Post a reply

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Prop

We joke now, but you just know these ideas have been bumped around a meeting at Matchroom at some point.

Emily Frazer, if you happen to read this, please don’t. We don’t want it.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby KrazeeEyezKilla

Back around 2009-10 there was definitely a lot of panic over how big Darts was getting while Snooker was stuck in a rut. It's the big reason why Hearn was able to gain power. You only have to look at the setup for the first Power Snooker event in October 2010 and see how much it was copying darts with the crowd noise and the matches played on a stage in front of a wall with the crowd watching on a stand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTZ73t1npE

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Badsnookerplayer

Much as I hate to think it, I do think snooker is screwed in the long term.

It will become more and more marginalised.

Last 5 years have been amazing with lots of coverage and I am usually optimistic but I think it is screwed in this country at least

screwed.

Proper screwed.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Prop

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Much as I hate to think it, I do think snooker is screwed in the long term.

It will become more and more marginalised.

Last 5 years have been amazing with lots of coverage and I am usually optimistic but I think it is screwed in this country at least

screwed.

Proper screwed.


I’m not far behind you with the concern. For me, it’ll simply be a lack of sponsorship money that kills it. The Matchroom nonsense with the CoC is one thing, and a lot of people are looking at that as the poison that will ruin the game. But it’s going to be sponsorship that really becomes a slippery slope.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby McManusFan

Prop wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:Much as I hate to think it, I do think snooker is screwed in the long term.

It will become more and more marginalised.

Last 5 years have been amazing with lots of coverage and I am usually optimistic but I think it is screwed in this country at least

screwed.

Proper screwed.


I’m not far behind you with the concern. For me, it’ll simply be a lack of sponsorship money that kills it. The Matchroom nonsense with the CoC is one thing, and a lot of people are looking at that as the poison that will ruin the game. But it’s going to be sponsorship that really becomes a slippery slope.


The Cazoo sponsorship has been quite good. It's good it's not exclusively betting firms anymore. I do worry that Cazoo are just splashing the cash for a few years and will pull out leaving snooker in a bit of a hole.

The Hawes and Curtis shirt sponsors never came back did they? They did look like crap shirts though.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Anything, absolutely anything but dance cam.

I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Prop

McManusFan wrote:
Prop wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:Much as I hate to think it, I do think snooker is screwed in the long term.

It will become more and more marginalised.

Last 5 years have been amazing with lots of coverage and I am usually optimistic but I think it is screwed in this country at least

screwed.

Proper screwed.


I’m not far behind you with the concern. For me, it’ll simply be a lack of sponsorship money that kills it. The Matchroom nonsense with the CoC is one thing, and a lot of people are looking at that as the poison that will ruin the game. But it’s going to be sponsorship that really becomes a slippery slope.


The Cazoo sponsorship has been quite good. It's good it's not exclusively betting firms anymore. I do worry that Cazoo are just splashing the cash for a few years and will pull out leaving snooker in a bit of a hole.

The Hawes and Curtis shirt sponsors never came back did they? They did look like crap shirts though.


Yes, exactly. For now things seem ok on the face of it. But it’s only really the Cazoo sponsorship that indicates snooker can find money in other sectors outside of bookmakers. And Matchroom themselves have been sponsors, which again suggests there aren’t many firms clamouring for the advertising space.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Much as I hate to think it, I do think snooker is screwed in the long term.

It will become more and more marginalised.

Last 5 years have been amazing with lots of coverage and I am usually optimistic but I think it is screwed in this country at least

screwed.

Proper screwed.


The one thing is, when Hearn came in there was a lot of worry that he'd try something like this. To his credit, he didn't.

It's not long after he's gone that this sort of thing starts creeping in. It's telling that.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Iranu

SnookerFan wrote:I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Guys if we pool our money I reckon we could make this happen.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Iranu wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Guys if we pool our money I reckon we could make this happen.


And do what exactly?

Bribe the WST to refuse the dance came if I attended every match I ever go to in Kermit The Frog cosplay?

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Iranu

Prop wrote:Yes, exactly. For now things seem ok on the face of it. But it’s only really the Cazoo sponsorship that indicates snooker can find money in other sectors outside of bookmakers. And Matchroom themselves have been sponsors, which again suggests there aren’t many firms clamouring for the advertising space.

In fairness that was something of a knock-on from the pandemic. Betting firms had no sport to make money and didn’t want to spend on sponsoring tournaments like previous seasons; other companies were also struggling and wouldn’t fancy stepping in. It did show rather starkly the foolishness of relying on betting firms, though.

The good news from that is that WST was doing so well that Matchroom was essentially able to sponsor itself. How many sports of snooker’s size would have that kind of money in its bank account?

I do find it strange how hard they seem to find it to get non-betting sponsors. Unless they’re simply the highest bidders which would be a bit shortsighted.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Iranu

SnookerFan wrote:
Iranu wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Guys if we pool our money I reckon we could make this happen.


And do what exactly?

Bribe the WST to refuse the dance came if I attended every match I ever go to in Kermit The Frog cosplay?

Now you’re getting it!

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Dan-cat

SnookerFan wrote:Anything, absolutely anything but dance cam.

I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.


