SPOTY 2024

Sideshow Bob

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What a poor list.

Not watched this show for over 20 years I'd say.
 
Tom Pidcock
Kevin Sinfield
Keely Hodgkinson
Alfie Hewett - won 3 out of 4 majors and olympic gold doubles plus wimbledon Singles - Should win
Jasmin Paris

Can't really think of another maybe Judd Trump or Bryony Page
 
I'd give it to Luke. Can't think of a single person whose changed an entire sport the way he has in recent times.

Maybe not many on here interested in Darts but the uptake in young players this year has been a breath of fresh air in the leagues I play in and that's all down to the Littler effect.
 
Probably Hodgkinson might win after all the coverage from the Olympics. Alex Yee has achieved so much but wont win.
 
I'd give it to Luke. Can't think of a single person whose changed an entire sport the way he has in recent times.

Maybe not many on here interested in Darts but the uptake in young players this year has been a breath of fresh air in the leagues I play in and that's all down to the Littler effect.
Thats all true

But darts isn't a sport for me. Anything you do in a pub can't be a sport.
 
I'm guessing it'll be Hodgkinson because in an olympic year it almost always goes to an Olympian.

Football always gets a bit skewed by the timing as it's a calendar year rather than season. 6 months ago Bellingham would have surely been the favourite but since the euro's he's struggled with injury so there's not been as much talk about him but on paper he's had an incredible year. It would be a similar story for Phil Foden.

Lando Norris had a great year in F1 finishing 2nd in the drivers championship but helping McLaren win the constructors title.

Littler has certainly taken the darts world by storm but is that enough to win the award?
 
None of them should win really, but I guess judging my post of who I think should be on the list. I guess it's Hodgkison. But it should be Hewett. The guy is brilliant and won loads.

PS, I nearly put Norris in my list. Had a great season and I like he stood up to Verstappen
 
Thats all true

But darts isn't a sport for me. Anything you do in a pub can't be a sport.

But you discussed Judd Trump in your first post.

If Darts isn't a sport then surely Snooker isn't? The Dart team and Snooker team I play for both play out of the same pub.

(By definition they're both Sports)
 
Littler has certainly taken the darts world by storm but is that enough to win the award?
He's won 10 ranking events. Is the current holder of the Premier League. Is up to 5 in the world even though it's a 2 year rolling system and he's only played a year.

He's been instrumental in raising the profile of an entire sport. That's the sort of thing this award should be there to give recognition for.
 
you cant play snooker in a pub.

But even if you do say it's a sport, I still think Hewett should have been nominated and won.
 
you cant play snooker in a pub.

But even if you do say it's a sport, I still think Hewett should have been nominated and won.

I literally play snooker in a Wednesday night league out of various Pubs/Clubs in Surrey. And it's a lot cheaper than going to a snooker hall.

Also it's seen as pub culture here but in Germany/Holland and growing in America they have massive dart venues solely dedicated to Darts. In a similar way you'd view a snooker hall. It's a massively growing sport worldwide with the money now in it.

I'll be honest not entirely sure who Hewett is so can't pass judgement on that one. See from your post that he's a tennis doubles player but hadn't heard of him before hand. Think doubles doesn't really get much media / recognition unless Emma or Andy have jumped in.
 
He's won 10 ranking events. Is the current holder of the Premier League. Is up to 5 in the world even though it's a 2 year rolling system and he's only played a year.

He's been instrumental in raising the profile of an entire sport. That's the sort of thing this award should be there to give recognition for.

Darts is still a bit of a niche sport I dip in and out of it but does he deserve it over the current world number 1 Luke Humphries who's landed 2 major titles this year?

There was huge buzz at the start of the year with Littler where he punctured into the mainstream but I do think that has dropped off a bit. Would be interested to see how much the TV audience has grown in the last 12 months?

For me it's for the best sports person of the year I think there's a great case for Littler but he hasn't actually been the best darts player this year so I don't think he can get the award this year.
 
Darts is still a bit of a niche sport I dip in and out of it but does he deserve it over the current world number 1 Luke Humphries who's landed 2 major titles this year?

There was huge buzz at the start of the year with Littler where he punctured into the mainstream but I do think that has dropped off a bit. Would be interested to see how much the TV audience has grown in the last 12 months?

For me it's for the best sports person of the year I think there's a great case for Littler but he hasn't actually been the best darts player this year so I don't think he can get the award this year.

It's a tight battle about whose been the best player this season. Humphries would tell you it's Littler. But he's quite modest. Humphries is of course the #1 in the world but that's based on 2 years.

The PL is the hardest to win. Its week in week out. And is considered by most another major. But yes it's 2-1 to Humphries in majors if you dont include the PL. It's 10-7 to Littler in TV events won.

Their head to head is 8-6 Littler over the season.

Littler has the record for most 9 darters in a year and smashed the record for most 180's in a year with the worlds still to come. In year 1.

I wouldn't say it's really a niche sport anymore. The darts worlds final last year was the highest viewed non football event in Skys history. Topping all the Ashes events.

Bookies have him second and a race only between him and Keely.
 
