53BloombergBusinessweek February 8, 2021playerscompeted fromtheirhouses
by broadcasting theirplay.Viewers
could watch live onDAZNortheSky
Sportsapp.Technically,dartswasthe
firstsportintheworldtocomeback
fromitscoronavirus-mandatedshut-
tering. The Home Tourwasastopgapmeasure, withplayersdoubling as
theirownproductionstaffandreport-
ingtheirscores.Onematchwascalled
offbecauseofpoorWi-Fi.Butinthe
shamblingspiritofthesport,thetour
kindofworked.
Afewmonths later,as PDCcom-
petitorBDOheadedtoliquidation,thePDCbroughtbackin-persondarts,just
withoutfans.Sherrockusedlockdown
toamassa TikTokfollowingandcom-
peteina parallellivestreameddarts
tournament,putonbytheagencythat
representsher,whereshecontinued
tobeatmen.Butshedidn’thaveliveopportunitiestorecapturethemagicof
lastwinter’srun,andshefailedtonab
oneofthetwowomen’squalifierspots
forthe 2021 WorldChampionship.Other
womenfilledthevoid:Oneofthemost
excitingmomentsoftherunupcame
whenMikuru“TheMiracle”Suzuki
almostbeat Gerwyn“TheIceMan”Price, the world’s No. 1, at the Grand
Slam of Darts in November in Coventry.
At the end of December, despite the
pandemic, the World Championship
was back on at Ally Pally. The players
and PDC staff were in a modified bub-
ble, allowed to move only from their
nearby hotel to the venue. The first
night, 500 spectators were let in. On
the second night, with a variant of the
virus fueling a surge in Covid cases, new
restrictions went into effect. The tour-
nament continued. Media were allowed
in, but fans were not.
On Jan. 3, after weeks of compe-
tition, the World Championship was
whittled down to two players: Price and
Gary “The Flying Scotsman” Anderson
went head-to-head for £500,000 in prize
money. I attended the final. Stripped
of all pageantry, the action was even
more surreal. Within the blue-carpeted,
faux-regal Ally Pally, it suggested the
strange solemnity of the ceremonial
rites of a well-to-do cult. Some show-
manship would have been nice. Perhaps
the half a mil could have been here, in
cash, spilling out of suitcases?
It helped that Price’s performance
was insane. His every muscle was
clenched; every success was greeted
with a scream. I have “daaaah!” and
“waaahh woooah!” and “plaaaaaaaah-
hhheee”writteninmynotes.Price
hasthevibeofa videogamevillain—
specifically, Wario—while Anderson’s is
more of a lapsed punk rocker turned
kindly accountant.
Price was dominant and went
up big. And then, as he got closer to
clinching, he kept blowing chances. I
was still just watching two men throw-
ing darts in a cavernous mansion in
creepy silence. But it was riveting.
Price was so close to glory and clearly
rattled by the specter of success.
He fluttered his lips and turned
away from the board, seeking clarity.
Another chance came. All he needed
was 10 points. Bang, there it was. The
money, the glory, was his. The PDC had
done it, too. With a pandemic peak-
ing, it completed its signature event.
“Boooooah!” the Ice Man screamed in
PHOTOGRAPH BY SOPHIE GREEEN FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK glee. “Boooah!” <BW>make your money”
PRICE AT LAST MONTH’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP