Why do the pdc and bdo not merge?

gormdubhgorm

Admittedly I am only a casual darts watcher around this time of year I keep half an eye on it.

But I watched the barney v power semi final on sky and it was lights models all sorts of razzmatazz. Even pop up graphics of players logos/nicknames.

This seems light years away from that bdo worid championship stuff.

If they don't merge why don't the two world champs from both organisations play each other for the other guys cup. Similar to the boxing and re-unify it?

Seems like a bit of joke for decades...

Or is the BDO clearly the second division world championship and all the good fellas eventually go to the PDC?

BDO control the sport, PDC control most of the top players.

Why don't they merge? That could take a week, there are many reasons. There is no huge need for them to do so, no more than we demand that the various boxing belts should merge. Why should they?

They do meet in certain competitions, like the Grand Slam.

robman60

BDO is definitely second division. As far as I can see it's mainly Ollie Croft's fault that the split was 1) required and 2) As acrimonious as it was. The two world champs used to play I think but the disparity in skill has increased year on year really. Most of the top 16 PDC players would beat the best the BDO has to offer with ease. The Grand Slam of Darts is the main event where BDO and PDC players play together.

I do think the BDO has a purpose though. it gives inexperienced players an opportunity to compete before making the move if they're good enough.

robman60

robman60 wrote: »

I do think the BDO has a purpose though. it gives inexperienced players an opportunity to compete before making the move if they're good enough.

Um.

Only a stepping stone for the PDC?

You disregard the whole organisation of darts from the pub level up so?

And women?

ArmaniJeanss

As said you'd need a week to fully explain it, though to an extent the question is 'why was there a split?' rather than 'why wont they merge?'.

Also worth pointing out that for all the undeniable razzmatazz that the PDC brings that they ignore many aspects of the game that the BDO looks after, i.e., the local pub game, the county leagues and then up to inter county darts. Also the womans game, the PDC abandoned a womans championship after just one (non televised bar the final) effort years ago. If they merged you wouldn't see the womans game getting 30% of the coverage on a PDC/Sky event in a 6K arena.

I quite like the situation at the moment, an organisation looking after grassroots and feeding players to the better PDC, two world championships leading to an extra week of tv darts etc.

ArmaniJeanss

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I quite like the situation at the moment, an organisation looking after grassroots and feeding players to the better PDC, two world championships leading to an extra week of tv darts etc.

Exactly.

There is no pressing need for them to merge.

Not sure I'd want the Barry Hearn in charge of the tens or hundreds of thousands of amateur players, or the BDO in charge of giving a good living to the top players.

Guy:Incognito

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

As said you'd need a week to fully explain it, though to an extent the question is 'why was there a split?' rather than 'why wont they merge?'.

Also worth pointing out that for all the undeniable razzmatazz that the PDC brings that they ignore many aspects of the game that the BDO looks after, i.e., the local pub game, the county leagues and then up to inter county darts. Also the womans game, the PDC abandoned a womans championship after just one (non televised bar the final) effort years ago. If they merged you wouldn't see the womans game getting 30% of the coverage on a PDC/Sky event in a 6K arena.

I quite like the situation at the moment, an organisation looking after grassroots and feeding players to the better PDC, two world championships leading to an extra week of tv darts etc.

Is there a need for separate woman's competition at all. We're talking about a game of skill rather than athletesism so in theory there shouldnt need to be 2

ArmaniJeanss

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Is there a need for separate woman's competition at all. We're talking about a game of skill rather than athletesism so in theory there shouldnt need to be 2

Hard to know, perhaps there are some athletic properties required which give males an advantage? Height, reach? Maybe men are inherently better at hand to eye stuff. I think all the international shooting and archery competitions are also split by sex, probably the closest thing to darts.

Even if there is no pysical barrier to women being as good, well clearly they aren't at this moment in time. So having their own competitions is surely preferable to the alternative (putting them in mens comps) which would likely just reduce the amount of women playing now?

Kingp35

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Is there a need for separate woman's competition at all. We're talking about a game of skill rather than athletesism so in theory there shouldnt need to be 2

Darts isn't actually separate, women are perfectly entitled to enter any competition they want. There have been a few women who played on the PDC circuit throughout the years. Unfortunately they didn't make it.

There is a need for the separate competition at the moment but it's a question I have often thought about, why aren't there more women with the ability to compete with the men.

The PDC do have a role for women in the game. They wear sexy outfits and help the men folk find the stage.

Cake Man

robman60 wrote: »

BDO is definitely second division. As far as I can see it's mainly Ollie Croft's fault that the split was 1) required and 2) As acrimonious as it was. The two world champs used to play I think but the disparity in skill has increased year on year really. Most of the top 16 PDC players would beat the best the BDO has to offer with ease. The Grand Slam of Darts is the main event where BDO and PDC players play together.

