Thursday, June 25, 2021
Column HR305
Has the ADO filed for bankruptcy?
The ether will be filled with dart stories in the coming weeks and months predicting what the future holds. That applies to both steel and machine…
The speculation will be based on little bits of fact and globs of guessing – all nicely wrapped and tied in a bow with a pretty string of hope. The Old Dart Coach can play this game with ridiculous ease.
The PDC is sailing along on the Sea of Tranquility. They are professionally managed – they made adjustments during the pandemic and players missed nary a payday.
However, for those in the home country, the USA, it’s much different. Many ask, “Where goeth the American Darts Organization?”
To be clear, to put it in ODC-speak, kind of quoting Shakespeare, “Lend me your ears; I come to praise the ADO, not bury it.” Not an easy task at this point.
The ADO was skating on financially thin ice well before the Wuhan Wallop arrived, bringing them to their knees…
Straight away though – a slight tip of the chapeau to Steve Brown for “attempting to keep the shingles on the ADO outhouse.” Others might describe his efforts differently… as in, “using a child’s pail to bail water from a boat sinking in a typhoon” or, better yet, “the man’s up Sh*t creek without a paddle, but desperately looking for one that doesn’t exist.”
Brown is the ADO’s Director of Operations and always available to answer the ODC’s questions to the best of his ability.
Rumor’s floated (that’s what rumors do) that the ADO had filed for bankruptcy. When questioned Brown replied, no, of course we haven’t. We are in a far better state than we have been in years.
A former ADO insider reported, they didn’t pay taxes for 2 years so lost their nonprofit status. The board just let it ride for 8 years without telling anyone. Former President David Hascup announced the problem. It was discussed and the Board reached out to the state of Massachusetts and reapplied. They were reinstated. But still taxes didn’t get filed for even more years. They (the ADO) had already gone bankrupt as the American Darts Organization and came back as ADO Inc.
Is there a fly in the ADO ointment? Money collected for 2020 American Cup Team, scheduled to play in Jamaica, was not used because Wuhan Wallop forced the World Dart Federation to cancel the event. The event was rescheduled for 2022 in Barbados with the 2020 team excluded. Instead, the 2020 Team was given the “honor” of playing a virtual event from their home and a trip to Charlotte for qualifiers for Masters.
The question – the fly in the ointment – has to do with the money that was raised for the players but was used instead for “operating expenses.” Really? There were no tournaments or qualifiers. What were the “operating expenses”? What was the money spent on?
So, it’s possible the money for the team was used to either erase or lower the ADO debt.
Another former ADO insider remarked…
They’re up to their old tricks.
EDITOR’S NOTE: What is revealing (but, sadly, typical) is that no ADO board member has stepped up to set the record straight, not that they can be trusted. The ADO “leadership” has no respect for the membership.
With the 2020 players of the International team SOOL (Sh*t out of luck), what next?
The ADO website carries the announcement (alongside a Christmas greeting!) for the WDF World Masters National Finals and the ADO National Youth Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 9. The cost for the Masters Nationals is $150 and the Youth Championship it’ $50.
Fees must be paid by June 25, which is today, somewhere. With rumors rolling like thunder about the ADO’s solvency one should look to William Camden who in 1605 wrote, “All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating.”
One well known lady darter posted, “I believe management has no obligation to involve nonemployees with the everyday operations.” She stated this in response to the questions that have arisen for eons about what the ADO does with member’s money. To the extent the lady writes of “everyday operations” she may have a point. However, the term “everyday operations” does not include the use of funds collected on the member’s behalf (and which they supply) intended to be spent to their betterment or reward them. It would be very difficult to make the case, at least with a straight face, that “operating expenses” are encompassed within the definition of “rewarding members.
The Motha Country, the UK, has been most negatively affected by lockdowns, which remain…
In the UK there was the added demise and burial of the British Darts Organization that may have brought out the playing of Taps for local darts. At one time, the BDO was the worldwide leader in darts. The UK and its friends ruled the World Dart Federation with an iron fist. That has changed.
One with a personal knowledge of the UK darting scene posted, while there will be several factors involved, I would say with much certainty that Covid 19 was the final nail in the coffin, because several pubs have gone to the wall and until all restrictions have been lifted many have taken down dartboards. Sounds ominous at best with their way “back to normal” blocked by more roadblocks than the entrance to the USA Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
The World Dart Federation has replaced the BDO as sponsor of The World Masters scheduled for December 2-5 in Assen, Netherlands, and the 2022 or 2023 World Cup. This schedule is “iffy” as much of Europe remains closed tighter than a Tupperware lid. But in case the World Master event does materialize players should have a little information on Assen, Netherlands.
Assen is located 82 miles from Amsterdam and best known by its Dutch TT race each June. The 65,000 inhabitants are in the center of Netherlands’ nature. For the men out there who think Netherlands and Christmas season equate to “window shopping in Amsterdam” – fuhgeddaboudit. There’s NO Red-Light District in Assen. But there’s hope for those males who are willing to take the extra step.
Groningen’s only an hour away by bus or train. The city advertises, “There are around 95 prostitution rooms that are reminiscent of an art gallery.” (“Yes Dear, I went to an art gallery in Groningen.”) Deniability is important.
Machine Darts? Good shape. The (NDA), Team event was recently held in Las Vegas. An “unofficial” stated, “There are 2,220 individual players.” Money, money.
One storied dart pub in England was the Morning Star in Beckham. Many great players toed the oche there. One customer was John Henry House who drove the Budweiser-like team of horses and wagon for Youngs Brewery Wandsworth. He remembers one night there…
Never forget the night Howie Reed beat Paddy from the Dulwich dart league. You had been watching us play, then Paddy challenged you to a match saying no yank going to beat him. Mr. Wonderful did not let the Morning Star down. Could not stop laughing – you shut him up that night.
Stay thirsty my friends.
