# Pick a nickname: darts shows DerbyWheel how it’s done

*By Simon | April 30, 2024*

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## 󠀁[Pick a nickname: darts shows DerbyWheel how it’s done](https://globalkeirin.com/2024/04/pick-a-nickname-darts-shows-derbywheel-how-its-done/)󠁿

30 April 2024

Cycling is no stranger to a nickname. We’ve had the Cannibal, the Badger and the
Pirate. More recently, Purito and Spartacus, Wiggo and the Manx Missile, the
Shark and the Gorilla. You’ll often hear them in commentary. You might see them
painted on the road, or represented in a custom paint job on a frame.

But DerbyWheel looks set to take things a step further, learning a lesson from
another sport which has gone from under-performer to prime-time in recent years.

DerbyWheel competitors have been asked to suggest their own official nicknames,
which will be printed on their race kit.

## ‘Raw materials of a hit’

The mandatory adoption of catchy nicknames is said to have been the first
innovation of British sports entrepreneur Barry Hearn, when he took control of
darts some 20 years ago.

[Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2149983737)

‘In sport, you have to be famous. You cannot be a secret. So the first job was
to widen the net,’
[he told GQ Magazine in 2021](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/barry-hearn-interview)
, ‘to make sure they were personalities in their own right, hence the nicknames,
the entry music, etc.’

Hearn’s success, not only in darts but in snooker and boxing previously, is a
natural model for DerbyWheel.
[A 2019 article in The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/sports/2019/5/1/18524973/darts-bbc-america-sky-barry-hearn-professional-corporation)
tells the story of how he went to watch a darts tournament, and found ‘a
mass-participation sport being played by oddly endearing blokes — the raw
materials of a hit’.

## ‘Good money’

When Hearn started in darts, the prize fund was £ 500,000 shared among all
players, for an entire year. Per player, that worked out at less than £ 10,000 –
meaning all but a handful were part-timers.

‘The very top darts players now earn well over £1 million a year each,’ Hearn
explained. ‘The average professional probably makes £50,000 to £100,000. It’s
not Premier League football money, but it’s good money.’

[Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2148369451)

Hearn’s Professional Darts Corporation now sells out arenas across the UK and
into Europe, with its Premier League Darts events broadcast live on Sky Sports.
It is second only to Premier League football in terms of ratings on the network,
far ahead of sports like golf and rugby.

Many of the same stars also compete in the PDC Pro Tour, whose 30 non-televised
events in the UK and Germany can take place in near silence. Action is streamed
online via the PDC website and gambling platforms worldwide.

_Global Keirin_ hears that many riders have been struggling to choose a suitable
nickname. If we review a
[database of darts nicknames](https://www.darts501.com/Nicknames.html), we find
most are a variation on the player’s name, or a horrible pun. Some refer to a
physical characteristic, or to the player’s job away from the sport. And some…
well, there’s probably a story behind them, and it’s probably best not to ask.

**Categories:** Original
**Tags:** dwnews