Nominal vs present value
Local display: $1.8m · Rebased to 2024 USD via US CPI-U
How the total breaks down
Ranking prize money. Deep Crucible runs and ranking-event earnings without a World title.
Exhibitions & popularity deals. UK demand for the People's Champion that often out-earned quieter champions.
Impact 86
- Proved popularity could out-earn a superior head-to-head rival
- Made the nearly-man narrative a commercial asset
- Showed exhibitions rewarded charisma as much as ranking points
White's early-1990s income was snooker's charisma lesson: fill rooms and cameras follow, even if the World title never arrives. Later showmen owed him that business case.
White's 1991-ish peak captured snooker's popularity premium at full volume. Ranking cheques mattered; the exhibition phone ringing off the hook mattered more. Roughly $800,000 then still clears nearly $1.8 million today.