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Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Steve K

Hi guys here is my interview with Barry Hearn from the World Champs media launch

http://maximumsnooker.com/exclusive_int ... airman.htm

Agree what he says about improving the experiences of people going to see the matches live. Would like to see some of the merchandise they have at the Dragonstars (Berlin, Brugges etc) events and definitely more exhibitions during the tournaments on the match table. The crowd were in stitches when Davis did this exhibition before the German Masters final.

Any other thoughts/comments? Will help me with my future journalistic activities!

UPDATE - Added the audio recording to the bottom of the article
Last edited by Steve K on 14 Apr 2012, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Skullman

Good interview. Nice to see Hearn, with all he's got on, can still find the time to talk to bloggers and such.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Steve K

Took a lot of waiting around but I finally got him! Very pleasant chap to speak to, has some great anecdotes.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Muppet147

Well done for getting the interview, Steve. I would also have asked him about his health. I seem to remember about 12 years ago he was seriously ill.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Steve K

Yeah Smart was surprised how absolutely against it he was, it's understandable though it's hard to truly respect it when synchronised swimming is considered a sport.

Cheers Muppet, he looked fine on Wednesday. Happy to respond to all interview requests, did a great speech during the press conference and overall looked a fine beacon of health.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Wildey

Steve K wrote:Took a lot of waiting around but I finally got him! Very pleasant chap to speak to, has some great anecdotes.

his attitude to the Olympics earned him my respect.

there's this bullocks flying around that the Olympics is the pinnacle of sport reality is its the pinnacle for athletics the rest are there to make up the numbers..
Last edited by Wildey on 13 Apr 2012, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Roland

Good interview Steve, good questions. Like others I approve of the Olympics response. Olympics = track and field, bit of swimming, cycling and random sports like shooting and archery. Load of bullocks apart from track and field and cycling in other words.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Steve K

Sonny wrote:Good interview Steve, good questions. Like others I approve of the Olympics response. Olympics = track and field, bit of swimming, cycling and random sports like shooting and archery. Load of fluffy bunnies apart from track and field and cycling in other words.


Thanks Roland. Definitely think that the Olympics should of been kept at traditional sports but with the modern games including the likes artistic gymnastics, table tennis and most recently BMX biking, it makes sense that cue sports deserve to be included eventually even more so with golf being made a medal event in Rio 2016. Its only a fortnight every four years and would bring new people to the sport which is the main thing.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Wildey

Steve K wrote:
Sonny wrote:Good interview Steve, good questions. Like others I approve of the Olympics response. Olympics = track and field, bit of swimming, cycling and random sports like shooting and archery. Load of fluffy bunnies apart from track and field and cycling in other words.


Thanks Roland. Definitely think that the Olympics should of been kept at traditional sports but with the modern games including the likes artistic gymnastics, table tennis and most recently BMX biking, it makes sense that cue sports deserve to be included eventually even more so with golf being made a medal event in Rio 2016. Its only a fortnight every four years and would bring new people to the sport which is the main thing.


but snooker will be hidden away as a second string sport where as others are looked on as bigger even tennis and football is second rate at the olympics
Last edited by Wildey on 13 Apr 2012, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Roland

Snooker doesn't need the olympics. The olympics is bullocks.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Muppet147

Sonny wrote:Snooker doesn't need the olympics. The olympics is bullocks.


True but it would be one of the few events in which Britain would be sure to get a gold medal. :-)

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Roland

To be fair the World Cup earlier this season showed us what olympic snooker would be like, it could be cool but personally wouldn't bother.

Not to detract from the rest of the interview by focussing on the olympics, I thought there were some insightful comments from Hearn. I personally don't care about Eurosport not showing the final in full, live, when it's on. The fact is Eurosport has such a diversity, the snooker coverage is way way beyond what anyone could realistically dream of. We are lucky they show as much as they do.

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Smart

Steve K wrote:Yeah Smart was surprised how absolutely against it he was, it's understandable though it's hard to truly respect it when synchronised swimming is considered a sport.

Cheers Muppet, he looked fine on Wednesday. Happy to respond to all interview requests, did a great speech during the press conference and overall looked a fine beacon of health.


I am a big Olympics fan, so I will not comment any further. <ok>

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Smart

Sonny wrote:Good interview Steve, good questions. Like others I approve of the Olympics response. Olympics = track and field, bit of swimming, cycling and random sports like shooting and archery. Load of bullocks apart from track and field and cycling in other words.

<doh>

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby Smart

Olympics does not need snooker, like it does not need tennis - but that does not make the Olympics crap. I love the Olympics as much as I love the World Cup football when it comes around every 4 years. Sorry, feel very strong about this. <ok>

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby roy142857

Good interview there Steve - thank you.

re the Olympics, I think where it's not the pinnacle of a sport, the sport has much less of a place in the Olympics. But it can be good to have some less well known arm of the sport involved - nice to have rugby 7's for instance. Can't see much point in snooker being in but if it was, maybe as 6 red?

At the last World Games (for sports that aren't in the Olympics and held one year after the Olympics) the snooker gold medalist was Nigel Bond, with David Grace taking the silver and Mohammed Shehab the bronze. Much more interesting and meaningful and with a better case for the Olympic inclusion was the 3 cushion billiards, gold went to sausage Jaspers, silver to Torbjörn Blomdahl and bronze to Marco Zanetti.

(Next years World Games is in Cali, Columbia as the original German hosts pulled out - sorry, no idea what cue sports are included)

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby roy142857

roy142857 wrote:Good interview there Steve - thank you.

re the Olympics, I think where it's not the pinnacle of a sport, the sport has much less of a place in the Olympics. But it can be good to have some less well known arm of the sport involved - nice to have rugby 7's for instance. Can't see much point in snooker being in but if it was, maybe as 6 red?

At the last World Games (for sports that aren't in the Olympics and held one year after the Olympics) the snooker gold medalist was Nigel Bond, with David Grace taking the silver and Mohammed Shehab the bronze. Much more interesting and meaningful and with a better case for the Olympic inclusion was the 3 cushion billiards, gold went to giraffe Jaspers, silver to Torbjörn Blomdahl and bronze to Marco Zanetti.

(Next years World Games is in Cali, Columbia as the original German hosts pulled out - sorry, no idea what cue sports are included)


rofl

OK, clearly should have gone with his proper name Dingeman rather than the name he's normally known by ...

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby beergitte

Regarding the Olympics; a few years ago the Danish Eurosport commentator mentioned snooker being accepted as an olympic sport. I thought that would be nice, cos it might mean more television coverage in Denmark, where you only ever hear about snooker on Eurosport.
But at the moment I'm not really bothered, cos there's so much snooker on all the time :D :happy:

All I can say is thank you Barry :hatoff:

Re: Barry Hearn Interview

Postby gallantrabbit

Nice interview. Olympics has nothing to do with snooker, footbal, golf or tennis, but is aa terrific event anyway.
No surprises about the Brazilian Masters though I think Hearn could have been more hands on last year. There goes my chance for local live snooker...