# Televised darts championship more popular than target archery? :-0



## Moebow (Jul 8, 2010)

I played steel tip darts for many years in Alaska. Great pass time and EVERY bit as form oriented as archery. I love watching a dart tournament, but like throwing them better. Also a much greater challenge than soft tip darts on the machines IMO! Don't find televised dart tournaments too often and they are rarely advertised. Just like archery, I think more advertising for both archery and darts would be in order. Both are great games.


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## straat (Jan 22, 2009)

Darts is way more popular and way more fun. Archery can learn a lot from the speed of scoring in darts. And a drunk audience makes a great atmosphere.


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## c365 (May 15, 2013)

What distances are involved from thrower to board?


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## Moebow (Jul 8, 2010)

For steel tip, it is 7 feet 9 & 1/4 inches.


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## c365 (May 15, 2013)

I've never threw a dart but seems there could be a connection between the subconscious mental process of throwing a dart and shooting a arrow.


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## gmtx (Mar 5, 2013)

straat said:


> And a drunk audience makes a great atmosphere.


Mostly this. It could be turtle races or tiddly winks and the enthusiasm would be the same.

That said, I enjoy playing darts.


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

It is the beer for sure but if target archery could come up with a quicker scoring nock out type round it would be huge. If snooker and poker can be TV sports, archery should be a real winner.


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

Warbow said:


> Are darts a way more popular spectator sport than target archery? Seems unlikely, but I have to say I was really surprised at the size and enthusiasm of this live audience for the 2015 World Darts Championship during this perfect 9 dart finish:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are related like a mason jar is related to a Waterford Punch Bowl (i.e. not very).


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## hdracer (Aug 8, 2007)

Darts = Beer. Hard combo to beat...and the audience can see where the darts hit without binoculars or scopes.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

lksseven said:


> They are related like a mason jar is related to a Waterford Punch Bowl (i.e. not very).


Hmm...they are both actually dart games, aren't they? But we archers require a mechanical launcher to do what dart players do unaided


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Put some steel dividers in the target, enforce some minimum fletching size, then make everyone shoot on a single spot and things will get a lot more spectator friendly. Gonna be costly for the arrow sponsors though.

-Grant


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

It's like golf. The reason televised golf is so popular is because so many people play golf. If archery were more popular, more people would want to watch archery. It's a true chicken or the egg conundrum. 

Archery has other obstacles as well. I mean, how much does a set of darts and a dart board cost, and how much room does one need to play?


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

Warbow said:


> Hmm...they are both actually dart games, aren't they? But we archers require a mechanical launcher to do what dart players do unaided


I get your point, but the comparison is beyond tortured. Two kids playing wiffle ball in the backyard is a 'ball game' (of slow pitch softball, since beer is involved in the analogy), but it's a stretch from here to the moon to compare that to a major league 'ball player' trying to hit a Nolan Ryan fastball in front of 50,000 fans.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

lksseven said:


> I get your point, but the comparison is beyond tortured. Two kids playing wiffle ball in the backyard is a 'ball game' (of slow pitch softball, since beer is involved in the analogy), but it's a stretch from here to the moon to compare that to a major league 'ball player' trying to hit a Nolan Ryan fastball in front of 50,000 fans.


Yeah, except archery doesn't have stadium is full of fifty thousand fans on a regular basis like baseball. So I don't know if that analogy really works either.

I understand that archery has a lot more technical details to the equipment, but they really are in many ways the same. But with archery you get more mechanical advantages and including sights for many classes of bows. One could easily argue that darts, and traditional archery without sights, are actually purer forms of ballistic sport with fewer mechanical aids. 

Archery in a traditional form, such as BLS, and darts are probably more akin to handmade crystal then archery with Olympic style or compound bows. Mason jars are made out of modern mecanical molds in factories whereas crystal is hand crafted, hand blown and carved by eye.

I don't play darts, so I don't really have any prejudice in favor of darts. But I do think they're both ballistic sports, and they both have similar issues in terms of what kind of games you can play with them. And in what kind of interest you can generate for spectators.


