Darts world championship.

[DaveD]

Just flicked the BDO on for the first time tonight.

Everything about it smacks Aston Villa.

Except somebody won

[peter w]

Just flicked the BDO on for the first time tonight.

Everything about it smacks Aston Villa.

Except somebody won

Well it wasn't darts that won...

[cdbearsfan]

And the BDO isn't a feeder to the PDC as that makes it sound like the pyramid system in football, it's just that a splinter organisation backed by Sky money poaches players and doesn't really give a toss about the game apart from the big money glamour of the 'top' players. Which sounds rather familiar with Sky.

I'm shocked that people playing a sport would want to be well paid, rather than treating as a hobby and having to combine it with a job. The problem the BDO had is it was marketed and sold amateurishly. They could have avoided the split otherwise.

Even now it just looks cheap. Even the scorer keeps making mistakes which is pretty pathetic.

[PeterWithesShin]

And the BDO isn't a feeder to the PDC as that makes it sound like the pyramid system in football, it's just that a splinter organisation backed by Sky money poaches players and doesn't really give a toss about the game apart from the big money glamour of the 'top' players. Which sounds rather familiar with Sky.

I'm shocked that people playing a sport would want to be well paid, rather than treating as a hobby and having to combine it with a job. The problem the BDO had is it was marketed and sold amateurishly. They could have avoided the split otherwise.

Which is what I said here.

I'll also add that the BDO have to take a large amount of blame for the split as they let the game drop in late 80s/early 90s with TV and sponsorship, and were too slow or set in their ways to change things.

[cdbearsfan]

You expect me to read all the relevant posts before jumping in with my ill-informed points of view?  I never have before!

[Chico Hamilton III]

The BBC have signed a deal with the PDC to show Champions League darts. Proper darts! 

[DaveD]

And they've dropped the BDO to do it.

[PeterWithesShin]

Disappointing that they've dropped the BDO. The standard was lower but you got to see players you'd never normally see. So instead of an interesting 9 days of darts it will be 2 days of darts featuring the usual suspects. As I don't have Sky etc I am disappointed.

[cdbearsfan]

Hopefully this will lead to a merger with the BBC getting highlights of the proper World Championship instead of the pub version they have at Lakeside.