I'll be honest not entirely sure who Hewett is so can't pass judgement on that one. See from your post that he's a tennis doubles player but hadn't heard of him before hand. Think doubles doesn't really get much media / recognition unless Emma or Andy have jumped in.
you probably would know him

Wheelchair tennis
 
I wouldn't say it's really a niche sport anymore. The darts worlds final last year was the highest viewed non football event in Skys history. Topping all the Ashes events.

I still think it's a bit niche and the TV rating for the worlds final is boosted by it being on over Christmas when a lot of people are off work and the it really caught fire last year with the Littler story which cut through into something everyone was talking about. Will be interesting to see how many of those people watch again this year.
 
I think anything with a high level of skill/physical activity classifies as sport. That makes snooker a dead cert. I've tried playing that game and it is ridiculous.

Not sure about darts, I haven't really tried it, but it does seem to need some skill, especially when finishing a game.
 
Darts take an incredible amount of skill and practise to play at the pro level.

I'd say there's more skill involved in being a top darts/snooker player than being a top runner for example.

People that don't consider it a sport don't understand what the word sport actually means.
 
People that don't consider it a sport don't understand what the word sport actually means.
I could hit a 180, and have done once. I have never scored above mid 20's in a snooker break.
I think anyone could play darts. Not everyone could play snooker.

I would caveat this, we had a dart board, my brother was pretty good and played Leighton Reece in some competition of some sort. So I have played darts more than snooker, a lot more. But I have played a lot of snooker. It's tough
 
I could hit a 180, and have done once. I have never scored above mid 20's in a snooker break.
I think anyone could play darts. Not everyone could play snooker.

I would caveat this, we had a dart board, my brother was pretty good and played Leighton Reece in some competition of some sort. So I have played darts more than snooker, a lot more. But I have played a lot of snooker. It's tough
Whereas I once fluked my way to a 54 break, lucky lie of the balls and all. Don't think I ever hit 180.
 
I could hit a 180, and have done once. I have never scored above mid 20's in a snooker break.
I think anyone could play darts. Not everyone could play snooker.

I would caveat this, we had a dart board, my brother was pretty good and played Leighton Reece in some competition of some sort. So I have played darts more than snooker, a lot more. But I have played a lot of snooker. It's tough

They’re very different games and I would agree snooker takes more skill than darts but at the top level the skill involved in both sports is insane.

Darts is really you vs you if you can clear 501 consistently in under 21 darts you are a very good darts player but the pro’s are doing it consistently in 15 darts or less. Littler when he’s in full flow is probably doing it in 12 darts.

I was a good pool player in my youth and played a little bit of snooker but I probably never broke 20 in a single visit. From memory it was 3 reds and 2 colours then missed the third.

Played more darts and never got close to a 180 not even sure I’ve landed a 60 on my first dart.

The point I was originally making is so many things that we do consider sports like running is a lot less skilful than something like darts or snooker.
 
I'm pretty good at pool, snooker I just couldn't control the white well enough
 
I play both to a good amatuer level. (I finished second in the London Darts singles league) and regularly get 40 plus breaks.

Darts is the much easier of the two in my opinion. But it comes down to which you practise more. I was at one point playing 6 hours of Darts a day. Whereas I probably play snooker a max 8 hours a week.

In Darts I've missed the 9 on the double 12.

In snooker I've made a match winning break but never got a century.

Darts I can just get in to a rhythm and find that zone. Snooker you never face the same shot in terms of what you need to do with the white after.

But not anyone can play darts. I've tried to teach people both. And both have people that just don't have the coordination to do it. Also a very big difference between being able to hold a dart or a cue and being good at it. To be a good player at darts you have to be able to average 60+. To be a good snooker player you have to be able to regularly score 40+. Otherwise you're just someone that's picks them up not someone that can play.

It's like saying anyone can play football because they have a 5 aside match. The pros are levels above anything your good player could reach. They are immensely skilled. To say otherwise is silly.
 
I could hit a 180, and have done once. I have never scored above mid 20's in a snooker break.

Hitting a 180 is the equivalent of a mid 20 break.

The 20 break takes more shots.

But scoring isn't the issue with darts. I know many good scorers. It's the 180 followed by a big 120+ 3 dart checkout which are akin to a 73 snooker break.

And you've thrown 1 180 in how many hours of play? Lukes hitting 17 in 21 minutes playing against someone. It's obviously extremely skilled.
 
I would say I was a casual player, just a training partner for my brother really. Couldn't really be arsed.

I cant remember the name of the game, where you had to hit a single, double and treble of each number before moving on. I used to like that.

there was darts cricket, but I can't remeber that now. talking 40 years ago

He was/is so competitive, when we played pub name cricket he'd drive a longer way home just so he'd win

501, 301 and 101 used to bore me.
 
Sounds like a mixture of Shanghai and round the clock.

Cricket is normally 1 person bats and everyone else bowls. Whatever the batter scores with his 3 darts is his score. The rest get 3 darts each as bowlers to build up 10 wickets. You get a wicket for hitting a double or treble. If the bowlers don't get you out you get another 3 darts to bat.

Once everyone has batted it's the person with the highest score that wins.
 
Luke Littler was the most googled ‘Athlete of the Year’ and the third most googled person in 2024.
 
Hodgkinson wins the award

Littler came 2nd but scoops the young persons award.

Strange that it’s on a Tuesday night rather than the prime time Sunday slot it usually gets.
 

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