Gary Anderson Loses It During Interview and Lays Into ‘Wannabe Darts Player’
Gary Anderson’s victory on opening night of the Winmau World Masters should have been a straightforward celebration. The two-time world champion had just dispatched Niels Zonneveld 3-2 with a century-plus average, booking his place in the second round at Arena MK.
But when the microphones came out for his post-match interview, The Flying Scotsman had something far more pressing on his mind than his next opponent. And what followed was a typically blunt, expletive-laden tirade that left reporters scrambling and social media ablaze.
The Explosion
Anderson didn’t ease into his grievances. He went straight for the jugular.
“I don’t do YouTube, but I’m watching — what do you call them? Influencers,” the 54-year-old Scotsman began, his tone dripping with contempt. “How to play darts. I’ve never seen the bloke in my life.”
Then came the knockout blow: “I’ve watched him play darts and he’s absolutely rank at it, so why watch him?”
The veteran wasn’t finished. Far from it.
“Kids need to learn that you can go buy a set of darts — it costs you ten, 20, 30, 40, 50 quid,” Anderson continued, his frustration building. “It’s time to stop spending hundreds of pounds on darts and just play the game.”
But the real money shot came when Anderson decided actions spoke louder than words. He stuck up two fingers at the camera and delivered his final verdict: “There’s my influencers — what a load of bollocks. Absolute tossers.”
The Target
While Anderson stopped short of naming names — “You know who I’m talking about,” he said pointedly — the darts world immediately began speculating about his targets.
The rant comes against a backdrop of darts’ explosive rise in popularity, driven largely by teenage sensation Luke Littler’s meteoric ascent. That popularity has attracted a wave of YouTube personalities and social media influencers eager to capitalize on the sport’s momentum.
Anderson specifically took aim at the glut of tutorial videos flooding platforms like YouTube. “How many times have you watched boys on YouTube — ‘Play like a pro,'” he mocked. “Who is he? For young kids, it ain’t good.”
The Scotsman’s concern centers on what he sees as unqualified wannabes passing themselves off as experts. “I’ve watched him play darts and he’s absolutely rank at it, so why watch him?” Anderson repeated, hammering home his point that playing ability should matter when offering instruction.
The Influencer Invasion
Darts has indeed become influencer gold in recent months. The sport’s surge in viewership — driven by Littler’s incredible run to back-to-back World Championship titles — has opened doors for content creators who previously showed little interest in the oche.
Most prominently, popular livestreamer AngryGinge became a fixture at Alexandra Palace during Littler’s title defense, accompanying the world number one throughout his successful campaign. The partnership between Littler and Ginge epitomizes the collision between traditional darts and modern social media culture.
YouTube group The Sidemen have also waded into darts waters, with member Ethan Payne (Behzinga) among those trying their hand at the sport. Other influencers have launched darts-themed content series, tutorial channels, and equipment review videos — all seeking to ride the wave Littler created.
For purists like Anderson, this represents the worst kind of bandwagon-jumping. He sees people with minimal playing credentials suddenly positioning themselves as authorities on the sport he’s dedicated his life to mastering.
The Price Problem
Anderson’s rant went beyond simple gatekeeping. He identified a genuine concern that affects aspiring young players: the soaring cost of darts equipment.
“Just let them play darts and enjoy it,” Anderson implored. “Buy a £20 set of darts and enjoy your game of darts. End of. Easy.”
His point isn’t subtle. As darts explodes in popularity and influencers push premium products, equipment prices have skyrocketed. Brands are capitalizing on the Littler-fueled boom, marketing increasingly expensive gear to newcomers who believe they need top-tier equipment to compete.
For Anderson, this commercialization threatens the sport’s accessibility. A working-class game that anyone could afford to try is becoming cost-prohibitive for the very young players darts needs to sustain its growth.
The irony isn’t lost on observers: professional players like Anderson benefit enormously from darts’ rising profile and commercial success. Yet he’s willing to criticize the aspects of that growth he sees as harmful to the sport’s grassroots.
Anderson’s Long-Standing Frustrations
This outburst didn’t emerge from nowhere. Anderson has repeatedly voiced frustrations about modern darts culture throughout this season.
During December’s World Championship, he accused opponent Adam Hunt of mind games after their tense first-round encounter. “At the break he popped his head in and went, ‘When was the last time you played like that?'” Anderson revealed. “I went, ‘I play like that all the time, son.'”
The Scotsman delivered a typically blunt assessment: “They talk about mind games, but I’ve probably forgot more about darts than what he ever knows.”
Anderson also criticized what he sees as time-wasting at the oche, admitting it’s turned him off watching the sport altogether. “When you see them sauntering up to the dartboard and taking ten minutes to take their darts out, is that darts? That’s why I don’t watch it. Come on, get on with it.”
The common thread in Anderson’s complaints is authenticity. He wants players who compete seriously, instructors who actually know how to play, and a sport that remains true to its working-class roots rather than becoming a playground for social media grifters.
The Generation Gap
Anderson’s rant exposes a fundamental tension in modern darts: the collision between old-school players who came up through pub leagues and working men’s clubs, and the new generation growing up in an era of social media fame and instant celebrity.
For players like Anderson — who won his first world title at 44 after decades of grinding through smaller tournaments — success meant mastering every aspect of the game over years of dedication. Tutorial videos from players who haven’t put in that work represent everything he despises about shortcut culture.
Yet the sport’s growth depends partly on accessibility and engagement that influencers provide. Young fans discover darts through YouTube videos and social media content, even if some of those creators lack professional credentials.
The question becomes whether darts can accommodate both worlds. Can the sport welcome newcomers drawn in by influencer content while maintaining the authentic, skill-based culture Anderson champions?
The Legitimate Concern
Strip away the profanity and frustration, and Anderson raises a valid point about impressionable young players.
If children genuinely believe they need hundreds of pounds in premium equipment to start playing darts, the sport will lose countless potential future stars who can’t afford the entry fee. If they’re learning technique from creators who don’t know proper form, they’ll develop bad habits that hamstring their development.
Anderson’s crude delivery shouldn’t obscure the substance of his message: darts works best when it remains accessible, authentic, and focused on actual playing ability rather than social media metrics.
The Aftermath
Anderson’s comments went viral immediately, sparking fierce debate across darts forums and social media platforms.
Some defended him as a truth-teller willing to call out the commercialization and dumbing-down of the sport. Others criticized him as an out-of-touch veteran unable to accept how modern media works.
The influencers Anderson targeted — whoever they specifically are — have remained silent so far, though the phrase “absolutely rank at it” is unlikely to sit well with anyone in the YouTube darts community.
What’s Next
Anderson faces James Wade in the second round on Saturday, a match that will draw enormous attention after Thursday night’s explosive interview.
Whether his rant represents generational wisdom or old-man-yells-at-cloud territory depends on your perspective. But nobody can accuse Gary Anderson of holding back his opinions or sugarcoating his message.
For a man who’s won two world titles, two Premier League crowns, and earned respect through decades of excellence, he’s earned the right to speak his mind — even if his delivery involves two-fingered salutes and words that can’t be printed in family newspapers.
The question now is whether darts can navigate the tension between Anderson’s authentic, skill-based vision and the influencer-driven growth model that’s brought millions of new fans to the sport.
One thing’s certain: Gary Anderson won’t be diplomatic about which side he’s on. And he definitely won’t be buying any expensive darts based on YouTube recommendations from people he considers “absolutely rank at it.”
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