Ronnie O’Sullivan says he does not want his kids to play snooker as he blasts sport as ‘waste of a life’
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has revealed that he does not want his kids to play snooker, blasting the sport as a ‘waste of a life’.
The Rocket is a six-time world champion, widely heralded as one of the best players of all time.
But O’Sullivan, despite having earned £12million from the sport himself, believes that most players are on a hiding to nothing.
And he would not support his kids picking up a cue.
The 42-year-old told The Disruptive Entrepreneur: “I always say to young kids, their parents, ‘Don’t let them play.’
“My own kids, I say, ‘You’re not playing snooker.’
“If they decide to play snooker they’re on their own, I’m not supporting that.
“It’s a bad sport, it can cause you a lot of damage. Unless you’re Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, John Higgins, Mark Williams, me, Judd Trump, [Mark] Selby, [Neil] Robertson… forget it.
“The others, it’s just a waste of a life.
“Even some of them names I’ve mentioned, even some of them, they’re good at what they do but if they could be equally be good at something else, I think, ‘Go for the other thing!'”
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O’Sullivan also pointed to the solitary nature of the sport, and how it can stunt players’ social skills.
He continued: “Snooker’s just a really, really tough sport.
“Stuck indoors, no natural light, draw the curtains, in there for five or six hours, you don’t talk to anyone.
“That’s not healthy, that’s not a good way to spend your life.
“Look at a lot of snooker players, they don’t know how to have a conversation because they don’t talk.”
The Rocket believes that ‘detaching’ from the sport has helped him enjoy life more over the last 20 years.
He added: “Life’s all about getting a buzz and the joy of life. For me I’ve detached from snooker over the last 20 years.
Like I said, I wouldn’t have chose snooker, I’d probably have chosen golf or Formula One
Ronnie O'Sullivan
“They don’t see me at a venue and a lot of players say, ‘What do you do?’
“I’m like, ‘I have a life! I like to enjoy doing other things.’
“I can turn up for a match at two o’clock and at 1:50pm I put my shirt and tie on, I don’t need to practice, I’m not that bothered.
“Like I said, I wouldn’t have chose snooker, I’d probably have chosen golf or Formula One.”