A real man: Ronnie O’Sullivan picks family over defending his Shanghai Masters Title
Let’s recap: not renowned player O’Sullivan’s snooker career, but the never-ending cliché of men and their relationship with sports. The media would have us believe that a man, no matter how old, will always put sports ahead of family time. Countless sitcoms reiterate this stance and make it seem perfectly fine for a father to complain about watching his child’s drama recital when his favourite team is playing for the World Cup title. One cannot say that a certain sport has preference over the other; it is every man’s passion to defend the vitality of his favourite sport. Whether watching your favourite player or team defend their championship title means living vicariously through them and secretly yearning for a life you cannot have, or a skill you do not possess, is, of course, a question whose answer we won’t ever really know.
Here is a man who has put defending his championship title after his family. Prolific snooker player Ronald Antonia “Ronnie” O’Sullivan has not only been a World Champion thrice, but also the world’s number 1 snooker player five times. He has 22 ranking titles to his name and is considered by many as the most naturally talented player in the history of snooker itself. Since 1992, O’Sullivan has won countless tournaments, including the UK Championship, the Premier League for snooker, the World Open and many others. O’Sullivan’s fast and attacking playing style earned him the nickname “The Rocket”. He is somewhat ambidextrous when it comes to a game of snooker and is a solid tactical player. In the world of snooker, some consider him a ‘genius’; after all, snooker has all the components of an advanced level physics class!
Being so revered in the snooker world, it is a surprise to see an amazing player decide to forge a whole championship title to spend time with his family. O’Sullivan has two children with partner Jo Langley. Like most sportsmen, O’Sullivan’s relationship with Jo has been a series of ups and downs, one-night stands included. Yet O’Sullivan is dedicated to his three-year old son of the same name, Ronnie, and his four-year old daughter Lily.
The now world number 2 player said that: "This has been a very difficult decision. However I have a very young family and I need to spend more time with them.”
What this means for his fans in China is of course disappointment and O’Sullivan is not unaware of that fact. The English player states that he is “truly sorry” to his Chinese fans and claims them to be some of the most passionate people in the world. O’Sullivan was set to play China’s Tian Pengfei or Scotland’s Jamie Burnett in the first round of this year’s Shanghai Masters tournament.
Those in the snooker world understand O’Sullivan’s reasons and respect his decision. Barry Hearn, World Snooker Chairman was sympathetic to O’Sullivan’s situation and said: "It's very disappointing for his fans in China but we understand the personal reasons behind Ronnie's withdrawal."
It is not every day that you see family being put ahead of sports, but maybe the trend is changing as we saw with Tiger Woods, who took a break from golf in order to patch up things with his former wife. The world of sports is a fast-paced cutthroat one where competition drives the sportsperson and so its relationship with the player’s emotional and personal life is tumultuous and never-ending. Personal issues have almost always affected a sportsperson’s form and game and will continue to do so. Maybe that was the reason O’Sullivan took his break; what’s the point of playing if you’re not mentally prepared for the game and are preoccupied.
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