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## Moebow (Jul 8, 2010)

Many folks who have never played darts competitively view darts as the game played at a county fair where you try to hit balloons to win a prize. Many state "gaming" commissions see darts as "games of chance" and have to be convinced that it is a competitive game and not "gambling." 

I assure you that darts at the level shown in the videos above have EVERY feature of form, mental discipline, concentration, etc. as high level archery competition. There is no luck or "chance" involved. I think only those that have never played the game OR only played it as a rec room in the basement game or just randomly "tried" it will not see the skill and training it takes to be competitive even at a local league or bar room. The only difference between darts and archery is the equipment used and the setting (game field).

Arne


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## straat (Jan 22, 2009)

Another big difference: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_PDC_World_Darts_Championship#Prize_money

Tomorrow the World Champion will go home with $400,000 in his pocket.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

straat said:


> Another big difference: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_PDC_World_Darts_Championship#Prize_money
> 
> Tomorrow the World Champion will go home with $400,000 in his pocket.


Again, it's a numbers thing. More people who play (or even have just tried it) = more viewers = more money. Plain math.

Archery is harder to try for a number of reasons. Equipment, venue, safety, expense, instruction, etc.

One can try darts for pennies on the dollar, with zero instruction, by comparison. Same with bowling. Fork over a few $ and bowl away. No safety concerns, no instructor, no certification or liability release required.


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## gmtx (Mar 5, 2013)

I would rather watch darts than poker. But I still enjoy playing poker. But I like watching tennis.

As with any televised sports, its all about the money.


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

I think it's about promotion. Darts and snooker got big when the alcohol and tobacco firms realized that sponsoring it got them right to their target audience. A big name sponsor and a promoter savvy enough to sell a package to TSN, Sky Sports or ESPN and it could all be different.


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## grander (Mar 19, 2009)

Who wants to watch some guy stand there and do a 5 minute pre-shot routine before each shot? 
Dart guys get up there, cock back, and throw… Night and day better for TV.


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

Poker has been popular on ESPN and elsewhere. That is incredibly boring and they make it work. I think if you played up archery H2H it's inherently dramatic. You might want to make the presentation less sedate. Play up the drama.

I already routinely see bowhunting shows all over the dial. Particularly if you gave the compounds equal time I think there would be a market.

Soccer was a very small TV sport back in the 80s or 90s. MLS bought time on tv initially but you had the World Cup here, a domestic league, and steady promotion to create interest. They now have for pay broadcast contracts on several networks for MLS, plus many foreign leagues/various qualifiers/tournaments. 20 years ago I had to watch games in Spanish to see them. Make a plan, you might even have to buy time at first, but it's a fun sport and I think inherently dramatic if properly presented. 

I don't think it would hurt to play up the domestic outdoor series and pair it with an indoor series to make it more compelling to Americans. Until you start doing the sport you don't even know what the competitions are other than the Olympics. I've barely picked up a club and I know what the golf majors are. People who didn't play soccer past age 5 know about the world cup. The olympics is important to the sport but if you want annual as opposed to quadrennial interest people need to know the tournaments who haven't even picked up a bow.


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

Warbow said:


> Yeah, except archery doesn't have stadium is full of fifty thousand fans on a regular basis like baseball. So I don't know if that analogy really works either.
> 
> I understand that archery has a lot more technical details to the equipment, but they really are in many ways the same. But with archery you get more mechanical advantages and including sights for many classes of bows. One could easily argue that darts, and traditional archery without sights, are actually purer forms of ballistic sport with fewer mechanical aids.
> 
> ...


Mason jar vs Waterford punch bowl - how could you possibly miss the point of this statement?

