Darts has been described as a game of “pure skill and nerve” – but is it a real sport?
Sports journalist for the Irish Independent Conán Doherty thinks it is and has criticised anyone who has tried to “diminish it”.
It comes as the PDC World Championship Final kicks off later today with 16-year-old darts prodigy Luke Littler hoping to become the tournament's youngest-ever winner.
On Lunchtime Live, Mr Doherty said it’s a sport only few have been able to master.
“This is a game that is based on pure skill and pure nerve as well that you have to be able to cope with the pressure,” he said.
“It’s no coincidence that there have been 30 world championships since the PDC was formed and there have only been 11 winners.
“That’s because it’s a really hard thing to do and the best people who are practicing the most and are the most talented are coming to the fore every time.”
OUTRAGEOUS from Luke Littler 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NKbUgytQY3
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 2, 2024
Mr Doherty said he is annoyed by the common trope that “anybody could do it’.
“It’s no better than a dad sitting in a chair on the sideline watching his child and calling him a joker because he didn’t do what he would have done,” he said.
“Anybody could say anybody could do it, but only a very few can actually do it.
“Consider that there are eight million registered players worldwide, there’s only 50 or 60 people making a living out of this.
“Why is that? Because it’s a very hard thing to do.”
Mr Doherty said the perception of players was all wrong.
“Some people perpetrate that the physiques and lifestyles that some top players have don’t fit their perception of what an elite sports person is – but it’s just wrong.
“American football has so many different shapes and sizes, golf has lots of very different shapes and sizes and the GAA did too in a bygone era.
“We shouldn’t be bemoaning the aesthetic as this is a game that is based on pure skill and pure nerve as well, that you have to be able to cope with the pressure of it.”
Listen back now:
Main image: Gary Anderson in action at the 2021 World Darts Championship. John Walton/PA Wire/PA Images
