Phil Taylor - World Champion for 16th time
…..yes of course it is! The problem with darts is image. The game of darts in the UK is associated with pubs, cigarettes and fat men, The main players in darts do not look lean and mean, they look old and bloated so they do not represent the image of a demi-god which sportsmen tend to represent since the Greeks held the Olympics as a religious ceremony.
With Phil Taylor the man who has dominated the sport of darts for the last 20 years, you basically have Muhammed Ali, Pele, Steve Redgrave, Bill Shoemaker and Jahangir Khan in one. There has never been a darts player who dominated the sport as much as he has. The consistency of his rule is so total that The Magical Tipster was in epilepsy of betting when he saw his betting price.
The problem that critics have of darts is that they miss the point of darts. Darts is about hand eye co-ordination much as shooting or archery is about hand eye co-ordination. The critics miss the point about the physical aspects as well. It does take a lot to keep the whole body and breathing in control. Just like a sniper needs to control the body to get the right shot.
Unlike poker or chess the physical element of darts is mental and physical, separate and joined. You need to have both when playing darts. The beer bellies and tattoos associated with darts may look bad but you do not need to use your abdomens, you need to focus on your throwing arm, eyes and stance. Hopefully the rest of the body will work to keep the throw of the darts perfect.
In the past the ruling sports body did try to get to grips with its image but I believe when Phil Taylor feel out with the rest of the darts committee and created his own association they kind of abandoned the image change except for the drinking beer and smoking cigarettes on the oche. If you do not think of darts as a sport just try and hit 20 x 20’s in a row. It is damn difficult.