"Ball game" as ballistic analogy - Okay, so I'm happy to let you pick the # of fans to inject into my statement ... now address the gist of it, which is my objection to trying to assign equivalency of pitching darts at 8feet with no more strength/conditioning/stamina than my grandmother possessed at 95 (although I don't know for sure if she drank beer or not), versus hitting a 5" circle at 77 yards in the wind and/or heat and/or rain, with an apparatus that requires a multitude of variables which must be coordinated and finely tuned to each other and which then must be harmoniously matched to the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of a specific archer who then must execute with the precision of a surgeon under the physical stresses of 40 to 55lbs of pulling force. 

Yeah, _right_, I can see how those two things are indistinguishable/equivalent, based upon their sharing of a ballistic component to their execution. Much like assigning equivalency to the separate endeavors of throwing rocks at a pie plate from 8feet, and hitting a pie plate with a 50 caliber rifle from 1000 yards in the wind and/or heat and/or rain, because those two things both involve a ballistic component.

So, you're absolutely correct about the shared ballistic aspect of darts and archery. Should that then assign them the same degree of admiration or accomplishment? Not in my book.


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

I think archery needs to play up the distance angle. When I briefly watch WA stuff you see the archer and the target. People need to feel how far the targets are away. Slo-mo tracking shots. etc.

TV doesn't care if darts is easier it cares how the spectacle looks. A little bit of drama plus a boisterous audience. The "degree of difficulty" argument is more inside baseball. You have to already be part of the tribe -- or start watching the sport a lot -- to get how hard it is. But getting them to watch it the first time is more about being interesting as a spectacle. People who find it interesting will try it and find out it's not easy. But I don't think you sell it as less accessibly hard.

I think mano a mano is interesting in and of itself. I also think field might be a good crossover to people who either bowhunt or like a more dynamic or natural setting.

I think you might want more money on the table. I also think the audience enthusiasm needs to be less tennis level. With top level people I don't think a little noise is a safety risk, and if it makes some drill it and some miss, that would actually be interesting insight into the people and convey the drama and pressure.


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## zephus (Apr 28, 2012)

If we could figure out how to serve beer at archery ranges, I bet that the popularity level of archery will closely resemble darts. Of course, we all know as archers that would never happen for obvious reasons :darkbeer:


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

PDC darts is huge in UK and parts of western europe. I've been watching finals from Sky darts channel for couple of nights now. Thrilling stuff.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> Darts and snooker got big when the alcohol and tobacco firms realized that sponsoring it got them right to their target audience.


So what does that say about archers? Our audience is pretty diverse - from the beer drinking, snuff dipping 3-D compound shooter, to the young lady that just saw Brave and wants a longbow, to the aspiring Olympic archer. These three don't have a lot in common socially, besides the fact that they shoot arrows at things.


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## zephus (Apr 28, 2012)

limbwalker said:


> So what does that say about archers? Our audience is pretty diverse - from the beer drinking, snuff dipping 3-D compound shooter, to the young lady that just saw Brave and wants a longbow, to the aspiring Olympic archer. These three don't have a lot in common socially, besides the fact that they shoot arrows at things.


Well there is no denying that the diversity of archers is vast, but at a marketing standpoint you don't see many sponsors that make that diversity. And I mean the usual sports sponsors such as Budweiser, Nike, Jack Links jerky, Viagra, etc. Usually at a spectators standpoint these sponsors make the face of a sport's validity and popularity. To us as archers we may not care, but to the public at-large it would.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Betting companies push much more marketing money to darts than others. Live betting in them is a huge business, at least in UK. That's one reason why so many darts events are televised.


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## Sosius (Feb 5, 2014)

Warbow said:


> Are darts a way more popular spectator sport than target archery? Seems unlikely, but I have to say I was really surprised at the size and enthusiasm of this live audience for the 2015 World Darts Championship during this perfect 9 dart finish:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, what a spectacle. Maybe someone from the UK archery group should see if they could tack on an indoor 18M archery shoot as an opening act. I would love to see archers shoot in such a rowdy venue. People dancing with pints of beer after each 10, now that would be cool!