This sounds like an unlikely set of circumstances.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Juddernaut88 wrote:Maybe we need Hearn back.


Hearn won't last forever, He's 73.

But does it bode well for his successors, if this is the sort of thing they think is what snooker needs?

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Holden Chinaski

SnookerFan wrote:Anything, absolutely anything but dance cam.

I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Just wear your Bret Hart sunglasses. Nobody would dare to mess with you.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Dan-cat wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:Anything, absolutely anything but dance cam.

I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.


This sounds like an unlikely set of circumstances.


Well obviously, it does.

But the point is, I would much rather people in stupid costumes in the crowd, then a dance-cam that could humiliate the shy or more introvert people.

The only thing they need to do to it is tweak it so they only film the people who are already dancing, and it's not even that big a deal. (Though I personally still wouldn't like it.) But treating paying customers like performing monkeys without their consent seems a bit sordid somehow. It's not even about stopping people from enjoying themselves. It's about dictating how they should enjoy themselves that seems off to me.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby HappyCamper

Do they punish you if you refuse the dance cam. Like kick you out the arena.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

HappyCamper wrote:Do they punish you if you refuse the dance cam. Like kick you out the arena.


Well, of course not.

I know it's probably just me, but that would seriously ruin my whole weekend. Just having that camera pointed at me for a second. And that's not from somebody who is particularly shy, retiring or minds making a fool of themselves.

All they really need to do is focus on the people already enjoying it, and there isn't a problem for me.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerEd25

Dan-cat wrote:They are just trying to create atmosphere. Warm up the crowd.

Rumours of snooker's demise are grossly exaggerated. There's a huge global audience. Sponsors will be found.


Put your money where your mouth is :

the Dan-Cat Classic has a nice ring to it <ok>

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Holden Chinaski wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:Anything, absolutely anything but dance cam.

I'd go to every snooker match I ever attended dressed as Kermit The Frog before I'd even be looked at for a second by the dance cam. I'd even do an interview in costume with the BBC saying how I wanted to have sex with Miss Piggy, if that's what it took to get rid of it.

Just wear your Bret Hart sunglasses. Nobody would dare to mess with you.


rofl

THEY WERE COOL, DAMMIT!

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

Iranu wrote:
Prop wrote:Yes, exactly. For now things seem ok on the face of it. But it’s only really the Cazoo sponsorship that indicates snooker can find money in other sectors outside of bookmakers. And Matchroom themselves have been sponsors, which again suggests there aren’t many firms clamouring for the advertising space.

In fairness that was something of a knock-on from the pandemic. Betting firms had no sport to make money and didn’t want to spend on sponsoring tournaments like previous seasons; other companies were also struggling and wouldn’t fancy stepping in. It did show rather starkly the foolishness of relying on betting firms, though.

The good news from that is that WST was doing so well that Matchroom was essentially able to sponsor itself. How many sports of snooker’s size would have that kind of money in its bank account?

I do find it strange how hard they seem to find it to get non-betting sponsors. Unless they’re simply the highest bidders which would be a bit shortsighted.


Maybe they are putting the most money up.

Snooker isn't the most popular sport, and I can imagine other companies wouldn't be interested in investing fat cash into what they'd consider a niche sport. Whereas betting companies actually have an interest in sponsoring sports by definition.

I mean snacks and drinks are something you'd consume whilst sat in front of the telly for hours. But maybe Doritos, Coca-Cola and Stella Artois don't find it a big enough audience to spunk money at.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Prop

SnookerFan wrote:
Iranu wrote:
Prop wrote:Yes, exactly. For now things seem ok on the face of it. But it’s only really the Cazoo sponsorship that indicates snooker can find money in other sectors outside of bookmakers. And Matchroom themselves have been sponsors, which again suggests there aren’t many firms clamouring for the advertising space.

In fairness that was something of a knock-on from the pandemic. Betting firms had no sport to make money and didn’t want to spend on sponsoring tournaments like previous seasons; other companies were also struggling and wouldn’t fancy stepping in. It did show rather starkly the foolishness of relying on betting firms, though.

The good news from that is that WST was doing so well that Matchroom was essentially able to sponsor itself. How many sports of snooker’s size would have that kind of money in its bank account?

I do find it strange how hard they seem to find it to get non-betting sponsors. Unless they’re simply the highest bidders which would be a bit shortsighted.


Maybe they are putting the most money up.

Snooker isn't the most popular sport, and I can imagine other companies wouldn't be interested in investing fat cash into what they'd consider a niche sport. Whereas betting companies actually have an interest in sponsoring sports by definition.

I mean snacks and drinks are something you'd consume whilst sat in front of the telly for hours. But maybe Doritos, Coca-Cola and Stella Artois don't find it a big enough audience to spunk money at.


Bring back Pukka Pies!

Re: The future of snooker

Postby SnookerFan

At least Pukka Pies had a presence at the venue. They sent their band down, had Mark King playing something in the foyer. The drums, I think or some symbols.

Saying that, it'd probably get annoying after a while.

Re: The future of snooker

Postby Iranu

It’s a shame Hawes & Curtis didn’t keep sponsoring.

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for tailoring/clothing companies to sponsor snooker. Why aren’t the likes of Slaters/Moss Bros/whatever getting in on the action?


   

cron