Snooker’s World Championship history is littered with stories that will live long in the memory.
Staying up until God knows what time to see cheeky chappie Dennis Taylor edge Steve Davis 18-17; seeing 150-1 shot Joe Johnson win the trophy in true underdog fashion in 1986; watching Stephen Hendry become the youngest ever winner in 1990; Hendry’s epic battles with housewife’s favourite Jimmy White throughout the 90s.
The list goes on.
All of these stick in my mind and have no doubt formed the basis of several Crucible montages on the BBC over the years some of which you’ll no doubt see when coverage of this year’s event starts this Saturday.
But one fairytale story snooker surely can’t afford to unfold is the prospect of seeing Ronnie O’Sullivan lift the 2013 crown.
I’ve absolutely nothing against O’Sullivan and the man clearly has talent in abundance. However, if the four-time champion comes back after more than a year off to win a fifth title next month, what message does that send out about the state of the game?
O’Sullivan took a break from the game in November and hasn’t competed in a tournament since beating Ali Carter 18-11 in last year’s final.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great news that he’s back on the big stage, helping to boost the profile of the game and looking to give his own life some focus again after banishing some of his personal demons.
Even the very announcement of his return generated some heat.
“It could be a car crash, it could be good, you just don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never been one for doing Big Brother, but this is about as near as it gets. Who knows what will happen?
“The worlds is a one-off event and the form book goes out the window.”
That’s all well and good, but the bigger picture is that snooker just doesn’t have the same appeal it did several years ago.
Audiences are in decline, viewing figures are well down on what the domestic game previously enjoyed and O’Sullivan himself a few years ago admitted the game was “dying” in this country and needs fresh ideas.
The smoking ban, changing habits, the closure of snooker halls and the fact snooker does not qualify for Lottery funding have all contributed to the game’s decline, and gimmicks like the ill-fated Power Snooker concept which saw the players dressed in more relaxed clobber in a fast paced variation of the game most people know and love seemed to be a desperate attempt to stop the rot.
Darts is the prime example of a ‘pub game’ that has benefited from the razzamatazz, the cheerleaders and Barry Hearn’s fresh ideas in recent years, but I’m afraid snooker is a different thing entirely.
So what message would it send out if O’Sullivan walks into the Crucible after barely a few weeks of preparation and wins it all?
The game appears to be dying on its backside and it needs exciting games and close competition, with a few colourful characters sprinkled in, to help attract viewers back.
And while O’Sullivan winning a fifth title would be as the defending champ referred to himself like a reality TV programme and all credit to him, it would be a programme I fear more people would want to switch off.