Google the question –
“How many people play snooker in the UK?”
then try –
“How many people play badminton in the UK?”
(I chose badminton as a random example)
According to statista.com the answers are:
for snooker –
“The number of people participating in snooker in England decreased in 2023 over the previous year. As of November 2023, 19.3 thousand people played snooker in England.”
and for badminton –
“The number of people participating in badminton in England increased in 2023 compared to the previous year. In 2023, approximately 763 thousand people participated in badminton in England.”
Meaning there were almost 40 people playing badminton for every person playing snooker.
Now compare mainstream TV coverage of snooker and badminton.
As far as the UK is concerned, there is no comparison.
Is badminton ever covered?
Apparently, YouTube is the best way to watch professional tournaments. I didn’t even know there were pro tournaments!
So the question is, for participation purposes, is TV necessary?
Without TV, a sport can survive quite well.
Without participation it’s already dead.
And as for the claim that snooker should be in the Olympics as it is much more popular than things like equestrian sports, in 2023 285,600 people took part in equestrian sports.
Almost 15 times as many as played snooker!
My opinion:
The lack of participation in snooker isn’t down to the poor TV exposure. But a lot of research needs to be done into why so many people like to watch but don’t want to play.
We need more participants!