I do think the BDO has a purpose though. it gives inexperienced players an opportunity to compete before making the move if they're good enough.

I know Martin Adams would probably be the pick of the BDO players, surely he'd give the best PDC lads a game? How come he never made the move
It seems to me that there's a line of thinking that he'd rather be a big fish in a small pond and he'd be nearly guaranteeing himself a decent amount of prize money every year, something he probably wouldn't be guaranteed if he moved to the PDC. Would this be a fair assessment?

Cake Man

Cake Man wrote: »

I know Martin Adams would probably be the pick of the BDO players, surely he'd give the best PDC lads a game? How come he never made the move

Adams is particularly anti PDC.

Scott Waites has been the standard bearer for the BDO, winning the Grand Slam in 2010 and featuring in another final and a semi final, and beating Taylor, Wade and Barney.

Apart from that, you've had a few like Hankey, O'Shea and Kist making quarter finals.

buster180

Adams did play in the PDC around 2000/01, he made it to the semi-finals of the matchplay and also played in the grand Prix.

At the time you could play in both PDC and BDO competitions until the rule was changed in 2002 when he decided to stay with the BDO.

He then had a falling out with Barry Hern over something and wants nothing to do with the PDC.

2001 Matchplay semi-final

MikeSD

Cake Man wrote: »

I know Martin Adams would probably be the pick of the BDO players, surely he'd give the best PDC lads a game? How come he never made the move
It seems to me that there's a line of thinking that he'd rather be a big fish in a small pond and he'd be nearly guaranteeing himself a decent amount of prize money every year, something he probably wouldn't be guaranteed if he moved to the PDC. Would this be a fair assessment?

The man talks some amount of ****e. He won't even play in the GSOD anymore because of his ""loyalty to the BDO". Looks like after a poor showing, he realised he can't compete with the PDC. The man comes across as a coward.

riffmongous

Kingp35 wrote: »

There is a need for the separate competition at the moment but it's a question I have often thought about, why aren't there more women with the ability to compete with the men.

Smaller pool of players maybe?

gormdubhgorm

riffmongous wrote: »

Smaller pool of players maybe?

Is it the same reason why no female snooker player has been good enough to break into the men's game - a cultural thing? In other words a lot of women do not play darts as it is more a men's thing?

ronanc1000

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Is it the same reason why no female snooker player has been good enough to break into the men's game - a cultural thing? In other words a lot of women do not play darts as it is more a men's thing?

Snooker. Reanne Evans broke into it?
Regards darts, PDC is way better if both merged, the top guys would not earn near as much annually. I like to think of the bdo as the Europa league and the PDC as the Champions league.
But there are too many bad darts thrown in the bdo, even the final.. Nice money for Bunting winning it last time considering.

death1234567

Kingp35 wrote: »

why aren't there more women with the ability to compete with the men.

Player numbers is one reason, i.e. very few women throw darts and the second is that men have inherent genetic advantages when it comes to vision and hand eye co-ordination when compared to women. Men find it easier to focus on a single target and have much better distance judgement than women. Women can multi task and have much better peripheral vision than men. Hunter Vs. Nest Builder.

shockframe

There's a number of things the BDO could do to improve it's image of that you have to say but it's not the jokeshop its painted by many.

The PDC always looks better after its final in comparison to the First Round of the BDO but that would be like watching a Round 1 of the qualifying stages of the all ireland football championship after watching the semi finals or final.

There is quite a lot of dross in the last 64/32 stages of the PDC that is glossed over as the last 8 tends to be very good.

Sky also claim everything they have is the best in the world so will remind us at every chance they can.This has been the case since the PDC came into being even when Taylor was way ahead of almost everyone.

The BDO has actually been alright so far. Good games between Adams/Dekker, Mitchell/O'shea and Waites/Hewson. Last years game between Norris and Wilson was the best game of either code I watched last year.

The success of the PDC is dependent on 2 major factors. Barry Hearn who has brought the glamour,more tournaments, money, and larger crowds/viewers to the game. If he was to pull out thats big shoes to fill. The other factor is Taylor who once he goes a lot of the audience may go with him.

I dont mind the split all that much because the game is too big and varied that 2 different world championships may actually be good for the game as a lot more players have a chance to make a name for themselves in 2 tournaments rather than if they were playing in one. Also you get more darts on TV which is good.

I hear the likes of Bristow and Hearn were slagging the BDO again every chance they got on twitter and I'm sure they'll have something to say about the final next sunday aswell. For all they knock the BDO champions as amateur it's worth noting that Of Taylor's 8 defeats in the history of the PDC world Championship 5 have been against a BDO world champion or finalist.