RL at the Darts

[Damien]

Pretty good to see stuff like this to get the sport and its players out there:

 

[Pie tries]

Brilliant - need more of this !

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Like watching the Mrs throw.  

[bird]

Great PR.

[graveyard johnny]

whos gonna moan first about the attendance?

[Eddie]

With Smith, Bunting, Littler and Cullen all being big League fans the game really should make more of it. 

[Just Browny]

8 hours ago, Eddie said:

With Smith, Bunting, Littler and Cullen all being big League fans the game really should make more of it. 

Warrington have had Littler involved in just about every promo we've done this year; we had him supporting us the Cup Final and launching the new kit. Not sure what more we could do without social services getting involved for child abuse.

Saints and Wigan do a fair bit with Smith and Cullen too, which is quite a good effort on Wigan's part given Cullen seems to be a bit of an a***hole.

I've watched a lot of the darts this year on Sky and RL has popped up a lot. Not sure if we have always had this level of cross-promotion but it does feel very helpful considering how much profile darts has at the moment.

Edited December 23, 2024 by Just Browny

[The Future is League]

10 hours ago, Damien said:

Pretty good to see stuff like this to get the sport and its players out there:

 

Exactly

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Just Browny said:

Warrington have had Littler involved in just about every promo we've done this year; we had him supporting us the Cup Final and launching the new kit. Not sure what more we could do without social services getting involved for child abuse.

Saints and Wigan do a fair bit with Smith and Cullen too, which is quite a good effort on Wigan's part given Cullen seems to be a bit of an a***hole.

I've watched a lot of the darts this year on Sky and RL has popped up a lot. Not sure if we have always had this level of cross-promotion but it does feel very helpful considering how much profile darts has at the moment.

I know the clubs are doing stuff but it would be good to see the players supporting the launch of super league and generally promoting the game on Sky advertising and national media etc. Darts players are now so well known it would be a big boost. 

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

I know the clubs are doing stuff but it would be good to see the players supporting the launch of super league and generally promoting the game on Sky advertising and national media etc. Darts players are now so well known it would be a big boost. 

We’ve had Sky launches led by people from other sports - Bradley Wiggins for example - and people moaned.

We do okay for using the dartists. Not sure there’s much more mileage for us given that RL is the bigger sport.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

3 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

We’ve had Sky launches led by people from other sports - Bradley Wiggins for example - and people moaned.

We do okay for using the dartists. Not sure there’s much more mileage for us given that RL is the bigger sport.

Darts may not be as big overall but it is has a better geographical awareness.....might be mutually beneficial 

There is of course the slight concern around 'perceptions' for both sports and having them linked might re-enforce that (flatcaps, pigeon fancying, tripe eating etc)

[lucky 7]

14 hours ago, Damien said:

Pretty good to see stuff like this to get the sport and its players out there:

 

Good publicity for the game as far as I'm concered.

[The Masked Poster]

RL is bigger than Darts? On which planet is this true? 

I have a very passing interest in Darts, I don't even really take any notice when there is a big tournament going on in the pub but to suggest that RL us bigger is absolute nonsense, verging on delusional. Pretty much every pub and bar in the world has a dart board in it and many of those have darts teams. 

I'm sure the retort would be "X thousand people go to RL games. Whereas less than X go to the Darts"..... which is to completely miss the wider point. Darts is worldwide (and I don't even think it's a sport) 

[gingerjon]

12 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

RL is bigger than Darts? On which planet is this true? 

I have a very passing interest in Darts, I don't even really take any notice when there is a big tournament going on in the pub but to suggest that RL us bigger is absolute nonsense, verging on delusional. Pretty much every pub and bar in the world has a dart board in it and many of those have darts teams. 

I'm sure the retort would be "X thousand people go to RL games. Whereas less than X go to the Darts"..... which is to completely miss the wider point. Darts is worldwide (and I don't even think it's a sport) 

Bless.

Well, we've more money, more players and more spectators at more events, but, sure, because the Dog & Duck has a dart board, but no teams any more, darts is bigger.

Happy to see both sports use each other but let's not pretend it's only darts doing us a favour.

[Eddie]

28 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

We’ve had Sky launches led by people from other sports - Bradley Wiggins for example - and people moaned.

We do okay for using the dartists. Not sure there’s much more mileage for us given that RL is the bigger sport.

RL bigger than darts? Not any more, 4.8m people watched last year’s final.  

Edited December 23, 2024 by Eddie

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

RL bigger than darts? Not any more. 

Do a little test then.

How many people, total, do you think will be watching at Ally Pally across the whole tournament?

[The Masked Poster]

10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Bless.

Well, we've more money, more players and more spectators at more events, but, sure, because the Dog & Duck has a dart board, but no teams any more, darts is bigger. 

Happy to see both sports use each other but let's not pretend it's only darts doing us a favour.

You can try to be as patronising as you like, and try to bully other much less important forum members as much as you want. 

But it doesn't change reality. This forum where you and your mates agree with each other is not the wider world.

And taking the pee out of participation numbers is not a willy waggling contest RL should get into. Dog and Duck? Almost every pub in the land has a dartboard. 

Edited December 23, 2024 by The Masked Poster

[The Masked Poster]

5 minutes ago, Eddie said:

RL bigger than darts? Not any more, 4.8m people watched last year’s final.  

Is that a genuine figure pal? 

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

Is that a genuine figure pal? 

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

[gingerjon]

4 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

You can try to be as patronising as you like, and try to bully other much less important forum members as much as you want. 

But it doesn't change reality. This forum where you and your mates agree with each other is not the wider world. 

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

[The Masked Poster]

3 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

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

You're a belittling bully, who gets away with it because you have umpteen posts and are important. 

However, I know better than to argue with the status quo on here. 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

You're a belittling bully, who gets away with it because you have umpteen posts and are important. 

However, I know better than to argue with the status quo on here. 

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

Three truths there.

[Eddie]

31 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Do a little test then.

How many people, total, do you think will be watching at Ally Pally across the whole tournament?

That’s irrelevant really, basketball and ice hockey get small crowds due to being played in indoor stadiums, same as darts. The fact is millions of people are following this tournament, I’d say the majority of blokes aged 20-50 will be to some extent, which certainly isn’t the case with rugby league or indeed any sport except football. 

[Eddie]

31 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

Is that a genuine figure pal? 

Yes. 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

That’s irrelevant really, basketball and ice hockey get small crowds due to being played in indoor stadiums, same as darts. The fact is millions of people are following this tournament, I’d say the majority of blokes aged 20-50 will be to some extent, which certainly isn’t the case with rugby league or indeed any sport except football. 

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.