The past 12 months in the darting world has been absolutely incredible. In fact, it’s been almost unprecedented.
Luke Humphries has established himself as the best player on the planet. He’s swept almost every major event, winning the World Matchplay last week to add to his World Championship in January.
However, perhaps the biggest story in the sport has been the rise of Luke Littler.
The teenage sensation has brought fresh eyes to the sport in a way no player ever has, and speaking on Club 501, Emma Paton and Wayne Mardle have been discussing how the darting world has changed since Littler emerged.
How darts has changed since Luke Littler has emerged
Mardle and Paton spoke about how the game has changed since the emergence of Littler.
“With the darting world now. We have to mention Luke Littler. Is it feeling more energised for you? Is it feeling different?” Mardle said.
“The Premier League this year has been crazy. Some of the events where my family and friends wanted to come we’ve had to say ‘no, there are no tickets available,” Paton said.
“It’s insane isn’t it? It’s insane,” Mardle said.
“I found in other years I’d leave the worlds trying to tell people about darts, but this year you wouldn’t hear the end of people saying “have you seen this? Have you seen that?’” Paton said.
How Luke Littler has changed the game
Luke Littler has captured the imagination of the public in the way no darts player ever has, and this may be a landmark moment in the sport.
Every now and then, a sport gets a superstar that leads to an explosion in popularity.
Michael Jordan heralded an NBA boom in the 1990s, Usain Bolt made the sprinting events must-watch at the Olympics in the late 2000s and now, Littler has made darts more popular than it ever has been.
Tickets to major tournaments are now selling like hot cakes, and everyone is there to see Littler.
Littler’s form has been poor recently, but he’s still the biggest name in the sport.