Throughout sporting history, every game has offered a name, a champion, an ambassador, who not only outshone every competitor and adversary in his path, but also mesmerized the crowd and fans with his ability to inspire as well as entertain. The charisma these players are able to bring to their sport leaves spectators wanting more from them.
Muhammad Ali, undoubtedly the greatest heavyweight boxer to have ever lived; a man for whose match millions would gather around TV sets hours before the match, just to see glimpse of their favorite fighter. Air Jordan, as he came to be known, Michael Jordan, brought skills to the game of basketball which seemed literally out of this world. The most respected player in the world currently, Roger Federer, is another athlete who has transformed tennis, and people’s expectations to a different level. Similarly, sportsmen e.g. Usain Bolt, Sachin Tendulkar, Tiger Woods, and many others, have great contribution towards promoting and growth of their respective sports.
In this whole sphere of sports where players have gone on to make names for themselves in history books, there are some who although hugely successful, haven’t been given considerable global recognition by the media. One of them is the Snooker legend, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Arguably the most gifted and talented snooker players on the planet, Ronnie O’Sullivan has great following among the snooker fans. “The Rocket” as media started calling him after he scored the fastest 147 in World Championship 1997 in a record breaking time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds, Ronnie is known to have an uncanny ability to thrash away anyone coming in his way when he is at his best. The moment his participation in any tournament is confirmed, people know they are in for something special.
Ronnie’s skills were evident to the world since his early teen years. In a documentary movie about Ronnie’s early life, Barry Hearn, former snooker player, and chairman of World Snooker Association, said:
“Ronnie is fearless. At the time when the top pros were percentage players where they would calculate the risk reward ratio of every shot, Ronnie never played percentages”.
Ronnie also holds the record for scoring maximum number of 147’s in snooker history. Very few pros on tour have had the honor of scoring 147. Moreover, it is the unique self-confidence that makes his game such a treat to watch;
In a match against Mark King in World Championship 2010, Ronnie, during the frame suddenly stopped to ask the official if there was any cash prize for scoring 147. Meanwhile everyone got stunned in amusement upon hearing that. Because, scoring 147 was and still is a dream for many pros. It was Ronnie’s strong self-belief that he was sure he would score 147, especially at the time when he had only scored 8 in the frame; such is the caliber of the 5 times World Champion.
For Ronnie, there is no stone left unturned as he has conquered almost every level the game has to offer. However, as far as sporting fame is concerned, he hasn’t been under the reception of media coverage as much as players of other sports have been enjoying it. It is noticeable that whenever there is talk of great names of sports on a big stage, Ronnie is not the one making headlines. There could be several reasons for it.
Till now, snooker predominantly remains a UK-centered sport. Although there are players from Asia and Eastern Europe, most of them coming on tour level are from countries like England, Scotland, and Ireland; Ronnie being from Essex London. Mark Selby, a huge rival of Ronnie and current No 1, is from Leicester England. So in a way, the game has resided in a certain territory, and has failed to spread across the world.
One other major reason for Ronnie’s low profile is his overall attitude and ways of doing things. At times, he fails to follow an untold decorum of the big stage and media, which many professional especially legends of sports are supposed to do. His harmless yet immature gestures involving arm-waving, give an impression of a person who is not serious about what he is saying. This is exhibited when Ronnie keeps coming back and participates in matches after hinting at his retirement numerous times.
In sports, few players are born with skills as eminent and distinguished as that of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s. One might argue that snooker, as a game, is not as physically demanding as other sports are, however, there is no taking away from the fact that what Ronnie has done and achieved in the game of snooker, is even difficult to perceive if someone can ever break those records.
