February 25, 2006
Column 226
Do YOUR part — PROMOTE the World Series of Darts!
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” as those floppy-haired British Beatle-people used to say, the price to get into the World Series of Darts (WSOD) events starting May 19 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casio is higher than originally announced.
SO WHAT!
It’s still a damn good deal.
The “five-session” ticketing system was not arrived at lightly. Considerable thought went into the process of ensuring that the Mohegan’s Cabaret room is always packed and optimally presentable for television.
One of the key things this new system does is enable the room to be cleaned between sessions. We just must keep in mind that while we are attending for the event — the eventual viewing audience will be seeing the event over a series of one-hour telecasts. For most, it will be their introduction to our sport, a misunderstood sport that long suffered from a less that clean-cut reputation.
The presentation is crucial to the future. Our job must be to PROMOTE it.
On Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 there will be approximately one hour between sessions, so we’ll all be ushered out of the room. It will be swept, cleaned and reset, and the next crowd will then be ushered in. This will guarantee that the venue will look its best on television and prevent the buildup of litter, drinks, and so forth.
A simple thing. Additional cost. But essential.
Tickets are available NOW. Go to http://www.bullseyenews.com/wsod/tickets.html.
After each session spectators will have to leave the leave the room for approximately forty-five minutes. By my way of thinking this is an opportunity to do two very important things without missing any of the action: buy another couple of beers and take a LEAK!
PDC security people and ushers will be responsible for getting people into and out of the room at the appropriate times.
The original plan, upon which the early price estimate was based, was to sell day tickets, but there was concern that some people might buy a ticket for the whole day and only stay for one session, for whatever reason. This of course would not have been good for the television production – and at the end of the day, this is what this is all about. A great show that is embraced by the viewing public will do wonders for darts in America.
Breaking it down into sessions as has been done does increase the price, but also gives everybody, particularly the producers, a better indication of how many people to expect. Thus if it appears there may be a shortage of bodies (keep in mind that the Desert Classic has always been less than crammed) arrangements can be made ahead of time to fill the seats for the cameras.
When I first learned of the higher price I was concerned that some people might be put off (mainly I suppose since the lower $40-50 price has been floating around for months). However, while there may be a few who are frustrated, perhaps more than a few, I can’t fathom that the change will impact attendance. Indeed, tickets are being scooped up lightening fast
Considering that the current cost of an average concert ticket these days is around $100 (for almost any band – and that’s for just a few hour show), the WSOD price as now set for an entire weekend of the best darts imaginable is far from unreasonable. Given the magnitude and importance of this event, the original price was ridiculously low.
Those of us across America who love the sport of darts and have dreamed that someday it would finally find acceptance and make its way to the big time, OWE it to ourselves and the sport to buy a damn ticket and promote the event in every way possible.
So go to http://www.bullseyenews.com/wsod/tickets.html now and purchase YOUR ticket.
If you know anybody who cares about darts as much as you care about darts (and you must, or you wouldn’t be reading my crap anyway), tell them to purchase their ticket.
If you have an e-mail list of darts friends, e-mail them and encourage them to purchase their tickets.
If you have a darts website, prominently POST an announcement about the WSOD on the front page.
Send letters to the editor to your local newspaper.
Call your damn radio and television stations.
Post messages at websites, regardless of whether they have anything to do with darts.
For the general public the production will begin airing on ESPN on Tuesday, July 18 – and run for eight weeks on consecutive Tuesdays.
You and I may be jazzed about the WSOD but at the end of the day its success depends entirely on television ratings. That’s just the way the business works.
Sitting around complaining about the cost of a ticket and not doing everything we can to promote the event does nothing but hurt our sport.
From the Field,
Dartoid
