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I mentioned this in a thread but want to expand a bit on it.
For me the Hearn regime is all about pleasing the bookies who sponsor the events. When i worked in media sales we would create content (newspaper features and supplements) to suit the advertisers. More tournaments means more bets. Shorter formats means matches that are harder to predict.
It seems like snooker is being positioned as the new greyhound racing - a constant stream of matches and a constant stream of bets . The gambling industry is dictating terms I feel. That's where all the money is. The lottery has sanitised gambling and the internet has made it an easy-access activity. No wonder that's where the power is.
For me the Hearn regime is all about pleasing the bookies who sponsor the events. When i worked in media sales we would create content (newspaper features and supplements) to suit the advertisers. More tournaments means more bets. Shorter formats means matches that are harder to predict.
It seems like snooker is being positioned as the new greyhound racing - a constant stream of matches and a constant stream of bets . The gambling industry is dictating terms I feel. That's where all the money is. The lottery has sanitised gambling and the internet has made it an easy-access activity. No wonder that's where the power is.
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Mis-spelt his name in the title. Unable to edit it. Cheers.
Spot on ccd, the live streaming availability for bookies is also a game changer. Times are definitely changing regarding bookies competing on the media front. It`s not just snooker either, who needs the traditional broadcasters?
With Hearn and Davis its all about money and sod the quality.
Something plastic about the game and in time it will lose the real fan.
Ronnie was right its like playing in an aircraft hanger.
Snooker is losing its soul. Hopefully the movement to return to a 64 tour will gather momentum where just the elite play.
Have lower divisions by all means but this dross will have a long term cost for the game.
I cannot count the matches that should have taken place.
Something plastic about the game and in time it will lose the real fan.
Ronnie was right its like playing in an aircraft hanger.
Snooker is losing its soul. Hopefully the movement to return to a 64 tour will gather momentum where just the elite play.
Have lower divisions by all means but this dross will have a long term cost for the game.
I cannot count the matches that should have taken place.
Very good post ccd. I've long despaired at the hold the major bookmaking firms are taking on sport. It's invidious and hugely troubling. It's not just snooker of course. At the current rate every major football club in europe will be shirt-sponsored by a bookie. Horse racing programmes are increasingly coming to resemble advertising segments for the layers. My brother in Australia tells me they interrupt live broadcasts of footie and rugby matches every few minutes to shout the odds at you - all sponsored by a bookie naturally. All the major sporting governing bodies, supposedly the guardians of the games, have tie-ins with bookies, sneakily disguised as "official partners". It's a creeping dependence that further erodes whatever integrity they havent already compromised.
Of course, all sports including snooker will claim needs must in defence. What other sources of revenue are available during tough times? But that doesnt make it right. If cigarette, and increasingly, alcohol sponsorship is deemed wrong and immoral, then why gambling money should be so readily welcomed is perplexing and totally hypocritical in my view. I think you have called it spot-on as regards Hearn and Davis ccd. I would be suspicious of their plans for snooker.
Of course, all sports including snooker will claim needs must in defence. What other sources of revenue are available during tough times? But that doesnt make it right. If cigarette, and increasingly, alcohol sponsorship is deemed wrong and immoral, then why gambling money should be so readily welcomed is perplexing and totally hypocritical in my view. I think you have called it spot-on as regards Hearn and Davis ccd. I would be suspicious of their plans for snooker.
Glad it's not just me that thinks this. I guess the same battle between the purists and the capitalists exists in cricket - another very English game. There is room for both long and short matches but we currently need more tournaments that require players to win over a longer distance to avoid devaluing the sports brand.
The comparison with cricket is a very pertinent one. I was a very casual cricket fan before the IPL came along and actually got heavily into it for a while before the novelty wore off and the sheer obvious corruption of it turned me off. Ultimately i think it just gave me a better appreciation of the charms and subtleties of test cricket. I'm not implacably opposed to change or progress, but i think you tamper with the traditions of sport at your peril, especially if it is just to line certain people's pockets at the expense of the fans.
im waiting for the day when hearn changes the format for the world championsips.i am aure he will do this at one point,shortter matches etc...that will be the death of snooker
Remember before he took control he said the 3 majors wouldnt be tampered with, but look what's happened to the Uk Champs! And remember he had his favourite son Steve publicly float the idea of a shortened Worlds format just to test the waters. So, yeah, we know what he's thinking, merely just waiting for the right time and opportunity...
I hope if it happens players make a stand and say fck off
They may be looking at shortening the second round of the world championships down to best of 19 and therefore 2 sessions and could possibly go this way with the quarters although making the quarters first to 14 and therefore slightly longer guaranteeeing a 3rd seession sessions would make more sense.
you have to hand it to hearn though 7 or 8 years ago they were playing for £7,500 for a ranking semifinal and only six ranking events - it was on its knees.
there are a lot of mickey mouse tournaments now though...and the big ones like the UK don't seem the same since he has changed the format.
Cricket has sadly lost its soul to big money, and more importantly the FAST money enabled by global betting. They might as well change then name of that sport itself to EARNING MONEY.
Minardi,
Could you tell me the ranking tornament that paid £7.500 for the semi.
In 2007 when the bubble burst all sport was rocked by the loss of revenue and it was a double whammy for snooker because of the ban on tobacco.
Hearn was approached several times through the next few years but he knew it was going to be an up hill struggle and bided his time.