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

One thing I think archery could tap into more is streaming video, podcasts, current age internet stuff. You can build an audience by endrunning tv to people with computers and devices. There is a little of this sort of stuff done with some WA events on youtube. Lancaster telecasts their tournament over the net. Even if it's not live you could record events and show them later. You could create highlights packages. I liked that we had photos at our Nationals site but that's as far as it goes. But I can watch my alma mater play sports on streaming video (only ever did it once for a conference final, but I can). The youth national soccer teams have little highlight packages for their relatively minor games on US Soccer's site. It wouldn't hurt if we could see what some of the national team trips look like. Or provide a means for national or international events to be seen. Maybe someone ambitious could shoot it for the right to advertise. Maybe advertisers could fund the video and/or computing services.


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## Atascaderobow (Nov 4, 2014)

Ought to combine the two sports. 50 meters with an oversized dart board target face.... Reo against Jesse playing archery darts. Beer in the audience with the guys shooting down a glass lined alley so the fans could be close to the target face :wink: Definately different than watching X's get smoked every single shot.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Atascaderobow said:


> Ought to combine the two sports. 50 meters with an oversized dart board target face.... Reo against Jesse playing archery darts. Beer in the audience with the guys shooting down a glass lined alley so the fans could be close to the target face :wink: Definately different than watching X's get smoked every single shot.


Yup, 50 meters because 18 is really too close for compound shooters. That's part of the problem. Top compound archers are so good that the sport is boring to watch. It's like watching a contest of people filling out Scantron bubbles with a pencil- hey, no maybe *that* would be a real contest. Have competitors shoot at Scantron score sheets to answer multiple choice questions. That would be a target that would give them a challenge...


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

I watch that video and all I can think is - there's no accounting for British taste. LOL. But then, I didn't get Benny Hill, and I don't get Downton Abbey either, so maybe it's just me.


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## Mr. Roboto (Jul 13, 2012)

I spent many years throwing darts. Still do. I learned how from a couple British Royal Marines when I was in the US Marines visiting a pub in Amsterdam. Got hooked on the game. I love it.

One reason why the game is popular, is that for less than $100 you can buy top of the line set of darts with both hard and soft tips and a nice leather travel pouch. Everyone can put a competition legal board in their house and can practice all day long without having to go to a range or belong to a club. There are far more dart boards out there than archery targets.

And that video was awesome to watch.


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## JimB1 (Feb 18, 2013)

I can confirm that overseas competitive darts is majorly popular. The firsttime I went to Ireland 15 years ago or so a few of my coworkers and I went into a pub and there was a darts competition on TV and it was like the super bowl here. People were rooting for their favorites and screaming at the TV with every good or bad throw. They interviewed the competitors and gave back stories on them. It was interesting to see. I've been back quite a few times as well as other places in Europe since then and it seems pretty popular all over.

I like watching the archery competitions on the world archery channel on YouTube but I think as something for spectators, 3D and field archery are more interesting. I think if they used the format they are using for 3 Gun competitions on TV or maybe Top Shots it might work out. The thing is they need to get people with good personalities on TV for it to fly. If you've ever watched "3 Gun Nation" you know what I mean. They kind of get you to like the competitors through their back stories and post shooting interviews. They have charity shoots that they show and that sort of thing. I think a 8 week pro level field archery competition with the whole "Top Shot" feel to it would be interesting and if they could get it on a major channel like discovery or travel it could bring archery into the mainstream more instead of the niche sport it is now. There are way more fishing shows out there then archery, I like fishing but not so much on TV. Archery on TV could be so much better...
Just a few thoughts on it.
-Jim


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

limbwalker said:


> I watch that video and all I can think is - there's no accounting for British taste. LOL. But then, I didn't get Benny Hill, and I don't get Downton Abbey either, so maybe it's just me.


