Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Column 700
30 Years Late – 700 Columns of Madness (and Counting)
When Dartoid’s World was first reviewed – 26 years ago (before many of today’s players were even born) by Rebecca Fishkin – she called it “insanity – a chronicle of camaraderie, of the oddball truths only darters know: how to scrub a scoreboard with cigarette ash, or tell a pie shot from a bull by sound alone”. That was a few dozen columns in. Now, 700 and four books later (a fifth is in progress), not much has changed… except the number of people shaking their heads at the madness.
Today, another reviewer, Freddy Walker, takes a swing at explaining what keeps the insanity alive…
____________________________
For more than three decades, Dartoid’s World has been one of the most distinctive voices in darts. Neither a results sheet nor a dry analysis of averages, it is instead a globe-trotting, tongue-in-cheek chronicle of the game and the people who love it. Paul “Dartoid” Seigel has been called everything from a “darts court jester” to a “truth-telling provocateur.” What unites the feedback is a recognition that Dartoid’s World is unlike anything else in the sport.
“A breath of fresh air”
Where other writers pore over numbers and tournament brackets, Dartoid paints pictures. He drags the reader into a smoky London pub, a makeshift board in a Bangkok alley, or the World Championship stage at Ally Pally. As one fan from Canada wrote, “Every column feels like I’m traveling with him. He makes darts bigger than just the board – he makes it an adventure.”
Many readers describe the column as a breath of fresh air because it never loses sight of the joy of the game. One professional darter remarked, “There’s no one else who can describe a darts night out in such a way that you can taste the beer, hear the laughter, and still feel like the game matters.”
Laughter, satire, and the absurd
People also say Dartoid’s World is funny – sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Dartoid has never been afraid to lampoon the politics of the sport or invent wild scenarios that make fans grin. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin settling disputes at the oche. Dogs playing matches. A darts match staged in a forest in Congo.
“Dartoid reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously,” said a British pub league organizer. “I’ve seen hardened old throwers with tears rolling down their faces reading his stuff.”
Even when he pokes fun at players or promoters, the humor usually comes with a wink rather than a sting. It’s satire that reminds everyone that darts is supposed to be fun.
Champion of the underdog
Still, the laughter is balanced with heart. Readers often say they admire Dartoid for giving voice to people who might otherwise go unnoticed. He tells the stories of unknown pub shooters, of volunteers who keep tiny leagues alive, of players who spend their last spare coin to enter a local event.
One longtime fan put it this way: “Sky Sports gives you the Lukes the PDC stars. Dartoid gives you the bloke down the street who loves the game just as much. That’s why I read him.”
Another reader summed it up bluntly: “If you want to understand the grassroots of darts, you read Dartoid.”
Candor and controversy
Not everyone agrees with everything Dartoid writes – and that’s part of the point. He has been praised and criticized for his willingness to call out corruption, hypocrisy, or greed in the sport. “Love him or hate him, he tells it like it is,” said a reader in Australia.
Promoters have sometimes bristled at his sharp critiques, yet even detractors admit the honesty has value. A former PDC insider once quipped, “Dartoid says in print what most of us only dare mutter at the bar.”
More than darts
Perhaps what readers value most is that Dartoid’s World goes beyond darts. It is part travel diary, part personal reflection, and in recent years, part advocacy for animal welfare. Fans follow not just for darts commentary but for the voice behind the words.
“I started reading for the darts,” a Florida fan wrote, “but I stayed because I felt like I knew the man. His love for his dogs, his wife, his causes – it all comes through. That makes the darts stories even better.”
Conclusion
So, 30 years later, what are people saying about Dartoid’s World?
They call it funny, honest, irreverent, and human. It dares to poke fun at the powerful, celebrate the unknown, and remind readers why they fell in love with darts in the first place. Some call it refreshing, others maddening; some roll their eyes at its mischief, others read every word. But nearly everyone agrees on one thing – there’s nothing else quite like it.
As one reader summed it up: “Even when I disagree with Dartoid, which is OFTEN – actually, I CAN’T STAND THE FUCKER but I still read every word. I wouldn’t want darts without him. The game would be duller, quieter, and a lot less fun.”
_______________________________
Thanks, Freddy!
Stay thirsty, my friends,
Dartoid
