OPINION: Ronnie O’Sullivan has been on the top of criticism after the World Seniors Snooker Championship.
Ronnie O’Sullivan gained the World Seniors Championship on Sunday (Picture: PA)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been no stranger to controversies throughout his lengthy and glittering profession on the Crucible. However the newest one to hold over the snooker legend isn’t of his personal making – for as soon as. It is the fault of some small-minded critics who imagine it was improper for O’Sullivan to compete within the World Seniors Championship on the similar venue.
Sure critics advised it was inappropriate for O’Sullivan to be competing in opposition to rivals who could not maintain a torch to the seven-time world champion. Do me a favour. This may be true, but it surely’s not O’Sullivan’s fault he is been blessed with extra expertise than the remaining, is it?
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Had O’Sullivan chosen to return to London to enter a contest within the Romford & District Snooker League in opposition to a load of amateurs, then the above argument would maintain some water.
A bit like when double Olympic champion sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Worth determined to compete within the 100m race at her son’s college sports activities day – and gained by a rustic mile.
However O’Sullivan is now 50. He was simply as entitled to enter the Seniors Championship as all of the others. For the file, he additionally beat a former world champion (Ken Doherty) en path to successful the title, following a thumping of Joe Perry. Perry is 51, by the way in which.
Whereas the likes of Ali Carter, Matthew Stevens and Stuart Bingham, who gained the world title in 2015, all took half within the seniors occasion, however didn’t get previous the quarter-finals.
Maybe O’Sullivan fancied the possibility to win £30,000? Maybe he needed to play extra aggressive snooker, having been knocked out within the quarter-finals of the World Championship?
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Ronnie O’Sullivan was criticised for enjoying within the World Seniors (Picture: Getty)
Or maybe he needed to tackle a battle in opposition to himself – to show he nonetheless has the motivation to win extra prizes so as to add to the unrivalled legacy he’ll sooner or later go away behind? However those that love the game must be grateful he took half. As a result of it supplied some kudos and gravitas to a match few would in any other case have been occupied with?
He places bums on seats – and all of his matches had been offered out. O’Sullivan takes from the game – however he additionally provides again to 1 which faces a continuing battle to be taken critically.
So how can we now discover ourselves dwelling in a world through which the participation of one in every of Britain’s best ever sportspeople in a sport he makes his loving from, is questioned? Snooker has change into woke. And who’d have thought it?
Will these individuals be saying the identical factor when Tiger Woods joins the senior PGA Tour, or if Roger Federer determined to do one thing related in tennis?
We should always be taught to treasure these sporting icons whereas we nonetheless can. Not berate them for taking up and beating those that need to do the identical factor – however simply aren’t ok to win.
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