What's this sudden obsession with darts?

[Dave B]

Tedious pub game played by fat ugly badly-dressed sweatballs, pointless to watch live unless you've got the eyesight of a hawk, dull to watch on TV unless you have 30x fast-forward, but suddenly it's all over the box and almost impossible to avoid.

What's the attraction? I simply don't get it. I would literally prefer to watch paint dry.

[Daniel]

Agreed.

[Donney]

The attraction is simple, is a gme, called sport, which you can play being fat and with a pint in your hand. :D

I certainly feel closer to them than to Mr. Bolt. :beer:

[GridGirl]

Darts is ace. This year was the first in about 5 years when I haven't been to the PDC World Championships. However, BDO darts which finished on Sunday is nowhere near as good as PDC darts. The atmosphere at a good darts match can best any F1 race or football match.

Darts is becoming more popular especially in the last few years when they started the Premier League. Although, that is not good to watch as it's full of people trying to get as drunk as possible in 2 hours. Darts should go back to basics and go back to the Circus Tavern. It was a dump but it was better. :)

[Storm]

I don't get it either dB. Not a very TV/Spectator friendly sport is it?

[AndyRAC]

I don't get it either dB. Not a very TV/Spectator friendly sport is it?

Not TV/ or spectator friendly.??
Rallying would kill for the amount of TV coverage Darts gets. Maybe that says more about the UK than anything else.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

It was just on a lot recently because the Professional Dart Championship (PDC - Sky Sports World Darts Championship) and British Dart Organisation (BDO - BBC Sports World Darts Championship) both happen at the end/start of the year.

I don't mind darts. I find it as easy and as exciting to watch as Snooker or Pool and way better than Golf, Bowls or Curling.

[Storm]

Andy, I would rather play some darts than see some fat bloke playing it.
As for rallying coverage not being on tv, tell me about it :(

[patnicholls]

Each to their own - I like darts, been watching for years although my own standards of playing have never really got any better!

I do wish they'd get the two championships back together though, it seems silly to have them both. Although aside from The Power (and Adrian Lewis on his day), I don't think the difference in quality is as much between them as some folk'd have you believe - note how well Simon Whitlock and Mark Webster have done going over, as well as the other recent BDO guys.

[Daniel]

Storm, I couldn't agree more. I'd rather play darts, golf, snooker, pool etc thaan watch it

[wedge]

Tedious pub game played by fat ugly badly-dressed sweatballs, pointless to watch live unless you've got the eyesight of a hawk, dull to watch on TV unless you have 30x fast-forward, but suddenly it's all over the box and almost impossible to avoid.

What's the attraction? I simply don't get it. I would literally prefer to watch paint dry.

What's the attraction of watching cars go round and round in circles? :p

[Azumanga Davo]

Oh yes, we can all pick up a few darts and start chucking, but how many of us can actually achieve the insane average rate a professional player can? I know I can't and that's what fascinates me when I watch on the odd occasion.

One I can't stand is poker. That gets a ridiculous amount of airtime for what it is, a group of people recieving random cards and then deciding whether to be macho or not in the sake of winning a few chips...

[Daniel]

Wedge, do darts players risk life and limb each time they play? The point is if you or I step in an F1 car our life expectancy is minutes at best if we really go for it.

[Drew]

Boring and the commentary is dull too. It's probably better to go to the match, drink and get drunk and pretend to have an idea what's going on.

Isn't it only the UK and Holland that play darts "professionally" anyway?

[Lousada]

I guess it's because Darts doesn't require any mental capacity to watch. The dart hits triple20 or it doesn't. There is nothing more to it.

Of course it can always be worse. The other day I zapped to Eurosport and they were broadcasting bowling... Bowling is darts minus the beer plus silly shoes.

[Lousada]

Oh yes, we can all pick up a few darts and start chucking, but how many of us can actually achieve the insane average rate a professional player can? I know I can't and that's what fascinates me when I watch on the odd occasion.


Everybody with half decent eye/brain coordination and a stable arm can do it. Darts does not require any skill, it's purely practise.



