Ronnie O’Sullivan, the defending Masters champion, begins his bid for a document seventh title on Sunday towards Liang Wenbo – and he options loads within the media on Saturday.
O’Sullivan is in fact a lot in demand for his ideas forward of the largest tournaments, and World Snooker must be congratulated for making him out there for greater than an hour final week.
A small group of 4 journalists, together with yours actually, sat down with him in Romford, together with a BBC tv crew and the outcomes are on the market for all to see.
And I’d notably draw consideration to a few prolonged profiles from two of the higher interviewers and have writers in my recreation.
I and a few colleagues are lucky in that we get to talk to O’Sullivan a number of instances a yr, plus in lots extra press conferences on high of that.
However the impression of somebody assembly him as soon as in a blue moon, or for the primary time, and given some area to jot down a correct piece, provides a special and beneficial perspective.
And Oliver Brown of the Each day Telegraph and Sean Ingle of the The Guardian have made essentially the most of that chance to supply up glorious particular person takes on the identical assembly.
Hyperlinks
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/snooker/2017/01/13/renegade-ronnie-osullivan-looks-life-beyond-baize/
There may be additionally a very good piece within the Each day Mail, all from the identical 70 minutes of quotes; however The Instances, sadly a fading power on snooker protection and for causes finest recognized to themselves, snubbed the uncommon probability to both ship a employees reporter alongside or make use of the freelance useful resource within the room.
With the remainder of the bases lined I provided up one or two mildly amusing strains to the tabloids (Star, Solar and Mirror on Saturday), and Jamie Broughton of the BBC additionally received some good use of their time with O’Sullivan.
Gamers, for instance John Higgins lately, get rightly criticised when they don’t fulfil their media duties both to the letter of the contract, or with the correct stage of enthusiasm and embracing the ambassadorial obligation that comes with being a high skilled.
In equity to O’Sullivan, he has completed his bit over 25 years. Sure, he could have ducked the odd press convention, though you’ll be arduous pushed to call multiple lately, however he has completed extra media through the years than a lot of the gamers put collectively. The honest ones know this, acknowledge it, and are sometimes fairly grateful that he’s the lightning conductor.
The overwhelming majority of gamers are excellent ambassadors for snooker. They know that whereas it’s their whole world, on the market it’s a minority sport combating for consideration with different, greater sports activities, they usually give of their time willingly and out of doors their contractual obligations for the great of the sport.
To all these gamers we are saying thanks, and likewise O’Sullivan on this event – with a busy schedule, turning up admitting he “actually didn’t need to be right here”, wanting dishevelled after a late night time in Eire at Goffs and an early flight, however answering the decision to advertise the Masters.
