Darts' battle for acceptance

Darts has long been a bone of contention in the debate around what constitutes a sport, with some seeing it as the ultimate pub game.

It was officially recognised by Sport England in 2005. When in 2010 Phil Taylor, the 16 times world darts champion, was awarded second place in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, it was lauded in darting circles as a watershed moment in the game's battle for acceptance in the mainstream sporting environment.

For others, Taylor's award was seen as sacrilege, giving darts a sporting platform they felt was unmerited. Golfer Ian Poulter epitomised this viewpoint, describing the award as "a farce". What is Phil Taylor's response to the naysayers?

"I always laugh at people who say darts isn't a sport, but rather a pastime. You don't pay tax on a pastime and I have paid a fortune in tax so it must be a sport! Coming runner up in BBC Sports Personality is the highlight of my career simply because this is something that is voted for by the whole nation and gives me a great deal of pride to be recognised for what I have achieved, and it helped take darts to another level. To be standing on stage with the likes of David Beckham is something I will cherish forever. The trophy still has pride of place at my daughter's house."

"I would say darts being accepted as a mainstream sport gathered momentum when Barry Hearn became chairman of the PDC and the introduction of the Premier League brought weekly TV coverage. Darts is now on the BBC and Sky more than ever. When I first won the World Championship in 1990 the prize money was £24,000, while now the winner gets close to £400,000 – a life-changing amount of money. The standard among the young players is so high now that you have to keep improving to keep up."