I'm British and I don't like Benny Hill or Downton Abbey either so it's not exclusive. Darts competitions got huge in the pubs and working men's clubs of the 70's and the early TV events were not great but they've developed it, promoted it and made household names out of the top stars. Like cricket, they have modified the format slightly to Appeal to the quick fix masses and it just keeps growing. Archery would be an easy sport to make TV friendly if they stuck to a head to head format and shorten a round to fit attention spans.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Bigjono said:


> I'm British and I don't like Benny Hill or Downton Abbey either so it's not exclusive. Darts competitions got huge in the pubs and working men's clubs of the 70's and the early TV events were not great but they've developed it, promoted it and made household names out of the top stars. Like cricket, they have modified the format slightly to Appeal to the quick fix masses and it just keeps growing. Archery would be an easy sport to make TV friendly if they stuck to a head to head format and shorten a round to fit attention spans.


Good points. TV archery, and what competitors want, are usually two different things. Unless of course competitors are in it for money and fame, then those goals fit well with TV formats.


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

limbwalker said:


> Good points. TV archery, and what competitors want, are usually two different things. Unless of course competitors are in it for money and fame, then those goals fit well with TV formats.


The 20/20 series in cricket is a fine example. Clubs still play the regular leagues, nations still play test matches, but added to the schedule is a stand alone series where the game is limited to 20 overs per side. It guarantees players take risks and go for shots they might not in a 60 over match and it's done and dusted in about 3hrs so good TV and spectator interest.


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## zephus (Apr 28, 2012)

Bigjono said:


> The 20/20 series in cricket is a fine example. Clubs still play the regular leagues, nations still play test matches, but added to the schedule is a stand alone series where the game is limited to 20 overs per side. It guarantees players take risks and go for shots they might not in a 60 over match and it's done and dusted in about 3hrs so good TV and spectator interest.


This was also said about ODI matches, then 20/20 came around to shorten things even more and create more excitement. Sometimes toning the game to shorter times and heavier risks also depreciates the sport, in my opinion. Archery shouldn't become depreciated this way, yet I don't see how it can be considering how the sport is played already.


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

I fell asleep watching county cricket once. 20/20 is very necessary.


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## Beastmaster (Jan 20, 2009)

JimB1 said:


> I can confirm that overseas competitive darts is majorly popular. The firsttime I went to Ireland 15 years ago or so a few of my coworkers and I went into a pub and there was a darts competition on TV and it was like the super bowl here. People were rooting for their favorites and screaming at the TV with every good or bad throw. They interviewed the competitors and gave back stories on them. It was interesting to see. I've been back quite a few times as well as other places in Europe since then and it seems pretty popular all over.
> 
> I like watching the archery competitions on the world archery channel on YouTube but I think as something for spectators, 3D and field archery are more interesting. I think if they used the format they are using for 3 Gun competitions on TV or maybe Top Shots it might work out. The thing is they need to get people with good personalities on TV for it to fly. If you've ever watched "3 Gun Nation" you know what I mean. They kind of get you to like the competitors through their back stories and post shooting interviews. They have charity shoots that they show and that sort of thing. I think a 8 week pro level field archery competition with the whole "Top Shot" feel to it would be interesting and if they could get it on a major channel like discovery or travel it could bring archery into the mainstream more instead of the niche sport it is now. There are way more fishing shows out there then archery, I like fishing but not so much on TV. Archery on TV could be so much better...
> Just a few thoughts on it.
> -Jim


We had an archery based "Top Shot" style TV show. It was called "Nock Out".

-Steve


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## JimB1 (Feb 18, 2013)

Beastmaster said:


> We had an archery based "Top Shot" style TV show. It was called "Nock Out".
> 
> -Steve


I have seen it online but never on TV. It says it's on NBC sports, I'll have to dig around, I never look at the sports channels....
-Jim


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## JimB1 (Feb 18, 2013)

Beastmaster said:


> We had an archery based "Top Shot" style TV show. It was called "Nock Out".
> 
> -Steve


Just checked their Facebook site. Looks like there won't be a season 2. 
-Jim


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

Azzurri said:


> I fell asleep watching county cricket once. 20/20 is very necessary.


