It seems that top level darts is now more popular than ever, with Luke Littler's run at the recent PDC World Championships bringing a whole new audience to the sport.
The then 16-year old produced an incredible run at Alexandra Palace, going all the way to the final before losing to Luke Humphries. He garnered a remarkable amount of media attention along the way, dominating both the front and back pages of national newspapers in the UK.
While many are excited about the possibilities Luke Littler brings to the sport, others have questioned the media attention he has received. Gary Anderson warned the media about their coverage of the youngster during the World Championships, with Michael van Gerwen feeling it was unfair to some other players in the tournament.
Speaking to talkSPORT a couple of weeks ago, the Dutchman said that Littler dominating the headlines was 'unfair' to world champion Luke Humphries.
He [Littler] has to deal with it but people forget what kind of tournament Luke Humphries had.
It’s a little bit unfair to the guy. Luke Littler had a fantastic tournament but it has taken away the glory of Luke Humphries a little bit, I think.
However, some feel those comments were unwise.
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Darts: Mardle criticises Michael van Gerwen over Luke Littler comments
Wayne Mardle has been one of the most prominent voices when it comes to praising Luke Littler, with the 50-year old excited by both the youngster's potential and the impact he can make on the popularity of the sport. As a result, he was not keen on those comments made by Michael van Gerwen.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Mardle criticised van Gerwen for his comments on Luke Littler and said that the media attention he has brought can only be a good thing for the sport.
I expect better from Michael van Gerwen.
Gary Anderson always likes to put a dampener on things and play things down. So I’d expect comments from Gary, saying ‘leave the kid alone’, but Michael knows the media.
No one plays the media better in darts than Michael van Gerwen. And without the media, they wouldn’t be playing for millions every year, they’d be playing for hundreds. The media, no matter what outlet it is, is massively needed.
So I was surprised at Michael. Maybe it was an on-the-spot answer, I don’t know. But how can you not talk about the most talked about thing in the sport?
Everyone wants to talk about Luke Littler, about how good he is, about his age. If the media didn’t talk about him, Michael would be saying, ‘what are you not talking about him?’
Luke Littler will begin his first ever Premier League campaign later this evening, where he will face Luke Humphries in Cardiff. He comes into the event in top form, having won the Bahrain Masters and reached the final Dutch Masters. He faced Michael van Gerwen in the decider on both occasions.
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