One I can't stand is poker. That gets a ridiculous amount of airtime for what it is, a group of people recieving random cards and then deciding whether to be macho or not in the sake of winning a few chips...

Agree with you there.

[Dave B]

Everybody with half decent eye/brain coordination and a stable arm can do it. Darts does not require any skill, it's purely practise.
Much as I hate to defend darts, I do take issue with the "anybody can do it" line. There's good money to be won, so if anbody can do it why don't you?

Same as those who say "Michael Schumacher? Pah, anybody can drive a car."

Go on then.

[BeansBeansBeans]

Darts has always had a large following, made up of hard-drinking working class types, but now the middle-class ironists have hi-jacked it, so we have to suffer braying idiots pretending to like it. It happens to everything at some point.

[Lousada]

Much as I hate to defend darts, I do take issue with the "anybody can do it" line. There's good money to be won, so if anbody can do it why don't you?


Go on then.

Because I don't care about the 'good' money and I don't have the time or motivation to practise so much.
But if I understand correctly you think there are specific skills required for darts? Could you please tell me what makes a dartsplayer so special compared to normal people?



Same as those who say "Michael Schumacher? Pah, anybody can drive a car."
Which is not exactly the same. To be a F1 driver you firstly need to be in perfect physical shape. Next to that you need to be smart enough to understand the technical aspects of the car and how they relate to roadhandling and speed. And lastly racingdrivers require anticipation so they can see what will happen next or can react to unforeseen events.

[BeansBeansBeans]

But if I understand correctly you think there are specific skills required for darts? Could you please tell me what makes a dartsplayer so special compared to normal people?

A good darts player needs accuracy, composure and the ability to make calculations under pressure. Not everybody has that.

[GridGirl]

BBB, you are right about the ability to make quick calculations under pressure. I'm an accountant and I cant score and work out a finnish with my calculator anywhere close to a darts player can. I definately cant score using mental arithmatic as I'd be there all day.

Not all darts players are fat. I suppose a fair few of them are but the majority of young players these days are of normal weight and are pretty fit. I have to say I'm quite the James Wade fan myself. ;)

I once booked Wayne Mardle as a birthday present to the other half. Mardle even managed to beat him spitting a dart for double one. Its was the best finish that I've ever seen. :s :D

I think its a bit upfair that darts player are underrated as sportsmen. If any other sportsman had won 15 world titles they would have more recognition than Phil Taylor has got. Like he always says, if darts wasn't a proper profession he wouldn't be paying taxes on all his winnings and earnings.

[Andrewmcm]

Darts is ace. This year was the first in about 5 years when I haven't been to the PDC World Championships. However, BDO darts which finished on Sunday is nowhere near as good as PDC darts. The atmosphere at a good darts match can best any F1 race or football match.

Darts is becoming more popular especially in the last few years when they started the Premier League. Although, that is not good to watch as it's full of people trying to get as drunk as possible in 2 hours. Darts should go back to basics and go back to the Circus Tavern. It was a dump but it was better. :)

Darts is ace! High drama where it is man vs board, but usually turns into man vs man vs crowd.


They are in the Circus Tavern - The Player's Championship is on ITV4, starting Jan 28th.

[Mark in Oshawa]

It was just on a lot recently because the Professional Dart Championship (PDC - Sky Sports World Darts Championship) and British Dart Organisation (BDO - BBC Sports World Darts Championship) both happen at the end/start of the year.

I don't mind darts. I find it as easy and as exciting to watch as Snooker or Pool and way better than Golf, Bowls or Curling.

Golf and Curling I would watch over Darts, but I am better at those two sports than I am at Darts also. "Darth Maple" John Part is from my hometown and he started in the rattiest bar in town, and I suspect he feels partially homeless without the old Queen's hotel to come home and play in. It is a car park now, but then again, if I don't see him playing on the coverage we get of the Dart's competitions, he is often commentating, which I find remarkable. Darts is NOT a big deal over here, although Part has won a world title. We go for poker or snooker more in our pub sports....