I passed out at the SCG once watching a test match, but that's another story 
I am a huge cricket fan but I know that the 20/20 was needed to engage the next generation.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

20/20 is pretty good. Cricket isn't really something thats in radar where I live but I got hooked through that. I've watched some tests too but usually drop off after couple of days.

It's really just a matter of what people want out of the sport. If you want big audiences and TV interest, it's easy to generate. But that doesn't entice current archery community that much. I've always preferred match play and would be more than happy to forget any qualification rounds, I think that's what draws people to stuff like F2F and other modern competitions. But there will always be a majority who are more interested in historic aspect of the sport. Sadly I think that's the reason why its being hold back and not that many new innovations are really cultivated.


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## Dand23 (Jan 3, 2013)

Darts and curling have much the same attraction on TV. And what do you know, they have similar attachments to beer! So all archery needs to do is get Guiness or Budweiser to promote the tournament and TV will lap it up.


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## Old Dutchman (Nov 18, 2012)

Dand23 said:


> Darts and curling have much the same attraction on TV. And what do you know, they have similar attachments to beer! So all archery needs to do is get Guiness or Budweiser to promote the tournament and TV will lap it up.


I would definitely be interested in being on the pro-staff for Guinness Brewing!

Another thing to take into account is the predictability. If you miss a 10 in archery, you are probably going to score a 9, or MAYBE an 8. When you slightly miss the triple-20 in darts, you might get a 20, a 3, a 15, a 1, or a 5. A possible swing on 177 points per 3-dart turn makes it a LOT more interesting from an observer's perspective.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

A lot of western european and muslim countries don't allow alcohol advertisements in sporting events. So that's most of europe, middle east, africa and asia gone. UK is an exemption. You'll be stuck with americas and russia.


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## zephus (Apr 28, 2012)

Many sporting events in countries that don't air alcohol or tobacco ads still have many endorsements from other companies. And sports in those countries such as boring Cricket or extreme Rugby do just fine and propagate very well. Even curling does well I'm sure. Just saying, its still possible to market archery if it could be backed well.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Yep, just tried to make a point about alcohol advertisement. It's a big news and debate issue here atm, even roadside advertisements have been banned this year.

You just need to create events. The clever folks in one of our country's busiest clubs will hold finals of the national championships in the capital, in the middle of the busiest tourism spot in the country (stairs of Helsinki Cathedral) this summer. Even then it's not that easy to generate interest as there are other major sporting events running at the same time.


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

A bit like Hockey then, a few people care, the majority watch something else.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> tried to make a point about alcohol advertisement. It's a big news and debate issue here atm, even roadside advertisements have been banned this year.


Scratching Finland off my list of places I might ever live... LOL.


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## LaPistola (Jan 5, 2015)

Holy crap, that first guy in the video is money! Never seen someone sticking em like that. Then again I've never watched professional dart throwing now that I think about it.


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## bghunter7777 (Aug 14, 2014)

I think you can largely attribute much of this to the Gay movement in America.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

limbwalker said:


> Scratching Finland off my list of places I might ever live... LOL.


Ad restrictions don't make Finland a dry country...we still have dry counties in the US - with *Texas* possibly having the most.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_county

Seems like you might have to move...to Finland


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## Mr. Roboto (Jul 13, 2012)

With all the stupid TV channels out there, there isn't one for archery, or at least a channel for shooting sports that includes fire arms and such.

Recent movies such as the Hunger Games (which I think is one of the worse movies I have seen in a decade) it has resulted in dramatic increases in participation in archery. Why don't the equipment manufacturers find ways to motivate the TV people to start broadcasting events to help further create an interest in the field. It is in their financial interest. The more people interested in archery, the more customers they will have, and thus more money.

I would rather watch an archery channel (or firearms channel) with reruns over and over again than anything original on the Alphabet networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX).

And by the way, I would be first in the line to shoot a 501 dart board style archery shoot at 20 yards. Do I go for that center of the bullseys for 50 (x ring) or do I go for the triple 20 knowing that a slight miss could mean a 1, 3, 5, 15, or 20 instead of 60. No more aiming dead center on a target, one has to them aim on specific points on a target. Talk about exciting from both a competitor and a spectator point of view. It would be interesting to know how many of these top compounders can 9 out?

