Darts embodies our true national values of irony, self-mockery and playfulness in a pastime that requires skill but no exertion
There’s a great video montage of Luke Littler, made by his sister Lisa, with his first dartboard. You can hear his mum in the background, modelling a growth mindset (“Are you going to get me a 180? Go on, then”) rather than a fixed mindset (which would have sounded more like: “Holy shit, you’re a genius”).
He’s already got that triumphant flourish in his shoulder, and I want to tell you he’s got the makings, at 18 months old, of the rhythm darts player he soon became. But in good faith, I’d have to admit that I only just learned what that means: thunk, thunk, thunk, like a metronome, fast, sure and unbroken.