Over the last few decades, the sport of darts has reached new, unprecedented heights, which has resulted in the arrow-centred game attracting a wider audience base. The global expansion which has occurred throughout the modern era of darts has led a broader array of players to compete on some of the sport’s most famous stages. So, let’s look at the darting success of the Isle of Wight and see how that compares to America, a country with tremendous admiration for the sport.
Impact of Local Heroes
Keegan Brown, who now resides on the Isle of Wight after being born in Durham, is at the forefront of darts’ growth on England’s second-most populous island. Despite only starting his darting career in 2009, the 27-year-old became a Professional Darts Corporation participant in 2012 after earning a two-year tour card during his first visit to Q-School. Since then, he has claimed the PDC World Youth Championship, the first televised title of his career, and Youth Tour England crowns, in addition to reaching the last 16 of the World Championship in 2018, as per his profile at http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk.
Crucially, the emergence of local stars has raised the Isle of Wight’s profile and standing within the darting world. In December 2019, 1Leisure Medina hosted an exhibition event which saw the likes of Bobby George, Jonny Clayton, and Peter Wright, the reigning world champion, join Brown in providing Isle of Wight locals with an evening of fun-filled sporting entertainment.
Furthermore, in the coming years, the 27-year-old is set to continue representing the Isle of Wight at some of the darting calendar’s most famous events, including the PDC World Championship in 2021. As of May 29th, Brown is currently seen as an outsider for the competition, being priced at 500/1 to win the tournament by Unibet, one of the trusted bookmakers who provide sports betting bonuses at https://www.wsn.com/.
Outperforming the United States of America
Although the Isle of Wight only has a population of approximately 141,000, Brown has been able to put the island on the darting map by surpassing all expectations within the sport throughout his now eight-year career. In doing so, Brown has been able to trump the achievements of numerous players from a whole host of different countries, including North America. The Guardian reports that, as of 2019, 17 million Americans play darts, yet the last American to win a televised PDC event was Larry Butler back in 1994, who triumphed at the World Matchplay Darts Championship by beating Dennis Priestley in the final.
Moreover, even though the United States has created competitive players, albeit ones who have failed to claim any televised titles, such as Darin Young, the country lacks stars. Indeed, none of their participants were listed in the top 183 in the PDC’s rankings back in June 2019, as stated at https://www.theguardian.com. In contrast, Brown is currently the 30th-ranked player in the corporation.
Brown is Leading the Way
Ultimately, while Brown is yet to clinch a title of the same pedigree as Butler’s World Matchplay, he has the potential to do so during the remainder of his top-level career. Crucially, since moving to the Isle of Wight, the 27-year-old has taken his game to new levels as he continues to lead the way regarding the county’s darting presence.
