Cycling, Paris 2024 Olympics… and darts
CIN is lucky enough to draw on a fine bank of freelance talents, one of which recently wrote about the power of role models (Caz Conneller). That’s a theme worth picking up in light of the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympics and also a sporting feat that recently stole the limelight.
Luke Littler captured the imagination of many when he became the youngest player to reach the final of the PDC World Darts Championship earlier this month, at the age of 16. Ultimately beaten in the final by world number one Luke Humphries, Littler gave headline writers plenty of mileage – and parents food for thought. According to that pantheon of truth Wikipedia, Luke Litter got his first (magnetic) dart board at the age of 18 months and this month, 15 years later, earned £200,000 as runner-up in the 2024 Championship.
Google search data revealed, gleaned by World of Card Games, that online searches for “kids darts” exploded 852% worldwide in the days after Littler’s performance. Online searches for “darts club” and “dart shop” jumped by 687% and 265% respectively. Littler’s Instagram following surged by quarter of a million, putting his earning potential on that platform at £5.4k per post. Should those numbers have converted into dartboard sales and increased membership of darts clubs then that 16 year old has – virtually singlehandedly – managed to boost the fortunes of the darts market. No pressure.
It’s a neat reminder of the power of role models, a sporting story that captures the imagination and the impact it can have on a market.
There’s perhaps another insight to be gleaned here. Where there is decent prize money, there is inevitably more interest and motivation to join, or encourage your child, to get involved in a particular sport. Here we can surely draw a direct line to wages and prize amounts in women’s cycling. It would be easy to be cynical and wag the finger at parents interested in money, but we’ll swerve simplistic moralising here.
Great Britain won gold in the men’s team pursuit at the European Championships earlier this week and Paris is hosting the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer. Greater minds than ours here at CIN will be connecting the dots and possibly crossing fingers for Team GB’s cyclists to pull some memorable performances out of the pannier when the general public are paying more attention at the Olympics – and give the cycle market a similarly invigorating dose of public interest in getting on the bike.
Let’s face it, we’re all hoping for a better year than the last in the industry and a decent performance in the velodrome, road, BMX track or other would definitely be welcome.
No pressure, Team GB.