He only came in when another group put together a plan for the sport 3 years ago and used his partner Steve Davis to convince some players to vote for him. He won by the odd vote.
Hearn will stack snooker high and sell it cheap and in the short term it will work but as time passes, tv companies will lose what little interest they have now and snooker players will become less well known as mickey mouse tables decide results and the day of the greats will be gone.
Snooker needs a main tour of 64 its integrity protected and no more than 10 ranking events and a public left crying for more.
Could you tell me the ranking tornament that paid £7.500 for the semi.
In 2007 when the bubble burst all sport was rocked by the loss of revenue and it was a double whammy for snooker because of the ban on tobacco.
Hearn was approached several times through the next few years but he knew it was going to be an up hill struggle and bided his time.
He only came in when another group put together a plan for the sport 3 years ago and used his partner Steve Davis to convince some players to vote for him. He won by the odd vote.
Hearn will stack snooker high and sell it cheap and in the short term it will work but as time passes, tv companies will lose what little interest they have now and snooker players will become less well known as mickey mouse tables decide results and the day of the greats will be gone.
Snooker needs a main tour of 64 its integrity protected and no more than 10 ranking events and a public left crying for more.
Agree wholeheartedly with last point, 10 ranking events should be absolute maximum...12 is overkill. Cant get my head around summer snooker, maybe it suits some people but there should be some sort of off-season to give us a chance to recharge the batteries.
Gentlemanjohn,
Watching snooker is very time consuming and for my own part 6 spaced out tournaments a year would be quite enough.
We had overkill in the eighties and for most of the nineties where over 20 tournaments a season were the norm for most players.
I would like to say that blaming ex players for snookers woes is so far from the truth, the real reason was the worst recession in living memory.
Blaming the regimes prior to Hearn is a bit like blaming the labour party for the Worlds downturn this past decade.
The blame lay ENTIRELY WITH THE RICH AND SUPPOSED INTELLIGENT.
Overkill of the previous 2 decades eventually bored many for the game and of course choice became the real enemy.
I am sure we will lose the bbc in 2 years and mostly because Hearn is not the most popular guy to deal with, bombastic, incredibly egotistic, and far too sure of himself for a down market promoter who failed to compete with the big boys on the big stage of sport.
Losing the bbc and being replaced by tv companies who will think twice about how much they want to screen mainly because of adverts that pay their bills have to be shown is of real concern and its a given that pay per view will never be viable in a small country like britain where viewing figures are there if for free but doubtful if not.
As you have gathered I am no fan of the man but even less of his concept for the game.
Watching snooker is very time consuming and for my own part 6 spaced out tournaments a year would be quite enough.
We had overkill in the eighties and for most of the nineties where over 20 tournaments a season were the norm for most players.
I would like to say that blaming ex players for snookers woes is so far from the truth, the real reason was the worst recession in living memory.
Blaming the regimes prior to Hearn is a bit like blaming the labour party for the Worlds downturn this past decade.
The blame lay ENTIRELY WITH THE RICH AND SUPPOSED INTELLIGENT.
Overkill of the previous 2 decades eventually bored many for the game and of course choice became the real enemy.
I am sure we will lose the bbc in 2 years and mostly because Hearn is not the most popular guy to deal with, bombastic, incredibly egotistic, and far too sure of himself for a down market promoter who failed to compete with the big boys on the big stage of sport.
Losing the bbc and being replaced by tv companies who will think twice about how much they want to screen mainly because of adverts that pay their bills have to be shown is of real concern and its a given that pay per view will never be viable in a small country like britain where viewing figures are there if for free but doubtful if not.
As you have gathered I am no fan of the man but even less of his concept for the game.
Moondan
2006 Malta Open - Ranking title Dott won £7,000 as losing semifinalist
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Graeme-Dott/2005-2006
There was a few 200,000 total prize money ranking tournaments i think £30k to winner £15,000 runner up etc. when you are paying out till last 64 you quickly spend the £200,000. This was th epoint when Ronnie and others where moaning about the prize money and you can see why.
2006 Malta Open - Ranking title Dott won £7,000 as losing semifinalist
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Graeme-Dott/2005-2006
There was a few 200,000 total prize money ranking tournaments i think £30k to winner £15,000 runner up etc. when you are paying out till last 64 you quickly spend the £200,000. This was th epoint when Ronnie and others where moaning about the prize money and you can see why.
Moondan
2006 Malta Open - Ranking title Dott won £7,000 as losing semifinalist
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Graeme-Dott/2005-2006
There was a few 200,000 total prize money ranking tournaments i think £30k to winner £15,000 runner up etc. when you are paying out till last 64 you quickly spend the £200,000. This was th epoint when Ronnie and others where moaning about the prize money and you can see why.
2006 Malta Open - Ranking title Dott won £7,000 as losing semifinalist
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Graeme-Dott/2005-2006
There was a few 200,000 total prize money ranking tournaments i think £30k to winner £15,000 runner up etc. when you are paying out till last 64 you quickly spend the £200,000. This was th epoint when Ronnie and others where moaning about the prize money and you can see why.
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Ken-Doherty/2005-2006 - Ken Doherty £7,500 for china open semifinal
http://www.cuetracker.net/Players/Dominic-Dale/2006-2007 - Ken Doherty 2006 Northern ireland open - Semi final £6,500
http://www.cuetracker.net/Tournaments/China-Open/2006/186/Finishes shows full prize breakdown
At least John Higgins was innocent unlike that conniving Stephen Lee
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