Okay,

In any case, my statement of WTF is darts doing on television was misunderstood to some degree.  And saying that it was something only played in a bar made it worse.  For the record, I DO think darts is a sport, but I just don’t see it as a great televised event.  And it’s not just me as there are other boneheaded sports writers and sports talk bloviators out there besides me who questioned ESPN’s choice of programming. 

In any case, I don’t mind being questioned on my opinions and I’m a pretty fair guy, I think.  I mean, I’m no King Solomon or anything, but I’m willing to listen to what other people have to say.  And, I did just that with George Silberzahn, who took the time out of his day to explain darts to me like I was a six year old… sorry, couldn’t help but think the Philadelphia quote was appropriate here.  AND, I even watched a few episodes of The World Series of Darts.  Also, I received a helpful e-mail from David DePriest, a participant in TWSOD, of which you can read about his experience by clicking here.  And all things considered, you know what?

I’m still not a fan of watching darts on television.

Nothing against the sport of darts at all, or those that participate in it, but I’m just not deriving any pleasure from watching it on television.  After my chat with Mr. Silberzahn, I better understand the skill, technique, and desire it takes to get to the level of the players on the show.  And again, I do think darts is a sport with the bonus of it being that ANYONE can play it, but not EVERYONE can be good at it - Lord knows I’ve redecorated many a wall with holes where a dart tip used to be - but TWSOD is missing its target with me.

I think I might think that I’d enjoy the show a little more if I was actually there and in the environment, but as it is, I’m watching the late show in my kitchen as I also do some writing (NOTE: I watched the first ten minutes of the shows I watched, giving them my full attention, but slowly found myself losing interest and started to write instead).  But, hey, not everyone likes eating the stems of broccoli or believes that wrestling is staged (see what I did here, I didn’t say “fake” as the last thing I need is a bunch of crazy wrestling fans literally slam me).

In the end, what I’m saying is that we can agree to disagree.  The Philly Dart Collective (and other dart lovers) thinks TWSOD is great and I just don’t see it quite the same way.  But, you know what?  Our differences is what makes life interesting.  If we all thought the same way, we’d be as lively and animated as Stepford Wives, femmebots, or Ben Stein.  And that could get boring real fast.

So, to all the lovers of darts, I commend and respect your passion for the sport, and for your sakes I hope ESPN continues to show and highlight your sport on their various channels. 

I just won’t be tuning in.

(The author would like to thank those at PhillyDarts.com, SEWA-Darts.com, as well as George Silberzahn, David DePriest, and especially Mary Jo Chesney for her help and guidance.)