Thursday, October 1, 2015
Column 501
Dartoid for ADO President
I am pleased to announce my candidacy for President of the American Darts Organization.
I acknowledge (but do not accept) that the bylaws of the organization prohibit my candidacy, disallowing all but a select few of the millions of steel-tip players in America to run for election (or vote).
The bylaws also state (Article III – Objectives) that the organization is to “…promote the sport of darts throughout the United States, its territories and possessions… establish friendly relationships with similar organizations… develop and distribute a national newsletter… (and that its actions) …shall be in accordance with and not contrary to the Internal Revenue Code and other applicable laws of the United States.”
The ADO does little to promote and market darts. Their relations with many similar organizations cannot be described as “friendly”. There hasn’t been a national newsletter for years. Having produced no legitimate financial statement since 2002, the organization’s troubles with the IRS are legendary.
So, I ask: what is the point of the bylaws? Apparently they are for the ADO to cherry-pick when they serve their purpose (such as perpetuating their control through unfair elections) but to be strictly applied to the rank and file (who fund them).
I have been involved in darts for a quarter century. I have played in leagues (and, where applicable, paid my league dues, which support the ADO) on Cape Cod and in Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, and Tampa. I’ve thrown league in Crowborough, East Sussex in the UK. I have served on league boards. From Ulaanbaatar to Kathmandu, Shanghai to Moscow, to Bucharest, Reykjavik and Brazzaville, I have enjoyed the sport in more than 90 countries. I have participated in hundreds of tournaments all over the country (and through the entry fee surcharge have kicked into the ADO’s coffers). I have helped past ADO presidents raise money for the Youth Scholarship Fund. I have financially supported youth players all over this country (and Canada). I have regularly contributed to darts fundraisers to support charitable causes. I have written 500-plus columns about darts since 1995, and four books.
But the ADO bylaws declare me as not “qualified” to represent the interests of the players.
If elected, here’s my promise to you…
On my first day in office I will:
- Remove all ADO office holders, close the west coast office and fire the office manager;
- Appoint a 7-member interim Advisory Committee (representative of league players, top players, tournament directors, and legal, finance and marketing professionals) to assist in transitioning the organization (see below);
- Contact the IRS, determine how much is owed and pay it immediately;
- Sever ties with the WDF and call Barry Hearn to begin discussion of opportunities for American participation in the PDC development (and youth) tour and much greater opportunities for participation in the world championship;
- For reasons of safety and common sense, cancel the American team’s trip to the World Cup in Turkey and take steps to hold a one-off (with plans to annualize it) competition between the American and Canadian teams instead.
- Incinerate the bylaws and dissolve the ADO forever and all time;
- Arrange to be held securely in escrow any balance in the ADO account(s) – to be donated in full to a new national organization, certain to arise (rumors abound), led by qualified business-minded people who truly care about the players and respect their opinions, are wholeheartedly committed to developing young players, and dedicated to promoting the sport, from the rank and file up. As money (television and sponsorship) is critical, as is the development of a program that offers tangible and dependable rewards for top players and motivation for league players, a commitment and written plan with a timetable to give priority attention to these key concerns will be a prerequisite of funding.
- Facilitate a meeting among the principals of the key darts organizations (steel and soft) in America to form a National Darts Regulation Authority – an overarching regulatory body to set standards of behavior and sanction those who bring our sport into disrepute, establishing once and for all a clear Code of Conduct and a system to enforce it across organizational lines.
When the above steps are complete or within 120 days of my taking office, whichever comes first, the Advisory Committee will be disbanded and I will resign.
If you believe the ADO deserves still “more time” to make good on promises made, that the organization is the future of steel tip darts in America, I am not your candidate. If you believe it is time to end the embarrassment, remove the roadblock and move forward I ask for your support.
In addition to closely holding the election process, contrary to election law the ADO provides no formal avenue for the casting of write-in ballots. Therefore, I ask that you email your vote to ADO General Secretary Carolyn Camp at and copy it for the record to my lawyer, Jay Goldstein. Just click and submit the simple ballot below.
STOP PRESS! If you have any problem with the automated voting function (apparently it is being pounded and having difficulty handling the traffic) please email your vote directly to [email protected]. Have your subject line read: Dartoid for President. Have the body of your message say: Please record my write-in vote for Dartoid for ADO president.
The ADO may contest this process. I am prepared to meet and defeat any challenge.
[popup-contact-form id=”1″ title=”Dartoid for ADO President”]
I understand that each of us involved in darts has a different perspective, depending on where we’re from and what we’ve experienced.
I don’t doubt the current ADO President and board have had the best of intentions. But they have failed. They have had two years. The ADO has had three decades.
This is not personal – my sole intention is to move the sport forward. The ADO has proven itself incapable of doing so.
When Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy in 1980, he spoke, in part, the following words:
The difference between (some people and others) is that (some) live in anticipation of the future because (they know) it will be a great place. Other people fear the future as just a repetition of past failures. There’s a lot of truth in that. If there is one thing we are sure of it is that history need not be relived; that nothing is impossible, and that man is capable of improving his circumstances beyond what we are told is fact.
There are those… today, who would have us believe (we have) reached the zenith… that we are weak and fearful, reduced to bickering with each other and no longer possessed of the will to cope with our problems.
Much of this talk has come from leaders who claim that our problems are too difficult to handle. We are supposed to meekly accept their failures as the most which… can be done. They tell us we must learn to live with less, and teach our children that their lives will be less full and prosperous than ours have been; that… the coming years will be a place where – because of… past excesses – it will be impossible to dream and make those dreams come true.
I don’t believe that. And I don’t believe you do either. I cannot and will not stand by… (as) our leaders attempt to blame their failures on circumstances beyond their control…
The crisis we face is not the result of any failure of… spirit; it is failure of our leaders to establish rational goals and give our people something to order their lives by. If I am elected, I shall regard my election as proof that the people… have decided to set a new agenda and have recognized that the human spirit thrives best when goals are set and progress can be measured in their achievement.
We must put an end to the arrogance of a (leadership) which accepts no blame for our condition, cannot be relied upon to give us a fair estimate of our situation…
The citizens… want leadership, yes, but not a “man on a white horse” demanding obedience to his commands. They want someone who believes they can “begin the world over again.” A leader who will unleash their great strength and remove the roadblocks… in their way.
This is what I want to do for darts.
With your vote and with swift and decisive, long-needed action, I have every confidence I can.
Thank you for your consideration.
From the Field (and for the future of steel tip darts in America),
Dartoid