[Daniel]

BBB, you are right about the ability to make quick calculations under pressure. I'm an accountant and I cant score and work out a finnish with my calculator anywhere close to a darts player can. I definately cant score using mental arithmatic as I'd be there all day.

Not all darts players are fat. I suppose a fair few of them are but the majority of young players these days are of normal weight and are pretty fit. I have to say I'm quite the James Wade fan myself. ;)

I once booked Wayne Mardle as a birthday present to the other half. Mardle even managed to beat him spitting a dart for double one. Its was the best finish that I've ever seen. :s :D

I think its a bit upfair that darts player are underrated as sportsmen. If any other sportsman had won 15 world titles they would have more recognition than Phil Taylor has got. Like he always says, if darts wasn't a proper profession he wouldn't be paying taxes on all his winnings and earnings.
I think some people can do mental maths and some can't. I can do mental maths till the cows come home :) My mum (who is an accountant too!!!!) can't :crazy:

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think some people can do mental maths and some can't. I can do mental maths till the cows come home :) My mum (who is an accountant too!!!!) can't :crazy:

I cant do the math..but when the host is hollering "One HUNNNDDREED AND EEEEIIIGGGHHHHTTTTYYYYY!!!! I don't have to.

[GridGirl]

I can't do the math but I can do anything on 'my' calculator without needing to look at it. They day you realize you have that ability is a scary one.

Mark, you can't holler one hundrrrreeeeeedddd and eeeeeeiiiigggghhhhtyyyyyy without trying to wave your 180 sign in the air without knocking all the drinks off the table. Fun times. :) John Part has two PDC world titles and three in total if you include the BDO title he won.

[motetarip]

I'm not avid darts fan but I enjoy watching it if its on the tv. It is a skilful game, people will get better with practice but you need natural talent to hit the top just like any 'sport'. I'd rather turn a chunky steering wheel under pressure than try and throw a light little arrow into a tiny target.

PS maybe a massive beer gut is classed as 'physical perfection' in the darts world!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I couple of weeks ago I was challenged to a Darts match even though I rarely play and I won all my games. I managed to finish from 301 in about 15 darts which I thought wasn't bad. Yeah I know the professionals finish from 501 in 9 darts but I still won.

[motetarip]

I couple of weeks ago I was challenged to a Darts match even though I rarely play and I won all my games. I managed to finish from 301 in about 15 darts which I thought wasn't bad. Yeah I know the professionals finish from 501 in 9 darts but I still won.


Maybe you're the next world champ waiting in the wings!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Maybe you're the next world champ waiting in the wings!

They practice for about 5 hours a day though.

Both by older brother play in pub leagues but my elbow starts to click after a few games.

[Langdale Forest]

Darts and SNOOKER are pub games, so they should not be shown as 'sports' on daytime TV.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I've never seen a Snooker table in a pub.

[Langdale Forest]

It's still a pub game.

[Drew]

I've never seen a Snooker table in a pub.

Ever seen a pool table?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Ever seen a pool table?

Yeah, but thats smaller. Same as a Foosball table is smaller than a football pitch :p

[christophulus]

Darts and SNOOKER are pub games, so they should not be shown as 'sports' on daytime TV.

I would've agreed with you before I'd actually tried them. Throwing some darts at a board, building a break in snooker.. how hard can it be?

Very, as it turns out. They're skilled professionals, no doubt, even though they don't require much athletic ability to play. And I find myself strangely drawn into watching them too..

[Drew]

Yeah, but thats smaller. Same as a Foosball table is smaller than a football pitch :p

Nah I was just asking. I don't remember seeing a snooker table anywhere, but to some people it's the same thing :)

One thing I don't understand about darts is, how can you practice hours each day and then not get 180 each time?! (or whatever number you need to get..)

[Mark in Oshawa]

I know I cant practice without getting drunk. I don't know Part does it...lol

[wedge]

Wedge, do darts players risk life and limb each time they play? The point is if you or I step in an F1 car our life expectancy is minutes at best if we really go for it.

I can kick a ball but does that mean I should be on £50k a week?

