gingerjon

If the Boxing Day game goes ahead, even.

So, identical to the idea tried a couple of decades back. What's changed that will make it work this time?

YORKSHIRE BORDER: KEEP OUT LANCASHIRE BORDER: NO YOU KEEP OUT

Your reminder that today's game are on Netflix.

Not an Arsenal fan but this is a cut above a lot of sports 'documentaries' that do the rounds. The story of how we got to the finale of the 1989 season. Hooliganism downplayed a fair bit but, other than that ...

When is the darts on Amazon or Netflix?

At the height of his fame, Phil Taylor appeared on a daytime BBC quiz show where a row of people stood and gave their name and occupation. The contestants had to identify the liar among the truth tellers. They didn’t know who Phil Taylor was.

I can't remember a period before - not Framing the Future, nor licencing, nor any other time - when so many clubs were making off the field improvements whether that is to their ground, their set up or how they present themselves. You can probably point to each of them and say that IMG didn't make them do it, and that they could each have, individually, decided to go that way anyway. But the sheer coincidence of so many deciding to do exactly what is required of them from a recently put together framework is quite remarkable. It's all fairly modest at the minute. And IMG/RL Commercial now need to deliver on sponsors and other revenue(*). But our starting level was on the floor and it is rising. (* = and the RFL need to deliver on grassroots, community and on ensuring the bottom end of the pyramid doesn't see any further departures)

How did they cheat?

They were a shell when he was there. That's the point.

Football stars praising and attending RL goes back years as well. I think there's probably two useful debates to be had. First, can RL 'use' darts? And I think the answer is that it mostly already is as much as it can, for the benefit of both. Second, can RL 'use' Littler? He transcends darts so it really is a separate conversation. We had Steve Redgrave present a trophy, could Littler?

London were a shell, as can be seen by this off season.

I also dispute whether individuals necessarily create popularity in team sports. Most of the England cricket and RU teams could walk unmolested down any high street and yet those sports sell out their internationals all the time.

Edited - following your post in The Other Place.

It probably is that.

I don't think it suggest things are going well on the "Broncos have money" front.

I was trying to remember the last time I saw anyone playing in a pub and it's a fair old time. I must be going to the wrong pubs cos I enjoy a good game of attempting to hit the dart board. In terms of the survey, I was once, a few years back, one of those phoned randomly. And, from memory, they do prompt for what counts as activity and do stress it can be informal/not organised.

That'll be even easier for them to do this year. Remind me what the general sporting attitude to Thursday games is, by the way?

DAZN haven't broken through in the UK - but then, as a country, our sports streaming market has developed differently to most other places - but they do have a lot of rights and I do like that they also put things on YouTube and their own site for free to entice for the subscription offers.

I think you're right on that. The number of players about whom they're talking about 'tour card' (equivalent) is through the roof this year - and there aren't a huge number of spots.

I’ll bear that in mind the next time you say basketball or handball in Europe is small because look at their crowds! I think you can make the argument that the World Championship is a decently big event story-wise but I do think it’s quite revealing that they had the chance to move to a bigger venue and didn’t take it. It is definitely bigger than any individual thing that UK RL does. Overall, though, I honestly don’t think there’s much of a contest. RL is bigger.

I'm not remotely important. This forum is not remotely important. Darts is smaller than rugby league. Three truths there.

Replying isn't bullying and I don't actually think I've met anyone else on this thread IRL.

It is: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/67884690#:~:text=In total 4.8 m people,a peak of 2.32m.

Do a little test then. How many people, total, do you think will be watching at Ally Pally across the whole tournament?