Darts has become the 'Glastonbury of sport' with Luke Littler the 'new hero' fuelling it
The world championship at Ally Pally has become a global event everyone wants to attend, with tickets selling out in rapid time. PR experts say it's because it's so 'authentic'
Darts has become the ‘Glastonbury of sport’, marketing chiefs say.
PR guru Mark Borkowski, who has worked with cricketer Ian Botham, pop king Michael Jackson and rock giants Led Zeppelin, said a ‘weird mixture of pantomime, cosplay and live sport’ had turned the game into a global sensation. Led by 18-year-old double world champion Luke Littler - an everyday hero all kids can dream of emulating - Mark said darts had ‘massive authenticity in an age of Instagram’.
He said: “The event has become the Glastonbury of sport, in a sense. It’s got that weird mixture of pantomime, cosplay and live sport.
“In most sports they coach people to within an inch of their lives. But darts has got massive authenticity in an age of Instagram. The spectators know that they add so much to the event, turn up in their costumes, and boo and cheer along. Those in charge have done a remarkable job to create that spectacle.”
Mark said Littler’s rise from Warrington schoolboy to multi-millionaire sporting legend had added a whole new younger audience to a game formerly associated with boozing and smoking in back street boozers.
He said: “All sports need new heroes and, of course, Littler is that new hero. He is an extraordinary talent.
“But he could also be any kid from any street in Salford, Sheffield, Southampton. That’s part of his appeal. There’s going to be a lot of talent out there looking at him and thinking, ‘I can do the same’.”
A peak audience of 2.5m watched the world championship final on Sky Sports as Littler defended his title.
The rocket in popularity has forced darts chiefs to move next year’s tournament from the Alexandra Palace’s West Hall to the nearby Great one which has more than double the capacity. Fans are already being urged to pre-order tickets for the event - which does not start until December - after this year’s sold out in minutes.
Borkowski, who has also worked with Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, warned Littler - who hit back at booing fans cheering on underdog Rob Cross in their fourth round clash this year - not to expect everyone to back him.
He said: “We talk about the upside of fame but very few people talk about the downsides. And the sophistication in managing fame, particularly in an age of a million cameras, is just so difficult.
“Whether it’s in industry, entrepreneurship, entertainment or sport, we build people up to kill them. Culturally that’s what British people do.
“They distrust dominance. They don’t like success, especially when it arrives too quickly. It is a game of snakes and ladders.
“Littler will have a thousand brands crawling all over him. There’ll be one or two who will think: ‘Let’s just see how he behaves’.
“But I think he’ll come through it.”