[Hondo]

Maybe they're becoming more popular because they're one of the few things that resemble a weapon that your government will still allow you to legally hurl at a target. Sooner or later the well compensated estate dwellers will grasp the signifigance of the dart and begin a rampage of "pointy object crime" at which time they will be banned. Unless, of course, you've already been neutered and are restricted to the electronic darts.

On the other hand, it's an indoor game that can be set up in any private home using first class equipment rather inexpensively. Anybody can participate. Great for those that no longer care to venture forth on public streets unless they have to. I haven't seen any othe the programs but wouldn't be suprised if half the advertising isn't aimed at the 40 year old and above crowd.

[Daniel]

I can kick a ball but does that mean I should be on £50k a week?
I couldn't agree more. I think Football players are comically overpaid.

[AndyRAC]

I couldn't agree more. I think Football players are comically overpaid.


Agree, but the argument put forward is about 'supply & demand'. Just look at the coverage in the papers, radio, TV - saturation levels of coverage.

[Daniel]

Agree, but the argument put forward is about 'supply & demand'. Just look at the coverage in the papers, radio, TV - saturation levels of coverage.
Of course and in a free country like ours what's to stop people wasting obscene amounts on season tickets and team clothing and merchandise etc. From a fairly outside PoV I don't think Football is a great model for kids.

If motorsport were just as popular I'd say the same thing tbh. For every Lewis Hamilton who thought when he was a few years old that he wanted to be the next Senna there are probably millions who were destined to be massively crap.

[AndyRAC]

Of course and in a free country like ours what's to stop people wasting obscene amounts on season tickets and team clothing and merchandise etc. From a fairly outside PoV I don't think Football is a great model for kids.

If motorsport were just as popular I'd say the same thing tbh. For every Lewis Hamilton who thought when he was a few years old that he wanted to be the next Senna there are probably millions who were destined to be massively crap.

As someone who in my younger days used to eat, drink and sleep football, it has an unhealthy hold on this country - hell, you're thought of as 'not normal' if you don't like the 'beautiful game'. I've almost washed my hands of it - it's no longer a sport, but a ruthless money making exercise.

[wedge]

As someone who in my younger days used to eat, drink and sleep football, it has an unhealthy hold on this country - hell, you're thought of as 'not normal' if you don't like the 'beautiful game'. I've almost washed my hands of it - it's no longer a sport, but a ruthless money making exercise.

You can put that argument with any top professional sport.

[Daniel]

You can put that argument with any top professional sport.
But F1 doesn't have the kind of hold on people. IMHO I pity people who are 100% devoted to Football.

[BeansBeansBeans]

I agree.

I'm a football supporter, and like most football supporters, I go to the game or watch on TV, enjoy it, then get on with my life. I can't bear it when people take it too seriously. There's a bloke at Man Utd who displays a flag saying:

United
Kids
Wife

And I just think "Oh shut up you sad get".

[Daniel]

I agree.

I'm a football supporter, and like most football supporters, I go to the game or watch on TV, enjoy it, then get on with my life. I can't bear it when people take it too seriously. There's a bloke at Man Utd who displays a flag saying:

United
Kids
Wife

And I just think "Oh shut up you sad get".
See that I can live with. It's no worse than when I watch the Springboks play Rugby Union or go to a WRC event. I would hope Caroline would rip my nuts off if I put the Springboks in front of her other than the occasional couple of hours when a game is on.

[Mark in Oshawa]

We have the same level of stupidity here for hockey, and in this part of the world for the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens, or so I thought, and then when the league locked the players out ( for reasons I am still trying to figure out ) we all went on about out business, and found other other things todo or other minor hockey to watch.

You might be surprised how easily these yobs find a life outside of sport when really pressed...

[wedge]

But F1 doesn't have the kind of hold on people. IMHO I pity people who are 100% devoted to Football.

I was referring specifically to pro sports & business, not devotion


I agree.

I'm a football supporter, and like most football supporters, I go to the game or watch on TV, enjoy it, then get on with my life. I can't bear it when people take it too seriously. There's a bloke at Man Utd who displays a flag saying:

United
Kids
Wife

And I just think "Oh shut up you sad get".