Pete


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## zephus (Apr 28, 2012)

There is an outdoorsman channel, that I'm sure showcases some archery. I could be wrong though, as I'm not an outdoorsman.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Mr. Roboto said:


> With all the stupid TV channels out there, there isn't one for archery, or at least a channel for shooting sports that includes fire arms and such.
> 
> Recent movies such as the Hunger Games (which I think is one of the worse movies I have seen in a decade) it has resulted in dramatic increases in participation in archery. Why don't the equipment manufacturers find ways to motivate the TV people to start broadcasting events to help further create an interest in the field. It is in their financial interest. The more people interested in archery, the more customers they will have, and thus more money.
> 
> ...


Could be good. Need to require breaking the line, not just touching it for compound... :-D


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

Mr. Roboto said:


> With all the stupid TV channels out there, there isn't one for archery, or at least a channel for shooting sports that includes fire arms and such.
> 
> Recent movies such as the Hunger Games (which I think is one of the worse movies I have seen in a decade) it has resulted in dramatic increases in participation in archery. Why don't the equipment manufacturers find ways to motivate the TV people to start broadcasting events to help further create an interest in the field. It is in their financial interest. The more people interested in archery, the more customers they will have, and thus more money.
> 
> ...


http://www.lancasterarchery.com/big-green-durashot-no-tear-target-face-dartboard.html


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## Dragon Soaring (Jul 4, 2014)

When I drank beer in a bar i played Darts. Loved darts. Then drank beer in a bar played pool. Loved pool. 
Beer and games of skill go well together.
:darkbeer:Archery Ranges should have beer. :darkbeer:
:darkbeer:Bars should have Archery Ranges. :darkbeer:

Instant competitive TV sport

I know I know the lawers would get in the way:mg:


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Dragon Soaring said:


> When I drank beer in a bar i played Darts. Loved darts. Then drank beer in a bar played pool. Loved pool.
> Beer and games of skill go well together.
> :darkbeer:Archery Ranges should have beer. :darkbeer:
> :darkbeer:Bars should have Archery Ranges. :darkbeer:
> ...


Funny you should mention this... 

From what I was told, in England it was (or is?) so popular to have a Pint on the shooting line that alcohol was specifically listed as a banned substance for the Olympic sport of archery (Thanks Brits!  )... 

What blew me away though, was when I learned at the in-processing briefing at the Olympics that alcohol was not a banned substance for shooting (shotgun, rifle, pistol). I was like WHAT ????


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

I have never seen anyone drink at an archery tournament in the UK, after the shooting yes, but never during.
When I moved over here I couldn't believe people drank beer in a golf course, I could never do that, it's just wrong.


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## Stick & String (Feb 1, 2003)

Bowling and Billards used to be shown on tv regularly. Those have also deminished to almost nothing. Heck look at the Summer Olympics, you rarely see any coverage of Archery and never during prime time hours. It's just not that exciting for those who don't have the archery bug. I saw the USA Olympic finals in Mason, OH. when Limbwalker made the team……now that was exciting, and no alcohol involved!


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Stick & String said:


> Bowling and Billards used to be shown on tv regularly. Those have also deminished to almost nothing. Heck look at the Summer Olympics, you rarely see any coverage of Archery and never during prime time hours. It's just not that exciting for those who don't have the archery bug. I saw the USA Olympic finals in Mason, OH. when Limbwalker made the team……now that was exciting, and no alcohol involved!


One thing I learned from all that was that no beer for 3 months = about 10 lbs. for me.  ha, ha.


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

Archery was one of the highest viewed events in London 2012 both live and on TV.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Bigjono said:


> Archery was one of the highest viewed events in London 2012 both live and on TV.


Yeah, but how would it compare if there was Olympic darts?


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> Archery was one of the highest viewed events in London 2012 both live and on TV.


