Just take football in the 1980s as a case study. Sadly there are numerous clips illustrating the impact of crowd violence on the sport and the lack of safety inside stadiums at the time. Any sporting documentary covering football in this period will inevitably include footage of hooligans, generally accompanied by the Two Tribes soundtrack.
If you wanted a similar experience with snooker then look no further than the Masters semi-final between Jimmy White and Kirk Stevens in 1984. Played at Wembley Conference Centre, here was the sport in a nutshell. A tournament sponsored by a tobacco company; a memorable match covered on BBC television during the glory days of the sport; Stevens in his white suit; two stars who would fill column inches for years to come.
Dallas with balls, Barry Hearn once called snooker during this period. The cast involved and the tales surrounding them added to the whole soap opera, with two men involved in the 1984 Masters semi-final playing their full part in expanding the popularity of snooker. The tournament involving the top 16 players in the world was covered extensively by the BBC.
White defeated Eddie Charlton and Ray Reardon to reach the last four but it was the Canadian Stevens who caused the shock of the tournament by beating Steve Davis 5-3 in the quarter final. With Terry Griffiths awaiting the winner in the final, it was White who flew out of the traps, taking a 3-0 lead in a race to six. Stevens faced an uphill battle.
Stevens took the next two frames only for White to respond with a break of 113, and when the next two frames were shared, White moved into a 5-3 lead and was just one frame away from the final. But if Stevens was going to go down then he would do so in glorious fashion. Frame nine would give him 10,000 reasons to be cheerful.
An excellent long red kicked off Stevens' break, although he would later admit that his positional shot off the resulting black was poor. Yet a decent red into the middle pocket allowed him to split some more reds and stay on the black. It was not quite as fortunate as Cliff Thorburn's fluke at the start of his 147 at the Crucible a year before, but like his compatriot he did benefit from a touch of luck at an early stage.
After five reds and blacks came another scare. Stretching slightly for a red into the corner, Stevens watched as the red slightly wobbled before dropping. Shortly afterwards co-commentator Rex Williams noted that six reds and blacks had been cleared. There was a long way to go, yet anyone watching fully understood the possibility behind this statement.
Stevens seemed very composed through it all. Opting against breaking into the pack off his seventh red, the 25-year-old was mainly thinking of winning the frame and getting back into the match. But it was after he split the reds from his eighth black that Stevens shifted his focus.
"Now I'm thinking about the 147," Stevens later told the BBC's David Icke. Left with a red into the middle pocket, Stevens could have easily made the pot and stayed on one of the colours at the baulk end of the table. "But I thought I've got to go for this," Stevens continued, as he eyed the maximum.
"Well one good pot here and he will be in with a splendid chance of even a very good break," commentator Jack Karnehm declared, almost too scared to mention the dreaded maximum that was still on. Stevens sunk the red and the tricky black that followed. It was now Williams' turn to express cautious optimism.
"So Jack, one would have to say that this a definite chance here for a very, very big break," Williams said, again not wishing to risk the commentator's curse. "That's nine reds and nine blacks," he added, as the two men in the box finally mentioned the possibility of a 147, with Karnehm saying that it was really worth Stevens having a go now that the frame was won.
A lovely shot on the 12th red drew praise from Williams, and the spectators, sat on the edge of their seats in the arena. Soon every single shot was being applauded - later Karnehm suggested this was probably not helping - with the tension of those not in control of the situation escalating as the chance of seeing a 147 increased.
Stevens brought up his century, and with 15 reds cleared he was in touching distance. But the 15th black almost proved costly; Stevens potted the black but looked on anxiously as the cue ball failed to slide past the pink for ideal position on the yellow. The next two shots would test Stevens' nerve and ability to the limit.
The yellow with the rest was difficult enough. But with the cue ball not quite running far enough to get ideally on to the green Stevens would need to go come off three cushions to get back on to the brown. What followed was a "blinder" as Stevens modestly described it. Playing a screw shot with side, the cue ball drew round deliciously for the brown.
"Look at this," Karnehm chuckled in relief and delight, as the crowd exploded. With the brown and blue potted, Stevens revealed that he wanted to leave himself a slight angle on the pink to get on to the black. He sunk a testing penultimate ball and watched in hope as the cue ball tracked towards the top cushion.
For a moment it looked as if the cue ball would die on the top cushion. But almost as if it was willed on by Stevens, Karnehm, Williams and the crowd, the ball bounced off just enough to give Stevens a chance.
"Well, they're cheering but it isn't there yet," Karnehm warned, as Stevens stood over a black that was no formality under the circumstances. The black moved slowly towards the pocket, everyone holding their breath. "Get in," urged many in the crowd, including Karnehm who temporarily forgot himself. Kissing the knuckle slightly, the ball dropped.
"Lovely. Super. Oh, that's really wonderful," Karnehm shouted, as Stevens hugged referee John Smyth and then White. Congratulated by members of the crowd and Thorburn, understandably Stevens was unable to wipe the smile off his face. The Canadian had achieved the first maximum at the Masters and would receive a cheque for £10,000 (plus £1,000 for the highest break).
A representative of Benson & Hedges took to the mic to announce Stevens' winnings, joking that he did not have the money on him at the time and handing over a bank note to as a deposit. As Stevens and the crowd attempted to return to earth, there was the small matter of a semi-final to be decided.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Stevens would lose the next frame and the match. Yet at least he had the consolation of seeing White make a fine 119 break to seal his place in the final. Both players joined Icke for a glass of Champagne after the match. It seemed an unusual case of a happy winner and loser in the post-match interview.
White would go on to beat Griffiths 9-5 in the final, his only Masters triumph in a fine career, and he would reach the World Championship final later in the year, defeating Stevens again in the semi-final. But there would be trouble ahead for both.
After 1984 Stevens' star started to burn out. A cocaine addiction and a break from the sport effectively ended his career. White also suffered with his own addictions, openly admitting that his excesses cost him numerous titles. But their imperfections were part of what made the pair so popular. Flawed geniuses have always appealed to the sporting public.
There is so much to admire about that 1984 Masters semi-final. Two young stars who would play a key role in the growth of the sport, both displaying just how good they were. And of course there was the sight of a man in a white suit achieving the then rare feat of a 147 on BBC television. Now that's what I call snooker.
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