have to warrant to it. So that says all of it simply.”