I write this not as someone who has played the game to any significant level but as a writer who loves snooker.
My highest break is 22 and I remember being proud as punch when I made it. That’s because it has been well integrated in me from an early age how difficult snooker is to play – it requires a lot of skill and deep levels of concentration.
It’s a ruthless sport in some ways – if your opponent is at the table there is nothing you can do.
I like David Gilbert. He’s always come across as a very likeable character. The kind of player who puts his heart on his sleeve. And when he is playing well – he is good to watch.
He’s made two World Championship semi-finals and I’m sure snooker fans have felt empathy towards him each time he’s missed out on the final. You couldn’t help but feel for him when he was hit with emotion on TV after that memorable final frame decider loss to John Higgins – denying him a place at a Crucible final.
But it was disappointing to hear comments from David Gilbert on the Talking Snooker podcast in October in which he labelled snooker ‘boring’.
‘Snooker is boring’
Gilbert said: “I like the short formats because snooker’s boring!”
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but is it right for one of the top players in the game – or any professional player for that matter – to say the sport is boring?
Surely players are contracted to promote the game and champion it to help inspire the next generation, especially in the public domain.
It is a struggle to see how Gilbert’s comment does that? What message does it send out?
Any young person reading it could be put off the game – is that really what we want to do?
Any business/organisation looking to sponsor or invest in snooker reading it could be put off the game – is that really what we want to do?
Demand for tickets
It’s quite surprising to hear Gilbert saying he likes the short format. Lets be honest – his biggest pay days in the game have come from his performances in the longer formats.
I’m a proud journalist – if I called the publication which I worked for ‘boring’ then there’s no doubt I would be asked to explain my comments. The true reality is I’d get into trouble.
Gilbert is right to explain what he feels are flaws in the game and how snooker could be improved. There’s not an issue with saying snooker isn’t perfect. No sport is – that’s why we all love sport and the emotions it brings to us.
But David Gilbert calling snooker ‘boring’ crosses a line. It damages the image of the game.
If snooker is boring why has prize money shot up to record levels over the past decade? The answer is simply the classic phrase ‘bums on seats’.
One of snooker’s biggest issues at the moment is the future of the World Championship. And the possibility it could move away from the Crucible. But why is this debate happening?
The answer – more people want to put their bums on seats to watch the snooker. Demand is so high to watch the World Championship there are not enough seats/tickets available to keep fans happy. If snooker is deemed to be boring this would not be happening.
Lets hope this does not set a precedent.
