- The Masters
Snooker just wouldn't be sexy without Ronnie O'Sullivan
Shaun Murphy became the tenth player to complete snooker's "triple crown" on Sunday when he beat Neil Robertson.
The other nine players who have won the World Championship, UK Championship and the Masters are Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Robertson himself, and Mark Selby.
There are some big names in there, to say the least. But where will the next household name come from?
The work-rate and application of the players is greater than it has ever been. The overall level of skill has increased, and the game is now followed across the globe, notably in China.
But, in a crowded British sporting marketplace at least, the sport is lacking in stars beyond the table.
Ronnie O'Sullivan is brilliant and infuriating but the fact is that the sport needs Ronnie more than he needs it.
If you take out the troubled genius from Chigwell, how many players could the casual fan name?
To the outside observer, the second most famous name in this month's invitational Masters event was probably John Higgins - and he is more famous due to his legacy as the youngest face from the glory days.
Higgins is a link to a bygone era, the years when big beasts (not a reference to John's weight) prowled the green baize, players who were figures of national importance.
Were you a Steve Davis fan, or Alex Higgins? Would Jimmy ever end his Final heartbreak? Where did you stand on the grinders, Terry Griffiths, Cliff Thorburn and company? Hendry: awesome machine or cold robot?
In the sport's heyday, it felt like we had relationships with these players, that they were regular and welcome guests in our living rooms.
The likes of Murphy, whose 10-2 win over Robertson was the most comprehensive in a Masters final since Davis beat Mike Hallett 9-0 in the 1989 event, seem distant in comparison.
Robertson, who smashed Ronnie 6-1 in the semi, is the best player Australia has ever produced and was himself a World Champion in 2010. But, with respect to the achievements of the man from Melbourne, they have not captured the imagination of the wider public.
That's not his fault, but symptomatic of snooker's problems. Snooker has been eclipsed by darts as the nation's favourite guilty pleasure.
The split in darts has produced two 'rival' organisations, but only in the sense that Tranmere Rovers are a rival to Liverpool Football Club.
The PDC World Darts, with its booming music and daft signs, has become a national sporting contest, and its TV presence is growing in Holland and Germany.
The success can be attributed to excellent marketing, and also to a crop of charismatic, individual players.
Where are snooker's Barneys, Adrian Lewises, Phil Taylors, Michael Van Gerwens?
Snooker has slipped down the pecking order as a result of having fewer recognisable characters.
That's partly been due to the unimaginable changes in broadcasting and TV over the last generation. The BBC still does an excellent job in its coverage, but there are just too many channels to choose from.
In the 1980s, snooker seemed such a huge part of our national TV diet - because it was, whether we liked it or not.
There's excellent snooker being played by some fantastically dedicated and talented guys, but the glory days have gone.
They belong now to large men in loud shirts being cheered on at Ally Pally.
You wouldn't have thought you'd say it, but darts has become sexy in a way that snooker once was, and if you take Ronnie out, the wider public doesn't really want to know.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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