The Darts Forum

meetthefeebles wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:31 pm

KingBinglin wrote:When you advertise an event as basically being a piss-up then surely there can be little complaint when those attending act like they're on a stag do? The booing and whistling is only to be expected given how they portray the sport. The PDC have let it carry on for so long now they've made a massive rod for their own backs. Actions, such as over the top crowd control, limiting drinking, throwing people out or the players walking off / refusing to play on will be called out as being heavy handed.

Indeed. The reason why the PDC don't do anything about 'the crowd' is because they deliberately target those who might want to be part of 'the crowd' as their target market. These are the people who put all those millions into the PDC coffers.

It's why Porter can glibly declare that 'there are no darts fans'. We (the tiny minority of 'harecore' darts fans) are irrelevant to the PDC business model.

'Proper' darts fans don't pack out Ally Pally ten days before Christmas at a premium price to watch Eurojobber15 play Asianjobber29 in a thrilling battle to see who gets hammered in the next round by an actual ranked darts player. Pissheads, looking for somewhere to drink heavily, sing, shout and act like tits with a chance they might get on the telly do, though.

Proper darts fans watch it at home because you can actually watch the game and not be put off by nobheads singing about boring tables and yaya toure which hasn't been relevant for about 10 years

Dfc180 wrote:

meetthefeebles wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:31 pm

KingBinglin wrote:When you advertise an event as basically being a piss-up then surely there can be little complaint when those attending act like they're on a stag do? The booing and whistling is only to be expected given how they portray the sport. The PDC have let it carry on for so long now they've made a massive rod for their own backs. Actions, such as over the top crowd control, limiting drinking, throwing people out or the players walking off / refusing to play on will be called out as being heavy handed.

Indeed. The reason why the PDC don't do anything about 'the crowd' is because they deliberately target those who might want to be part of 'the crowd' as their target market. These are the people who put all those millions into the PDC coffers.

It's why Porter can glibly declare that 'there are no darts fans'. We (the tiny minority of 'harecore' darts fans) are irrelevant to the PDC business model.

'Proper' darts fans don't pack out Ally Pally ten days before Christmas at a premium price to watch Eurojobber15 play Asianjobber29 in a thrilling battle to see who gets hammered in the next round by an actual ranked darts player. Pissheads, looking for somewhere to drink heavily, sing, shout and act like tits with a chance they might get on the telly do, though.

Proper darts fans watch it at home because you can actually watch the game and not be put off by nobheads singing about boring tables and yaya toure which hasn't been relevant for about 10 years

Exactly. The 'product' is not intended for people who actually want to watch the darts. If those people contribute to the 'product', it is via streaming fees or TV subs, which allow for higher value sponsorships.

Put another way; if there were enough 'proper darts fans' to fill arenas, they'd create a product tailored to us. There aren't, so they don't.

This isn't limited to darts, btw. Hearn's blueprint for big boxing events for example is exactly the same. He fills arenas with drunks, louts and thugs who aren't remotely arsed about the actual boxing but like the idea of drinking heavily, throwing beer around, casual violence, boasting about and live-streaming their 'experience' on social media and who want to sing 'Sweet Caroline with 50000 other tits. Meanwhile, 'real' boxing fans pay for Dazn and help generate revenue that way.

The entire grift is based on the idea that it is much easier to get money from idiots than actual fans and that there are more idiots than fans. And it works, because fundamentally, both presumptions are sound.

So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

PT13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

Because its mainly boring

PT13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

I'll guess:

- A different audience.

- The crowds are typically smaller and thus easier to control. Crucible only seats 900 or so.

People only go to the snooker to fall asleep or to enter the who has got the most annoying cough competition.

-1

sennafan24 wrote:

PT13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

I'll guess:

- A different audience.

- The crowds are typically smaller and thus easier to control. Crucible only seats 900 or so.

Bingo. No need to fill big arenas, so the product remains targeted on the hardcore fans who are plentiful enough to fill the current smaller ones. Hardcore fans turn up and play the game. How many mongs say to their mates 'lets go and have a piss-up at the snooker'?

Plus, Hearn doesn't quite have the vicelike grip on snooker that he has on darts and his boxing outfit. He won't until Ronnie packs it all in.

PT13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

They've never advertised snooker in the same way. Look at the venues for a start, snooker is largely held in venues with seating on 3 sides and close to the action although players are slightly in a 'bowl' compared to the crowd. Darts tends to be held in larger venues, further away from the action and with people sat at tables (akin to a bierkeller) and the players elevated on a stage.

Snooker, also, has never really been presented as a sport attend for a piss up. Silence is enforced and hence, that's what you expect.

meetthefeebles wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:46 pm

sennafan24 wrote:

PT13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm So why haven't snooker crowds gone the same way yet? They still have to give the best of order.

I'll guess:

- A different audience.

- The crowds are typically smaller and thus easier to control. Crucible only seats 900 or so.

Bingo. No need to fill big arenas, so the product remains targeted on the hardcore fans who are plentiful enough to fill the current smaller ones. Hardcore fans turn up and play the game. How many mongs say to their mates 'lets go and have a piss-up at the snooker'?

Plus, Hearn doesn't quite have the vicelike grip on snooker that he has on darts and his boxing outfit. He won't until Ronnie packs it all in.

Also, lets not forget the Chyna syndrome