Snooker: A diminishing craze in India

A cue sport which may not be the most well known sports, but when play it, the required skill set and tactics are compelling.

Snooker is a game of two players/teams who compete to score the highest points by potting the coloured balls using the cue ball. Snooker is widely believed to have originated in India, having been developed from English billiards in the late 19th century, when Colonel Sir Neville Francis, who was stationed in Ooty, devised a set of rules that combined pyramid and life pool and thus Snooker was born. It got its name 'Snooker', which was a military term used to describe inexperienced personnel.

In the later, the game grew in popularity becoming widely played game producing players namely Joe Davis, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Pankaj Advani, who changed the course of the sports to a much higher level. But over the last few years, it has lost its shine, because of some of the Contributing factors: -

Too much importance to cricket:

Cricket is given utmost importance in India. Games like hockey, tennis have also gained popularity but games like snooker, judo, karate, squash are generally ignored by the masses.

Society stereotype:

Snooker is still considered a leisure pass-time sport. So as a sport or a profession it is largely condemned. People often prefer traditional sports as a career over snooker.

Stable Career:

Since being a stereotype sports, career opportunities in this sports have become less and people are forced to opt for other options as no Financial security or pension is provided. And if still, they want to keep connected they have no choice other than to coach and guide.

Lack of authority, support and media coverage:

As the sports is not linked with huge moneymaking, it lacks the interest and dedication of the officials - contributing to the fact that with no officials no sponsors, no media coverage, no recognition.

"Suffering is but another name for the teaching of experience, which is the parent of instruction and the schoolmaster of life." -- Horace.

These were just a few aspects to name with the power to turn the tables, but as with storm comes the rain, so it has happened with this sports Because of the cultural and social stereotypes, the sports became a term associated with gambling and drinking. The original spirit of the sport is getting diminished.

Since no sport is big or small and people should not be biased or skeptical about just one or two sports, all should be considered, followed and supported as "Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently". So as no sports loses its glory and snooker can be proudly one of them.

ou can't win unless you learn how to lose." - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar