YDear reader, you may not be interested in snooker. You may not be interested in sports at all. But in reality, this is not about sports. After losing to Stuart Bingham in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship yesterday, Ronnie O'Sullivan proved he is the world's greatest potential sports star. He may have lost, but in doing so he showed that there are still standards in public life and that there are people who care about doing the right thing. It's something you don't see very often these days.
I'll explain what happened. Yesterday afternoon, when Ronnie was leading by 6 frames to his 5 frames, he potted the black ball. When the ball was returned to its original position, the next red ball would have been blocked and progress would have been difficult. However, there was a small recess in the table, and the black ball wobbled slightly from its place, allowing easy access to the red ball. Ronnie was having none of it. He repeatedly asked the referee to replace Black to make it more difficult. But the Negroes were having none of it, too, and wandered away.
In the end, Ronnie did the unthinkable. He refused to pot a simple red. Instead, he played difficult defensive shots to the end of the table. This shot cost him the frame and probably the game. It's one of the most noble gestures we've ever seen. As Ronnie was lining up to shoot, former snooker world champion Neil Robertson, who was on TV commentary, said: “If he plays it safe here, this is probably the best I've ever seen.'' “It would be the best sportsmanship in any sport.”
Sure enough, Ronnie played it safe. “I can't believe it! That's unbelievable!” an awe-struck Robertson concluded. Robertson was right, it was incredible. This was a shot that defined and transcended the sport. That was all we learned about sportsmanship in school (if we had a decent teacher). But it was also about the best of humanity: morality, courage, sacrifice, and sheer bloody goodness.
Yes, I'm biased (I've written several books with O'Sullivan and previously declared my undying love for Rocket in these pages). And Ronnie isn't always well behaved in tournaments. In fact, in this match he was far from perfect, punching the table in frustration, arguing with the referee Digislava Bozilova and telling her to “calm down”. But when it comes to big decisions, Ronnie always makes the right one.
What makes this event so memorable is that it comes at a time when we expect political leaders to cheat, lie, profiteer, and tell us that black is white. That is to say. Can you imagine Trump, Putin and Netanyahu rejecting the pot? Or is it Sunak and Starmer's principle to sacrifice easy wins?
Good sportsmanship is as memorable as good sports. Remember when Jack Nicklaus gave up a two-foot putt to Tony Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup final? Because he couldn't bear the thought of Jacquelyn taking it off. The match was tied at half, making it the first tie in Ryder Cup history. It was a great gesture at a great event.
Similarly, when Liverpool's Robbie Fowler jumped over Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman in a crucial match, the referee awarded a penalty. Fowler frantically shook his hand to let Seaman know he wasn't touching him. The referee ignored his noble protests and a penalty was awarded. Fowler took it, Seaman made the save, and unfortunately Jason McAteer scored off the rebound. Fowler was awarded the UEFA Fair Play Award for not accepting a penalty.
Great sporting gestures don't have to involve sacrifice. It may be about empathy or sympathy. In his second Test of the great Ashes series in 2005, Australia fell short of victory by a margin of two runs. Fast bowler Brett Lee almost saw them win. While others celebrated, Andrew Flintoff knelt down to comfort a distraught Lee. wonderful.
Ronnie himself has been involved in similar moments. After defeating Ding Junhui 10-3 in the 2007 Masters final, Ding burst into tears. Ronnie gave him some much-needed hugs, kisses, and pep talks. It's never good for Rockets fans to see him eliminated from a major tournament. In fact, it's hard to find a snooker fan who isn't a Ronnie fan, so it's not a good thing for Snooker Full Stop. But if he wasn't going to break records this year, he wouldn't have left us with more memories.
Unfortunately, there is currently no award for the world's most athletic sports star. Perhaps it's time for some of the biggest names in the sports world to figure it out. In the meantime, we have the Sports Personality of the Year award, and what could be more deserving of that title than Ronnie's gesture of integrity, which is even more important than winning? This is a message that many politicians and people in public life should heed.