There are weekends where I do not wish to be disturbed as a I have full programme of F1, BTCC, ALMS, IRL & NASCAR in front of the telly.

[Daniel]

I was referring specifically to pro sports & business, not devotion



There are weekends where I do not wish to be disturbed as a I have full programme of F1, BTCC, ALMS, IRL & NASCAR in front of the telly.
Yes but that's some weekends. You don't get into slanging matches at pubs because someone supports your teams arch rival etc etc.

[Hondo]

I gave up on baseball and football years ago. They burned me out with all their whining and strikes. "I could get a career ending injury blah blah..." Tell that to a guy working high steel or on an offshore platform. In addition, unions have a tendency to raise the price of average ability, like minimum salaries for players based on how many years they've been playing. I don't have a problem with players fleecing owners for all the owner is dumb enough to pay, I just don't like the set minimums. Of course I can remember, just barely, when a player had to hustle up a real job in the off season unless he was one of the three or so true, mega stars of the game. I guess I wouldn't make a good F1 owner either because I wouldn't be willing to pay the likes of Fisichella or Trulli more than $10,000 per race.

Remember the days when all the driver got was a percentage of the purse?

[BeansBeansBeans]

There are weekends where I do not wish to be disturbed as a I have full programme of F1, BTCC, ALMS, IRL & NASCAR in front of the telly.

I think you and Daniel have missed my point, which is, anybody who would list a football team as a higher priority than their own children or partner is a bit of a nelly.

[Daniel]

I think you and Daniel have missed my point, which is, anybody who would list a football team as a higher priority than their own children or partner is a bit of a nelly.
I didn't miss it :)

[schmenke]

...One I can't stand is poker. That gets a ridiculous amount of airtime for what it is, a group of people recieving random cards and then deciding whether to be macho or not in the sake of winning a few chips...

Couldn't agree with you more. Why it's televised is beyond me :mark:
As for darts, yes it's one of those sports(?) that is far more enjoyable playing it than watching it on t.v.

[schmenke]

...
United
Kids
Wife
...

He's got it wrong. It should read:

Golf
Kids
Wife

:D





:erm:

[schmenke]

We have the same level of stupidity here for hockey, and in this part of the world for the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens, or so I thought, and then when the league locked the players out ( for reasons I am still trying to figure out ) we all went on about out business, and found other other things todo or other minor hockey to watch.

You might be surprised how easily these yobs find a life outside of sport when really pressed...

I agree Mark. Although there were Saturday nights when I longed for Don Cherry and Don McLean on the telly during the lock-out, overall I didn't really miss the sport.
I think the best for the NHL lately has been the introduction of the team salary caps. It hasn't affected the quality of the sport at all. I think other professional sports organisations can perhaps learn a lesson from this.

[Daniel]

I agree Mark. Although there were Saturday nights when I longed for Don Cherry and Don McLean on the telly during the lock-out, overall I didn't really miss the sport.
I think the best for the NHL lately has been the introduction of the team salary caps. It hasn't affected the quality of the sport at all. I think other professional sports organisations can perhaps learn a lesson from this.
Yes I definitely think football teams could do with salary caps. But I think the problem is that North America effectively had the whole or at least most of the market for Football, Ice Hockey and Baseball players so it can be done. If they put a salary cap in place here in the UK then players would just go elsewhere I guess.

[wedge]

I think you and Daniel have missed my point, which is, anybody who would list a football team as a higher priority than their own children or partner is a bit of a nelly.

Don't tell me you've never been selfish and thought about me, me, me in a relationship

[Mark in Oshawa]

Couldn't agree with you more. Why it's televised is beyond me :mark:
As for darts, yes it's one of those sports(?) that is far more enjoyable playing it than watching it on t.v.

I guess I will disagee. I love the Poker, but then again, I play it. It is mindless entertainment and cheap to produce, so that is why some networks use it as filler during the day.

Most of the pub sports on TV are cheap to produce, so on sportnetworks with 24 hours of programming to fill are going to gravitate to it.