Yup, and IIRC the venue allowed beer.


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

Stick & String said:


> Bowling and Billards used to be shown on tv regularly. Those have also deminished to almost nothing. Heck look at the Summer Olympics, you rarely see any coverage of Archery and never during prime time hours. It's just not that exciting for those who don't have the archery bug. I saw the USA Olympic finals in Mason, OH. when Limbwalker made the team……now that was exciting, and no alcohol involved!


As you say, while archery has been generally short changed in years past, in 2012 NBC gave Archery quite a bit of coverage and it was the most watched sports the first week of the Olympics. I'll bet it will also get a lot of air time and eyeballs in 2016.

ps - of course, ---gt-->> might opine that live viewership was so high because he was announcing!


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

limbwalker said:


> Yup, and IIRC the venue allowed beer.


Only for fans though 
Why not allow beer for fans. Look at the Ryder Cup or Phoenix Open, great atmosphere. Shooters no, fans yes.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Doesn't always work: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/darts/30761576


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Bigjono said:


> Only for fans though
> Why not allow beer for fans. Look at the Ryder Cup or Phoenix Open, great atmosphere. Shooters no, fans yes.


That's what I meant. And what on earth was wrong with it? Someone tell me please? 

Go to any professional sporting event in the U.S., and you'll have beer in the stands.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

John, check the link above. Maybe that's the reason


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## gster123 (Dec 17, 2012)

limbwalker said:


> Funny you should mention this...
> 
> From what I was told, in England it was (or is?) so popular to have a Pint on the shooting line that alcohol was specifically listed as a banned substance for the Olympic sport of archery (Thanks Brits!  )...


Not as far as I'm aware. Being a Brit.


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## Mr. Roboto (Jul 13, 2012)

lksseven said:


> As you say, while archery has been generally short changed in years past, in 2012 NBC gave Archery quite a bit of coverage and it was the most watched sports the first week of the Olympics. I'll bet it will also get a lot of air time and eyeballs in 2016.
> 
> ps - of course, ---gt-->> might opine that live viewership was so high because he was announcing!


Being one that watched many of the 2012 archery events live (Sleep what was that?) about 95% of it was only on the internet. Granted it was on NBC's website but it wasn't on TV (At least it wasn't on TV in the Seattle area). So technically NBC can make claims about how well an event was watched if they include everyone that watched the event via the Internet. For 2016, I expect that 95% of what I will be able to watch will again be via the internet and not on my TV. I hate NBC they have the worst coverage for all events.

Pete


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> I hate NBC they have the worst coverage for all events.


I enjoyed their coverage when Bob Costas was out with pinkeye...


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## Mr. Roboto (Jul 13, 2012)

But that was the winter Olympics. The Olympics hasn't brought in the Biathlon event with bows yet.

Was that really pink eye? or an allergic reaction to Botox?


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Mr. Roboto said:


> But that was the winter Olympics. The Olympics hasn't brought in the Biathlon event with bows yet.
> 
> Was that really pink eye? or an allergic reaction to Botox?


 LOL. 

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. 

Actually, I thought Chris Collinsworth did a fantastic job.


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## lksseven (Mar 21, 2010)

limbwalker said:


> LOL.
> 
> Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
> 
> Actually, I thought Chris Collinsworth did a fantastic job.


Agree - Collinsworth did great. 

And I have rounded over the last few years into the opinion that Costas is a bootlicker. 

The Internet is a real thing (ask bookstores and clothing stores and furniture stores), and eyeballs are eyeballs, whether they're looking at a TV or a computer screen.


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## _JR_ (Mar 30, 2014)

So, Archery is the National Sport in Bhutan. Maybe take some cues from them? 

We need to change our clothing styles, get some of those cool socks, shoot bamboo longbows at 100m, do victory dances, engage in some verbal taunting, etc... 

Let's do it!

Here it is: http://youtu.be/17fepZwUyEA?t=2m46s


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> Costas is a bootlicker


A holster-sniffer of the first order.


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