Barry Hearn has urged Luke Littler to smile through the boos rather than threaten to walk away from hostile venues, after the teenage world champion faced heavy jeering at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. Littler made it clear he would not accept the treatment and even hinted he might skip the Netherlands in future — a response the former PDC chairman believes would be a costly mistake.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Hearn said crowd behaviour is partly inseparable from the explosive growth darts has enjoyed over recent decades. "He's got to overcome that and he will overcome it. People like Peter Manley got booed from the toilet, you know, and they get used to it," he said. He cited Gerwyn Price as proof the tide can turn: the Welshman was for years perhaps the most booed player in the sport, barely able to throw an arrow in some venues without whistles or boos, yet "look at him now. He's Mr. Popular now and the way to cure boos is like a bully on the street. You smile at them, you let them know you've not upset them."
Hearn drew a comparison with football, arguing it is unthinkable that away supporters would stay completely silent at key moments. "You know, let's go back to your chosen sport, football, you know, you can't say the away fans are that polite, you know, when the other guy's taking the penalty, you may hear just one or two boos or whistles or whatever." He sees the hostility as a by-product of the sport's evolution: "This is a compliment in a way to where darts has gone. It's a major sellout, huge atmosphere sport and people will get involved."
That does not mean the PDC accepts everything, Hearn added, pointing to education and security. "We hope we try to educate. We have obviously massive amounts of security in the buildings at all times, but we can't stop. You know, the worst thing you can say to someone who's, you know, it's like a red badge or no booing, you just try and educate them by example and in the end, fair sports fans win the day." For Littler, the situation is more complex because of his status: "Luke Littler is a target because, as I said to him the other day, he's just so bloody good." Hearn pointed to snooker's Steve Davis, who "used to get booed into the arenas by snooker fans and these are older people because he was winning everything."
Littler lost 2-1 to Luke Woodhouse in the first round of the World Grand Prix last Monday. Hearn stressed that Littler's age should not be overlooked. "I mean, he's had a couple of hiccups and he's young as well. It's difficult for him to take on board. He's got a good team around him. He's got great parents around him. The PDC will do everything that we can. It is difficult." He added: "You know, he's 19 years old. He's getting booed, especially when he plays a local player. But you know what? Nah, he's got to overcome that."
Hearn then directly addressed Littler's suggestion he might skip hostile events. "What you don't do is tell them, this is not good, I won't be coming back. Because inevitably, when you do come back, you're going to pay the price. So you bear off just a smile and eventually it dies down, like it has with Gerwyn Price, who's now one of the world's most popular players." His message was simple: "So don't worry. Luke, you know, my message to Luke is, listen, you're doing great. You're earning a lot of money. You put your money away for your family or whatever you're going to do. Smile through adversity."