Darts superstars like Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have the power to “release” the UK from its doom and gloom cycle, sporting figures say.
Legendary referee Russ Bray, 67, told the Daily Star he believes the resurgent game has become a beacon of light in one of the darkest years ever.
He suggested the sport’s top players are effectively modern-day gladiators entertaining legions of fans with their heroic battles.
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Their gruelling duels in front of millions of baying telly fans mean that London’s Alexandra Palace is today’s equivalent of the Colosseum in Ancient Rome.
(Image: PA)
Bray, known as the ‘voice of darts’ and who stars in the new Sky documentary Game Of Throws: Inside Darts, said he reckons the sport can help cheer everybody up.
He said: “You’ve only got to look at the news and it’s depressing, when you see what’s happening around the world. You see the different wars and the different disasters and the different things that people are doing.
“Darts is a fantastic release. You’ve got all the entertainment, all the buzz, all the excitement of a group of people in an auditorium watching two gladiators, as it is, battling against each other.
“Supporting who you want, having a great time, that’s what it’s all about.”
Bray, who retired as a full-time ref following the PDC World Darts Championship in January, said they “absolutely” are modern-day gladiators.
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He said: “Of course they are. People look up to these guys. They really do.
“They look up to them and think: ‘Oh wow I can do that’. And for most of us, it’s gettable. And darts is a game, it doesn’t matter who you are.
“Darts is open to everybody.”
On the gladiators comparison, teenage darts sensation Littler, 17, told the Daily Star: “It just goes to show how massive the game has grown.
“And I’m just glad to be a part of it all.”
Littler, who has taken the darts world by storm, said he’s “feeling confident” ahead of this year’s world championships, which starts on December 15.
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He added: “I’ll just do what feels right for me, put the right amount of practice in.”
World champion Humphries said it could be the second biggest sport in the UK after football, which would be a “great achievement”.
(Image: PA)
He said: “The real goal is to go global. I think we are doing our best in the world series events and stuff to grow it.”
Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton said: “In a way, you look at Alexandra Palace. I suppose you could say it’s like a colosseum.
“Especially when you’re stepping up on to the stage, it’s an individual sport and it’s like no other really. It comes down to you.”
She said the tournament at Ally Pally is hopefully going to be even “bigger and better than last year, if that’s possible”.
Game Of Throws: Inside Darts airs this Saturday on Sky.
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