{"id":8800,"date":"2024-02-27T12:43:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T17:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/?p=8800"},"modified":"2024-02-28T14:15:23","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T19:15:23","slug":"column-657-a-great-players-years-of-unsportsmanlike-behavior-have-prompted-these-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2024\/02\/column-657-a-great-players-years-of-unsportsmanlike-behavior-have-prompted-these-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #657 A great player\u2019s years of unsportsmanlike behavior have prompted these words\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, February 27, 2024
\nColumn 657
\nA great player’s years of unsportsmanlike behavior have prompted these words…<\/strong><\/p>\n

There have been some incidents on the American darts circuit that underscore the need for some sort of serious process, perhaps even a regulatory authority, to be established to sanction those who bring our sport into disrepute. In this exciting time when darts is rebounding at the grass roots and flourishing at the uppermost levels there is no place for anyone unwilling or unable to conduct him or herself in a respectable manner. For the good of the sport, it is incumbent upon the governing powers to individually and jointly establish a clear code of conduct and a system to enforce it<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Let me give you a few examples of actions that have no place in our sport, at any level, and should be cause for penalizing the offending player or players. If you don\u2019t agree I\u2019ll put out my joint, disrespect you, your spouse or significant other and your kids, fling my darts across the room, toss my beer and punch your frickin\u2019 lights out.<\/p>\n

The bad news is that all of this occurs. The good news is that the offenders are few but habitual. The mystery is why such actions are permitted to continue.\u00a0 It’s mindboggling that even the PDC, CDC and WSDT seem unwilling to address the actions of the player who prompetd these remarks.<\/p>\n

Some say that since local leagues and the American Darts Organization (ADO) are volunteer-driven outfits there just isn\u2019t the manpower or budget to monitor and control such behavior. I say this is bunk, nothing but a weak excuse to sidestep dealing with the issue or, worse, to let friends off easy by turning a blind eye to conduct we wouldn\u2019t dream of condoning in other areas of our lives.<\/p>\n

Some years ago, I had a discussion with former ADO president Sandi Cain about the ADO\u2019s role in monitoring the sport. She explained that staffing and budget considerations required that this sort of thing be left to the leagues and tournament directors. I don\u2019t see this as a problem. I see it as an essential part of the answer. Similar conversations more recently with several other darts officials only reinforce the sensibility and practicality of this component of the solution.<\/p>\n

Those who act during league and at tournaments in ways that would see them ejected from any workplace or restaurant and any other type of sporting event in the civilized world bring nothing but disrespect to themselves and our sport. They turn newcomers away, adding to the struggle of leagues and local tournaments to survive and reinforce the stereotypes that have held top-level darts back from proper sponsorship and big-time exposure for decades.<\/p>\n

I wonder exactly how the governing bodies go about sanctioning leagues and tournaments. \u00a0Are there criteria? Is there discussion and a vote at board meetings? Or is any league or tournament just accepted as a matter of course? And how is membership reviewed or renewed?<\/p>\n

I wonder because it would just seem reasonable that leagues and tournaments should agree to meet certain expectations before being admitted as a member of a national governing organization. When Tom Fleetwood established the ADO system, tournament sanctioning was a way to guarantee players that they could count on receiving the winnings they earned. It worked.<\/p>\n

Now, decades later and in a much different world, it is time to put more teeth into the sanctioning system, not just at the ADO but at every single one of the governing organizations.<\/p>\n

In order to be admitted as a member league and to have its tournaments sanctioned, a league should be required to have an annual independent audit and their audited financial statement should be a formal part of the application and renewal process. Players should know that the funds they entrust to their local leagues are managed honestly.<\/p>\n

It is also time that leagues and tournament directors be required by their sanctioning organizations to monitor and enforce a code of conduct and take swift and very specific actions in certain clearly defined situations if they wish to maintain their status as an accredited member league or sanctioned tournament.<\/p>\n

Nobody wants to walk into a league match and week after week have to tolerate the actions of those few who consistently disrupt play. A system that is grounded in a code of conduct that is specific, that means something, and deals with those who flagrantly disregard it,<\/em> is certain to prove beneficial to the sport. The imprimatur of sanction by a governing body that required a code of conduct and demanded it be enforced would undoubtedly help many leagues retain membership and attract new blood.<\/p>\n

In the case of tournaments, the power of such a system would be that if rules were not enforced and sanction was lost the attraction would be gone for players who travel to earn ranking points. It would therefore behoove organizers at the local level to tow the line to retain their sanction.<\/p>\n

The rules of conduct and the penalties for violating them must be clear and specific, developed and adopted by each of the governing bodies, and enforcement of the rules and sanctioning violations must be a fundamental part of any partnership agreement between any league and their governing body. The rules and penalties for violating them should be standardized and all of the governing bodies should cooperate by enforcing penalties handed down by any one of them individually so sanctioned players can\u2019t jump from one organization to another.<\/p>\n

What might be included in a reasonable universal policy to help ensure acceptable conduct and sportsmanship throughout the sport of darts across America? The following should be included on any list:<\/p>\n