Ronnie O’Sullivan and Luke Littler are the most recognisable faces in their sports (Image: Getty)
If there’s one man who knows what it’s like to be the most recognisable face and sought-after star for a selfie in their respective sport, it’s .
The Rocket has transcended snooker and become a household name in his own right, with O’Sullivan revered for his life on and off the table.
If trajectory continues, he’ll be exactly the same as his snooker counterpart.
Just weeks after finishing second in his debut appearance, Littler had the red carpet rolled out, with media appearances being thrown at him from all directions.
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Such was the clamour for Littler Mania, that even legendary chat show host Jonathan Ross invited the teenager onto his iconic sofa.
Podcasts and brand deals followed, with the appetite for Littler reaching a fever pitch.
In the 12 months or so that has followed, very little has changed.
But Littler’s rapid rise to popularity is bound to come with some eventual drawbacks – something seven-time world snooker champion O’Sullivan knows about all too well.
Read more… [READ]
Luke Littler finished as runner-up in his debut World Darts Championship (Image: Getty)
“Now getting on to my favourite subject, the numpties,” shrieked O’Sullivan in a 2017 interview. “Since the game has opened up and basically anybody can turn up on tour, we have to go through the numpty phase, which is 128 players coming in for round one.”
While somewhat tongue in cheek, it was a clear dig at the lesser-talented players on the snooker tour, with O’Sullivan going on to bemoan how the ‘numpties’ acted around him.
“Turns up with a coachload of people outside, because their grandson is playing Ronnie O’Sullivan, so they all come down, camera phones, pictures, it’s a great day out for them!”
It might be something Littler himself has to get used to, especially if the PDC gets their way and the World Darts Championship is expanded from 2026 onwards.
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Currently, 96 players are entered into the Worlds draw, but as of next year that is likely to be jumping up to 128 instead.
, saying: “So, next year we will go from 96 to 128 players. We will add four more days, which is eight sessions, which is another 25,000 tickets.”
While the increased demand for tickets is in part down to the teenager’s sensational impact on the sport, if more players mean more matches, Littler might find himself having to deal with ‘numpties’ of his own. After all, when it comes to megastars like O’Sullivan and Littler, there’s a fine line between being a fan and a competitor.