Every sport holds a special place in this world. People from around the globe celebrate, praise, follow, love and cherish a number of sports. Some of them become international and some gain national appreciation. Just like cricket, hockey, football, tennis, car racing, horse riding, bull fighting, badminton, marathons, boxing, etc; Snooker is a well known global sport. In Pakistan a great majority of youngsters and middle aged men are indulged in it. But on the contrary a majority of parents have a negative perspective of the game.
A large number of small and cheap snooker clubs can be found anywhere in Pakistan in almost every city of the country. Each and every club accommodates a great number of players. The majority of people who play here have no knowledge of the actual game and play on because of entertainment. Such clubs also promote gambling over the shots and frames.But despite this, there are some reputed clubs with proper coaching systems and honour for the game. They keep the game clean.
As stated above the image of the game has majorly been distorted as a bad impact on the youngsters and this only because of the small club owners and their biddings, the smoking and drinking, violent atmosphere.
If we take a look at International Snooker we get to see an eye opening image of it, the realizations hit that the game is anything but bad or ordinary, it is all about poise, sportsmanship, gentleman ship, grace, class and what not. Locally tournaments in the cities are held which help promote the sport. A few professionals exist and coach young people who really want to learn the strategies of the game honestly. In the past few years the clubs have improved their environment, allowing only decent people to play with no illegal activities and avoidance towards gamble, providing a hazard free surrounding to keep up the sportsman spirit. In our country the players are not well appreciated regardless of the sport they belong to. Many professionals after retirement are seen in heart wrenching conditions and no help from the government. Which makes it even more difficult for a snooker professional to survive. The injustice can be seen when the clubs were not given any permission of being open even after the lockdown was lifted for almost every other setup.
Snooker has always been a gentleman’s game, and it will continue to be, but in Pakistan we need to raise standards for it. We need to honor the game and give it the appreciation it deserves.
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