by elliott west
Despite snooker being a major sport with large viewing figures, this has always failed to translate into article space in newspapers. With 20 tournaments now on the tour, both UK and international press publicise no tournaments outside those of the Triple Crown events, the Masters, UK Championship and World Championship. As a fan and avid blogger this makes me very sad and in my opinion devalues the sport in general. The sport should be admired and followed by many more but this media drought prevents any new audience from being inspired.
Newspapers would argue that there isn’t the interest, outside of when Ronnie O’Sullivan is doing well or has made a media outburst and would point to the internet as a source for snooker information. However, what works better, a source you have to actively search for or the printed word that travels and circulates with the reader. Think of the Metro newspaper in London, for example, this literally read multiple times, largely because the reader disposes of the paper on a tube or train and another person picks it up to read. This is a trick that this market has failed to grasp, they would spend money on articles on multiple football coverage than widen their base by educating the readership on the game, state of play and the players involved in the industry.
When I attend a tournament, I largely get backstage and there is always a press room and multiple photographers at the event yet it does amaze me because where do all these articles and pictures go? It certainly isn’t in the UK press and fans have to rely on largely Eurosport or the World Snooker website to get their information. When I first started watching snooker in the late 1980s, there were only 4 channels and your literally had to flick channels or trail through the Radio and TV Times to find out when the next tournament was on. Now the sport extends the globe from Beijing to London with multiple cable and satellite channels covering tournaments.
Fortunately, despite this gloomy outlook, there is hope. Blogging sites and forums do provide inside information from events and allow the vast fan base to learn about players past and present, view VT footage and interviews with players and pundits within the sport. Bloggers such as myself, are able to open the eyes of the reader and get them to see snooker from another angle, an apt thought seeing as the game is based on angles. Eurosport has also been largely responsible for opening up the snooker floodgates to a larger market. Many countries across Europe, such as Bulgaria, France and Germany where the sport isn’t widely played but now has an immense viewing audience.
