If you could decide the future of the shootout?

What would you go with?
I'm very much with Option B.

On a related note, I would like to see a new tournament added to the calendar that uses the Shootout shot clock rules, but with longer matches (i.e. Bo7, Bo9, Bo11, etc.).

Went scrap it entirely. It's still pretty pointless even if it's not a ranker and the Soccer AM style crowd banter is embarrassing

On the WST video on YouTube there's a brief comment about an American Shootout being held.

HustleKing wrote:Went scrap it entirely. It's still pretty pointless even if it's not a ranker and the Soccer AM style crowd banter is embarrassing

It's not really pointless though, is it? I do find it entertaining, at times, and part of that comes from some serious money still being at stake. It gives lower-ranked players a potential lifeline in terms of earnings, but doesn't just hand them that lifeline at the same time. It's probably extremely hard to win and, yes, there is quite a bit of skill still involved.

Okay, I appreciate other sports don't do that, but why do we have to be a carbon copy of other sports?

It just shouldn't be a ranking tournament. The irony is that ranking status was given to it to boost its importance but has actually been the very thing that has undermined it most.

SnookerFan wrote:As if you didn't know my opinion, I voted to keep it but not as a ranking event.

The one choice Hearn didn't give in his vote.

Yes precisely what I think. Of course players didnt want it to be scrapped, but if they were given the 2nd option, maybe it would have been a fairer reflection.

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:On the WST video on YouTube there's a brief comment about an American Shootout being held.

Hopefully it would be called something else in the US, as calling it a shootout there would be a bit insensitive

HustleKing wrote:

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:On the WST video on YouTube there's a brief comment about an American Shootout being held.

Hopefully it would be called something else in the US, as calling it a shootout there would be a bit insensitive

Knowing the yanks, it's the very thing that would get them interested

SnookerFan wrote:

HustleKing wrote:

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:On the WST video on YouTube there's a brief comment about an American Shootout being held.

Hopefully it would be called something else in the US, as calling it a shootout there would be a bit insensitive

They'd probably be disappointed that there was no actual shooting involved.

Lol

SnookerFan wrote:

HustleKing wrote:

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:On the WST video on YouTube there's a brief comment about an American Shootout being held.

Hopefully it would be called something else in the US, as calling it a shootout there would be a bit insensitive

They'd probably be disappointed that there was no actual shooting involved.

Scrap It and replace it with the Irish Masters at Goffs. RTE would need to come on board but I think it is possible.

Why don't they call it a minor ranking event, like the old PTCs?

Snooker89 wrote:Scrap It and replace it with the Irish Masters at Goffs. RTE would need to come on board but I think it is possible.

Virgin Media would need to come on board. RTE don't give a silt about sport anymore apart from the Dublin footballers, preferably on a Saturday night at 7pm in Croke Park

Vallomas wrote:Why don't they call it a minor ranking event, like the old PTCs?

Good idea actually.

It could still carry ranking points, but not count towards an official ranking event title.

SnookerFan wrote:I have a feeling TV viewership is poor. Hence why it's a ranking event and now part of the European tour prize fund.

Hearn is trying to get bigger names there at all costs.

Still, many top players didnt take part in it.

Funnily enough, it was the decision to make it a ranking event that started the mass exodus of top players from the tournament.

Interesting that somebody voted to keep it and it's ranking status. Someone who has unique insights and knows better, or a fool who knows nothing?

SnookerFan wrote:

Ck147 wrote:Interesting that somebody voted to keep it and it's ranking status. Someone who has unique insights and knows better, or a fool who knows nothing?

Just somebody with a different opinion.

It would be interesting to hear their opinion though.

I think Johnny already gave it

I didn't vote, but I have nothing against it in general. I don't like it, so I don't watch it. I did vaguely follow the progress of the tournament through this site, as it had a bearing on the makeup of two subsequent tournaments which are important to the schedule.

My feeling is it's a bit of an embarrassment to the sport (mainly due to the puerile crowd), but it should stay in some form; certainly not a ranking event, and in my opinion not even under the WST umbrella. An independent company should take it on and open it up to all table sport professionals. That way, there might even be some American interest. It could even be interesting to see some top US pool players compete against snooker pro's & amateurs.

SnookerEd25 wrote:I didn't vote, but I have nothing against it in general. I don't like it, so I don't watch it. I did vaguely follow the progress of the tournament through this site, as it had a bearing on the makeup of two subsequent tournaments which are important to the schedule.

My feeling is it's a bit of an embarrassment to the sport (mainly due to the puerile crowd), but it should stay in some form; certainly not a ranking event, and in my opinion not even under the WST umbrella. An independent company should take it on and open it up to all table sport professionals. That way, there might even be some American interest. It could even be interesting to see some top US pool players compete against snooker pro's & amateurs.

The 9-ball commentators are always quick to point out when a pool player is a prolific (Jimmy White style!) century maker in snooker practice, so maybe some of them could compete for the entire event

Its too darn fun to scrap but it carries far too many ranking points. A top prize of 10k is enough for 7 frames. All the top players would fail to appear but gives us a chance to see the other platers which I enjoy seeing

Perhaps if the ranking points were that low, it might not just lose the top players but a fair few midranking players who were safe from relegation couldn't qualify for the coral events or weren't near the top 16.

You might end up with the bottom 64 and a few others