Why are there no women top snooker players?

[R1Geezer]

Can anyone offer any theories? I mean snooker has undemanding requirements for fitness and strength so on paper there should be women in the top flight. This is a serious sport question I don't want to turn it into a battle of the sexes ok?

[Sir Alec]

I have always been good at pool, but find snooker difficult as I'm very short. Having to continually use the spider is wearing.

[scotman]

I think it is chicken and egg.
Until there is a reasonable circuit with good prize money it is not viable. I believe one of the best female players of recent times (Alison Fisher?) went to America to join the pool circuit.

[R1Geezer]

yes but why aren't they qualifying for the crucible etc. None of the top tournaments are men only, women can qualify.

[albaqwerty]

I think they might feel it it is a male dominated sport and give up competing. I know you didn't want a battle of the sexes, however I do think it is that way.
Someone mentioned darts, sorry, women just cannot compete against the men however much they try. (I am female and a darts player)

[R1Geezer]

yes alba, darts is similar there is no reason why women cannot compete.

[steg]

may be it is because more men play snooker and darts at a young age than woman. When i was younger and went to the snooker hall out of about 50 - 60 people you would be lucky if you seen 2 - 3 females and none usually played.

[jno]

possibly as Sir Alec says, it's basically a man-sized sport and women being a few inches shorter are at a disadvantage on a full-size table. Other than that, I don't think there are generally as many women playing sports of all sorts as there are men. The pool* of snooker players generally is so much smaller than, say, football that there are very few women at all.

*sorry, the pun was accidental

[woofgang]

Because it's dullard boring and women have more sense

[wolf63]

woofgang - I was being good. I thought it but never said it. ;-)

[jno]

I don't like it much myself, but one of the things about it is that, like chess, it involves maths; you have to calculate the angles carefully. I'm not saying women can't do geometry, but perhaps they feel less like spending their leisure time on it.

[Purple_Popple]

Perhaps being a woman, there are 2 things that may get in the way when leaning over the table ???

[R1Geezer]

no one calculates angles jno, it's instinctive, you don't see Ronnie O doing trig at the side of the table.

Wolf and woolfgang, don't comment then, why do j Arthurs like you feel the need to pi55 on the bonfire all the time? Insecure perhaps? need attention do we? Saddo's

[Arti]

I always thought it was to do with bone joints. Women, generally, for example, can't throw stones like men, because of (I think) the shoulder joints. Maybe that's a reason.

[david51058]

There is no physical reason why snooker and darts cannot be mixed.

[jackthehat]

Yes there is..........
You'd never get a snooker ball to stick into the darts-board !!

[Arti]

I remember in the late 70s/early 80s, the powers-that-be gave a female a chance at commentating. From what I can remember, she was dreadful. I've often wondered if those powers-that-be knew she was going to be bad at the job, thus strengthening their tenet that women should have nothing to do with snooker.

[jno]

I don't mean you have a calculator in your hand; of course it's done in your mind, and instantaneously. But it's still maths.

And like it or not, wolf and woofgang have given you answers to your question.

[Arti]

lol, jth.

[R1Geezer]

how on planet stupid have they answered the question jno?

[ChuckFickens]

There are a few professional women snooker players, but they never make it past the early (untelevised) rounds, Alison fisher is the highest ranking one ASAIK (there is a female professional snooker ref that happens to be pretty hot though!)

And if you don't like people answers R1 just ignore them, no need to start mouthing off at them, it's got you suspended enough times already.