Snooker fever in Spain

Madrid, October 6 (EFE).- Snooker, a calm and strategic sport for smart minds. It is the third most watched on Eurosport Spain, after tennis and cycling. An exceptional goal that draws fans to the screen. A red ball, a colored ball, and so on. The scheme that hypnotizes an average of 70,000 spectators per tournament.

A sport of English origin that has appeared on Spanish television for many years, but only now seems to be winning.

Hypnotic sport

A shocking silence matched the black clothes and classic jackets of the players, and the extreme care on the part of the referees wearing white gloves.

A red ball and a colored ball. While there is a red, the referee will be responsible for returning the colored ones to the table. After the last combination, the colored balls will start to be arranged in a specific order, from lowest to highest value: yellow (2 points), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6) and black (7). This is the scheme of snooker that attracts even those who do not understand it.

The boom in snooker and the lack of a Spanish star

A charismatic figure like Ronnie O’Sullivan, who many compare to Michael Jordan, also influences a larger following of the sport. The story of an immersive life, reflected in one of the best-selling autobiographies in the world of sports for years, which touched the hearts of his fans and enabled them to stick more closely to the game of snooker.

According to Fernando Ruiz, Director of Eurosport Spain, the consumer profile is surprising, because we are talking about people of any age group, from young people to the elderly, both men and women. The 70,000 fans who once turned the TV on no longer turn it off, whether two, three, eight or even ten hours after the game. This is explained by the diversity of commentators who are able to explain how the sport works and interact with those in their living room.

Years and years of work have led to the current rise of snooker in Spain, but something is missing for it to gain a greater presence.

“We will need a Spanish player who can enter the world stage. It is very complicated, and if we cannot get him in a short period of time, we will certainly have him in the medium term,” revealed Fernando Ruiz, while highlighting the importance of holding a tournament in Spain that would Gives it greater visibility.

O’Sullivan: A money making machine

Ronnie O’Sullivan, current champion and world number one. A snooker legend and one of the most prominent players in the history of this sport. Seven-time World Champion, seven other Masters Awards, seven more UK Championship Awards, 21 Triple Crown Championships and 39 ranking events.

Taking into account the tournaments of the last two years, without sponsors or advertising, O’Sullivan has already collected earnings of one million twenty thousand euros, almost 60 thousand euros more than in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.

Machine on the tables and make money. Knowing your abilities is possible, but it comes at a cost. “The Rocket Method”, one of his latest projects, is a twelve-ring snooker course, aimed at helping all fans of the sport understand and play to their full potential.

There are two registration options: individual membership, with a single payment, of approximately 141.5 euros, and group membership, intended for organizations of up to 50 people, with an annual subscription, costing 2,866. 08 euros.

but that is not all. “The Rocket” also has a “marketing” website that allows for purchases of jerseys, jackets and balls that he uses and autographs…

A very diverse collection that can reach values ​​in excess of €3,000. The cheapest exhibition shirts are €340 each. The most expensive is the World Championship shirt at 1,724 euros, the jacket he wore in one of the tournaments held in 2019 (2,878.24 euros), and the box of training balls, which rises to 3,455 euros.

The huge collection does not end here. Player-signed colored balls, which are currently sold out, are also an option. yellow, pink, blue, green and white for 92 euros; The red and black are signed silver and gold for 115 euros.

Rita Cardera